The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-02-27


"Yesl I was wearing gloves and
II didn't take them off,"
Then how do you account for
the fact that the print of your
right thumb was found on each
drawer of Miss Testers desk?" Nc
Mann demanded.
TACK'S hand closed so hard over
~ Ruth's that the girl WINGED, but
she was not conscious that she was
hurt; she only knew that here was
evidence that Rita Dubois had been
searching her-Ruth 's--desk for
somethingl Had Rita found the
thing she was looking for-the gun
with which to kill Harry Borden,
perhaps?
"Ohl ..... forgot!" Rita was
answering, defiantly. II wanted to
paste together the two halves Of the
$500 bill Harry had given me. I
was looking for paste, and had talk
en- off my glove to do the job"
with Borden in a hurry to get
rid of you?" McMann reminded
her.
"It was Harry who suggested it, "
Rita answered. eve were in the
outer Office, saying goodby-" She
glanced, ashamed, at Mrs. Borden,
who was looking steadily at her own
clasped hands.
I'D just stuffed the two halves of
the bill in my handbag and Harry
said I might lose one of than, and
suggested I paste them together. I
looked for the paste and couldn't
find it, and he was in such a fidget
that I went on without bothering
about the paste, and later bought q
little tube at the drug store"
There's a paste pot in plain
sight on Benny's desk" Ruth could
not refrain from telling the detec-
tive.
McMann glanced at her and
smiled slightly, as if to assure her
that he was very much on the job.
Then, with the suddenness of a cat
bouncing upon a mouse: What did
you do with the gun, Rita? Of
course, we'll find it sooner or later,
but you might as well save us the
troubled"
Ruth gasped, tried to realize all
that McMann's question meant, as
Jacks hand again closed with
fierceIy exultant pressure upon hers.
Gun? What are you talking
about?" Rita almost screamed.
"The 38-caliber Colts automatic
that you found in the bottom draw
err of Miss Testers desk" McMann
interrupted coolly.
''You we're looking for it, and you
found it. Borden had told you, as
he had told several other people,
that Miss Lester owned a gun, kept
it in her desk in case of a holdup.
Borden wouldn't give you the other
half of that all-inportaat $500 bill,
and you were desperate for need
of it.
"You couldn't wait till Saturday
night. You quarreled with him,
pretended to be leaving, went into
the outer Office, got the gun out of
the drawer, and-shot him"
Rita had gone dead white as the
detective summed up against her,
but when he had finished she
laughed, her wildly rouged lips
twisting in an ugly loop of disdain.
Sounds simply well, don't II?
But listen here, and get this
straight: I didn't know Baby-face
had a gun in her desk; there wasn't
one in the bottom drawer when 1
looked for the paste, and I didn't
kill Harry Borden! That's the
truth, and you can third degree me
till hell freezes over if you want to!"
"Then-someone else had 4lreday
killed him with that gun when you
looked for the paste to stick to-
gether that bill you'd taken off his
body?" McMann shot at the defiant
dancer.
Wrong again, big boyl" Rita
answered insolently. He was alive
when I came and alive when I left,
as I seem to remember having told
you before!"
EERBER said something to Nc
4 Mann in a low voice ard the
detective frowningly studied two
photographs of f1ngerprints. Then:
"I suppose Borden helped you look
for the paste tube, Rita?"
The girl flushed. mo, he didn't.
He went over to the cooler and got
drink while I was going through
Miss Testers desk"
HE didn't touch the desk?" Ne
Mann persisted strangely.
"No!"
and yet" McNGann said slowly,
to no one in particular, ''Borden's
fingerprints-or rather his right
thumbprit-is on top of che wooden
handle of the bottom drawer of
Miss Testers desk. The other four
fingers would be inserted beneath
the long wooden handle, of course.
That right, Ferber?"
Eyes. I didn't photograph the
underside of the handles, but can,
by removing them" Ferber an
swered.
mot necessary" McMann assured
him. Miss Lester. did Borden, to
your knowledge, open the bottom
drawer of your desk on Saturday,"
NO" Ruth answered. ITO my
knowledge he never opened draw
err of my desk during the entire
time I worked for him. but he may
have when I was not there, of,
course. Benny Smith, the Office
boy, opened that drawer Saturday
morning. He was looking for a
/ towel, he said, when asked him
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