The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-02-27

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didn't know Baby-face had Z. gun il
her desk; there wasn't one in thu
bottom drawer when I looked for the
paste, and ] didn't hill Harry Dor.
. den! That's the truth, and you car
. third-degree me till hell freezes owe,
!. II you want toll"
"Then-someone else had already
killed him with that gun when you
, looked for the paste to stick together
that bill you'd taken off his body :"
McMann shot at the defiant dancer.
wrong again, big boyw Rita an
swered insolently. "He was alive
when I came and alive when left,
as ! seem to remember having told
you before!"
! Ferber said something to McMann
in q low voice, and the detective
frowningly studied two photographs
Of fingerprints. Then: II suppose
Borden helped you look for the paste
The girl flushed. "No, he didn't.
He went over to the cooler and got
q drink while I was going through
1 100 ACStGI . UGSAs
HE didn't touch the desk?" Nc
Mann persisted strangely.
"No!"
Sand yet" McMann said slowly,
to no one in particular, "Borden's
fingerprints-or rather his right
thumbprint-is on top Of the wood
en- 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. / didn't photograph the un-
derside Of the handles, but can,
by removing them," Ferber answer
ed.
"Not necessary" McMann as
sured 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 2 drawer
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 q towel, he said,
when I asked him what he was do
ing at my desk. I'd just come out
of Mr.. Borden's office after having
taken dictation."
"That accounts for these prints"
Ferber said to McMann, pointing to
a picture. Found a number of them
on the kids desk"
"Anyone else touch your desk Sat-
urday that you know off," McMann
asked Ruth.
mo. / did, Of course. / opened the
bottom drawer, as have told you,
to get paper cup to give Mrs.
Borden q drink. She started to help
me, but didn't touch the drawer
and she had on gloves, I remember"
Ruth answered.
Zone of Borden's thumbprints
half obliterated by Rita's thumb
print" McMann unused, in q low
voice, that was just loud enough for
Ruths stfaining Ours to catch.
"That means he opened the drawer
first"
well. II he did. he did it before
I camel" Rita cut in. "He certain
ly didn't touch that desk while !
was with him."
Ruth's head, spun with conjec-
lures. If Borden had opened that
bottom drawer on Saturday after
noon, after her departure, and be-
fore Rita's arrival, was it not pos
sible that he had done SO to get the
gun, to protect himself against some
threatened trouble-trouble arising
from that mysterious telephone call
which had kept him so long that he
had missed his train?
But Bill Cowan had testified that
Borden had been connected with Jack
Hayward's number! Had McMann,
whose ability she was beginning to
respect as much as she feared it, ar
rived at the same conclusion. If so,
he had again arrived at Jack Hay
ward as the most likely suspect :. ;.
Ruth forced her mind away from
that too terrible possibility. Suppos-
ing Borden, fearful Of an attack at
the hands Of someone who had not
yet come into the investigation-for
she herself was convinced that Jack
had not talked to Borden over the
phone or across the airshaft-had
taken the gun from her desk.
When Rita came-Ruth went on
building up her supposititious case
the gun was on top Of Borden's desk,
handy for his defense against the
person from whom he undoubtedly
feared q visit. Else why should he
have planned to remain all after
noon in his office, instead Of spend
ing the hours between trains with
Rita ? But that, she told herself des-
pairingly, was built on the theory
that Rita was telling the truth about
the agreement between her and Bor-
den to make the later train. Il
Why suppose Rita had told the
truth? She had lied SO much! No, it
was better to hold tight to facts.
Borden had undoubtedly opened the
bottom drawer Of the desk. In all
probability he had done 50 to get the
gun kept there. Rita had come. She
had quarreied with Borden. She had
seen the gun on his desk. She had
shot him to get the money he would
not give her. Then Rita had robbed
the body.
Perhaps she was telling the truth
about the paste-or part truth. Who
could say how Rita's mind would
function after she had killed Bor-
den? The bill was all-important. It
was torn in two. In m office there
would be paste. She had hunted for
the paste In the outer office, and in
the meantime the black pigeon-or