The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-10-18
NOW BEGIN THE STORY
CHAPTER XXX
(Monday, June II; 6 u. n.y.

(Monday, June II; 6 p. n.y.
Vance and l spent an hour or sc
that afternoon at the Anderson Gal
lerics looking at some tapestrie.
| which were to be auctioned the next
! day, and afterWard had tea a
| Sherry's.
We were at the Stuyvesant Clul
little before 6. A few minutes
later Markham and Pfyfe arrived
and we went at once into one Of
the conference rooms.
Pfyfe was as elegant and supe
rior as at the first interview. HI
wore a ratcatcher suit and New
market CATERS Of unbleached linen
and was redolent of perfume.
"An unexpected pleasure TO SCI
you gentlemen again so soon," h,
| GREETED US, like one comforting
| blessing.
| Markham was far from amiable
and gave him an almost brusqut
sal tation.
Vance had merely nodded. and now
sat regarding Pfyfe drearily as il
seeking to find some excuse for his
existence, but utterly unable te
do so.
Markham went directly to the
point.
I've found out, Mr.. Pfyfe, that
you placed your machine in gar
age at noon on Friday, and gave the
man $50 to say nothing about it,"
Pfyfc looked up with a hurt look.
"l'vc been deeply wronged," he
complained sae.ly. Il gave the man
$50
Il am glad you admit the fact
so readily" returned Markham.
You knew, by the newspapers, Of
course, that your machine was seen
outside Benson's house the night he
was shot,
"Why else should l have paid SO
literally to have its presence in New
York kept secret?' His tone in
dictated that he was panied at the
others obtuseness.
I'm that case, why did you keep
it in the city at all ?" asked Mark
ham. "You could have driven it
back to Long Island"
Pfyfe shook his head sorrowfully,
look of conlmiseration in his eyes.
Then he leaned forward with an air
of benign patience:-he would be
gentle with this dull-witted district
attorney, like a fond teacher with
a backward child, and would strive
to lead him out of the tangle Of his
uncertainties.
81 am a married man, Mr.. Mark
ham," He pronounced the fact as
if some special virtue attached to
it. II started on my trip for the
Catskills Thursday after dinner, in
tending to stop a day in New York
to make my adieus to someone re-
siding here.
81 arrived quite late-after mid
highland decided to call on Alvin.
But when I drove up, the house was
dark. So, without even ringing the
bell, l walked to Pietro's in Forty
third street to get night-cap,-I
keep a bit of my own pinch-bottle
Haig and Haig there,-but, alas!
The place was closed, and I strolled
back to my car. !. To think, that
while I was away poor Alvin was
shot!"
He stopped and polished his eye
glass.
"The irony of it! +. I didn't
even guess that anything had hap
pened to the dear fellow, - how
could I?
II drove, all unsuspecting Of the
tragedy, to Turkish bath, and re-
manned there the night. The next
morning / read Of the murder; and
in the later editions l saw the men,
ton of my car. It was then l be-
came-shall say worried? But no.
Worried is misleading word.
"Let me say, rather, that ! be-
came aware Of the false position /
might be placed in If the car were
traced to me. So I drove it TO the
garage and paid the man to say
nothing of its whereabouts, lest its
discovery confuse the" issue Of
Alvin's death"
One might have thought. from his
tone and the self-righteous way he
looked at Markham, that he had
bribed the garage-man wholly out Of
consideration for the district attor.
ney and the police.