The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-02-25

McMann studied the girl for
long minute through narrowed, CLINT
Ing eyes. Then: well. Rita. let
have your story. Did you 60 to tn
Rita flung up her head defiantly
Sure ! did! I'd promised to 70 ava,
with him for the weekend, and
was ready to keep my bargain. / 20
to the station at two, and went /,
the information desk, where he,
said he would meet me. At five min
utes after two / began to get ner
vous for fear we'd miss the trair
land decided to phone him. There's 1
telephone booth near the informa
tion deak, and ! called from there
where ! could see Harry if he came
while ! was phoning. His line wa,
busy, so l knew he'd not left the Of.
flee. I waited for about five minutes
more and called again, and his line
was still busy"
"Just y minute!" McMann inter.
rupted. 'Can you fix the time Of that
second call exactly?"
Sure! Ten minutes after two,'
Rita asserted confidently. ri had my
eye on the big clock"
Ruth did not need the flick of Nc
Mann's narrowed eyes in her direc-
ton to remind her that the dancer
had partially corroborated Bill Cow
ans damaging testimony against
Jack Hayward-that, when he had
called Jacks number at 2:1O, he had
been plugged in on q busy line and
had heard Harry Borden's voice
raised in violent anger. With a ire
mendous effort of will she controlled
the waves of dizziness that were
pouring over her brain and braced
herself to listen to McMann's next
question:
did you call his number again 7"
"Of coursew Rita answe ere d
promptly. II knew he was in his Of
flee or his line wouldn't be busy.
waited about a minute, and then
got him, and he told me to come over
to the Office"
wait" NJ Mann interrupted
sharply. Exactly what did you say
to Borden and what did he say to
your"
The dancer hesitated for a mo-
ment. while Ruth held her breath.
"Well, he didn't give me a chance to
say much. I said, MY God, Harry,
do you know what time it is, or
have you forgot you were to catch
a train at 2:15?' And he said, No, /
hadn't forgot, Rita, but I've been
unavoidably detained. What time is
it?' told him it was IL minutes aft
er two, and he swore a blue streak,
and then he said we'd have to take a
later train and for me to come on
up to the office, that we'd make new
plans when l got there"
McMann frowned and tapped his
pencil against the dead mans desk.
Ruth knew that he was trying to fit
the dancers testimony into his the
DRY of Jack Hayward as Borden's
murderer. She wanted to remind
him that he had her own corrobora.
ton of Jacks alibi-that he had re.
joined her at the Chester Hotel at 10
minutes after two. But she realized.
miserably, that more than her own
word would be needed to make Nc.
Mann believe in that abb. Even q
jury would hesitate to accept the
word of girl fighting for the life
OF the man she loved, when that
word was the sole support of his
alibi.
"Well, Rita, 60 on" McMann d.
rected at last. "You came, and you
were hopping mad, too, weren't
you ?"
"Well, I wasn't what you might
call delirious with delight" Rita ad-
mitted flappantly. Then her eyes
widened with fear. "Say, what are
you trying to do? Pin something on
me? Well, you've got q fat chance,
old dear, because / didn't even see
Harry, much less bump him off, il
that's what you're insinuating."
McMann's thin lips twisted in that
slow, crooked grin Of his. "Stick to
your story, Rita. When did you get
here? What happened!"
The dancers hands gripped each
other so tightly that knuckle
cracked. Her big black eyes flashed
from McMann's heavy, grinning face
to Ruth's pale one, as If seeking
help. Then, on q quickly drawn
breath, Rita answered: II came right
over from the station, just block
away. Just took time, to check my
bags. I suppose I was here within
five minutes after I hung up the re-
ceiver."
"You got here about Is or 20 min
utes after two, them" McMann
asked, with pencil poised.
Rita shrugged. II guess 50. May
be q minute or two sooner-I don't
know. I knocked on the door and
there wasn't any answer. / knocked
several times and then tried the knob
and found the door locked, SOL |
went away again. There wasn't any
thing else to do" she added defiant
~.
"Of course mott" McMann agreed
blandly. Nothing to do but to turn
right around and 60 right hack
home, and wait for Borden to call |
you there. So that's what you did, |
eh?
eyes," the dancer agreed eagerly
land fell headlong into McMann's
trap.
"Then, Rita" McMann asked, g
Ruth leaned forward tensely, chow
do you account for the fact that YOU
spent 1T least 10 minutes on the
seventh floor 3"
II didn't" Rita denied recklessly.
Ruth could hardly suppress = |
gasp Of relief. Now, 1t least, Rita
Dubois was lying. Micky Moran, the |
elevator operator, had testified that
after: taking the dancer to the
seventh floor he had spent at Least |
L. ASHI A~-AG