The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-02-28

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and he grinned crookedly.
Guess you knew they wouldn't
help us much, since you'd been here
this morning after Miss Lester dis
covered the body. BY the way, while
you were out to lunch, performed
an interesting experiment" He
reached out for the dooor and closed
it in the man-servant's face.
TACK HAYWARD's steady bronze
u brown eyes did not flicker, nor
did his color change. "Yes?"
Eyes! When I was in your
Office this morning, looking for the
gun you seemed to be SO sure I'd
find in the bottom drawer Of your
desk, and which wasn't there
oddly enough!-I found something
else. A missing link, you might
say"
That's interesting" Jack said
evenly, despite the frantic warning
of Ruth's frightened fingers upon
his arm MAY I ask what it VASE"
"Oh-nothing much" the detec-
tive grinned. "JIIst nice long ten
foot pole with a hook on the end
of 1.-THE kind of pole that's ordi-
narily used to pull windows down
from the top, but which-as took
pains to prove-can be used very
nicely for closing windows across
an eight-foot airshaft, if a chap
gets just the right leverage.
"a nice useful sort of pole, if a
fellow very badly wants a window
closed and doesn't want to be seen
walking along q hall and unlock
ing another fellows door in order
to close it. You found it very
handy, didn't you, Hayward"
Jacks handsome face darkened
with anger, but his voice was steady
as he answered: ct did not close
Borden's window with a pole or in
any other manner, McMann. There
was no reason why I should. But it
must have been very interesting
experiment. Did you also demon
strate to your own satisfaction how
robbed the body and secured Miss
Testers automatic, all with this
very useful window pole?"
McMann's grin widened. 81 admit
that at noon I was little bit wor-
ried about those details, but a
charming visitor has pretty well
cleared them up for me-
Ruth could remain silent no long
er. Her voice quivered with anger
as she dashed out at the self-satis-
fed detective: "That's not fair,
Mr.. McNGann! Rita Dubois has
cleared Jack by insisting that Mr..
Borden was alive when she came
here Saturday afternoon at II min
utes after 2, at which time Jack was
with me in the Chester hotel din
ing room"
The grin left McNIann's broad
thin mouth. He looked at the an
CRY, trembling girl gravely, almost
compassionately. I'm sorry, Miss
Lester, but what Rita Dubois says
doesn't mean that to mel" and the
detective snapped his fingers.
you saw me catch her in lie
after lie. The facts are all I'm in
terested in. She could have en-
tered, whether Borden was alive or
dead. She got from hn1-alive or
dead-half of $500 bill and $500
more in smaller bills. At least we
know she got the torn half of the
$500 banknote, and we can take the
other money for granted, think.
"Alive, Borden wouldn't have
given her a cent until she'd come
across-kept her part Of the bar
gain, which was to go away with
him and become his mistress. You
heard him say so yourself. There
fore, she got the money from Bor-
den, dead, not Borden alive"
n y
| DUT Ruth was not defeated by
| I'D the detectives logic, "Then you
think she was SO greedy that she
stole my gun, too-walked out OF
here with the very weapon which
/ she must have believed had killed
Mr.. Borden? And which did kill
him! I know it did"
McMann shrugged. "And Hay
wards gun? What about that?"
Ruth tried to control her anger
to speak reasonably, convilcingly
'Mr. McMann, I don't believe the
disappearance of Mr.. Hayward's gun
has any connection at all with this
case. He himeslf told you he owned
it, where to look for it. Was that
the action of a guilty man? Won't
you work-just for the sake of fair
ness-on the theory that Mr. Hay
wards gun was stolen by a petty
theft, prowling through the build
ing Saturday?
There was gun in these offices
please don't forget that! We know
from the thumbprints on the bottom
drawer of my desk, that Mr. Borden
opened that drawer, in all probable
ity to get the gun to defend himself
against threatened attack. Maybe
he always kept it handy when he
was alone in the Office. L don't