The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-03-08

RttaS story.
I'm sure he'd rather know what
Rita did with the $500 she admits
she got from Borden before he takes
a chance on clapping me in jail"
18th f1inched, but nodded in
agreement. "She gave it to some
one else, of course-some one who
was in dire trouble, some one she
will shield, even if she has to go to
jail to protect him."
Jack laughed. "Him?"
"a man, of course" Ruth retorted.
1.-THE man she is in love with, Who
ever he may me. She Ioathed the
very thought of going away with
Mr.. Borden-because she was in
love with some one else.
Sand, of course, if she'd simply
needed the $500 to pay bills with,
she'd have told readily enough what
she did with it,. Maybe the man
saw her with Borden, suspected she
was planning to go away with him,
followed her to Borden's Office, in
O. jealous rage"
Forced his way into the Office,
in spite of Borden's fear of strari-
gers with possible grievances. found
your pistol by, instinct, fired one
shot at Borden and one through the
window, took the rest of Borden's
money and your pistol, then strolled
over to my Office and completed a
pleasant afternoons work by rob-
bling my desk of my automatic"
Jack interrupted, smiling broadly.
"Pretty thin, sweetheart"
well, what if it is?" Ruth cried.
ANY theory that could fit all the
facts would sound almost as absurd.
I'm just cropping in the dark, Jack!
Some one did it! But who, how
and why? It's like an awful pug
zle of which you have all the pieces
but to which you can't find the
key"
81 know, DEAR" Jack assured he
contritely. "It's beastly of me to
joke about it. Suppose we try, just
you and didn't intend to make
a rhyme, sweet, so don't frown at
me-to Mt the pieces of the puzzle
together. 1 know you've been try
ing all day, but McMann sort of
cramped your style.
"You were trying so desperately
to convince him that I didn't kill
your unpleasant boss, that you had
little time to wonder who did. Now
I didn't do it. That's agreed, isn't
it?": he added, with sudden gravity,
his eyes were steady, but so Wistful
that her heart contracted sharply
with pity.
OF course, darling!" Ruth pro-
tested, smiling at him through a
mist of tears.
a LII right. But let's consider
II the case against me, as Nc
Mann sees it." Jack began briskly.
Three people have testified that I
threatened Borden's life, if he laid
a hand on you again. Motive:
"As to opportunity was in my
office for eight or nine minutes,
possibly ten, between a few minutes
of two and two or. three minutes
after two, and that office is directly
opposite Borden's private office,
with two open windows between us
across an eight-foot airshaft.
"a bullet fired from Borden's Of
flee toward mine scars a brick be-
side my window and is found on the
cement floor of the court below.
My automatic, which my secretary,
Miss Barnes, saw in my desk Satur-
day morning, is. discovered to be
missing on Monday morning. Ac-
feasibility to Weapon-the same
make and ca1iber of weapon which
killed Harry Borden.
cat ten minutes after two, &C.
cording to Bill Cowan's story; Harry
Borden was in telephone converse
ton with someone in my Office.
Naturally the police don't say some
one'-they say Jack Hayward. But
you and I know that at ten minutes
after two, according to your watch
and the clock in the lobby of the
Chester hotel, I was rejoining you
to finish our interrupted lunch.
"Now-look at that section of the
puzzle, little Miss Sherlock, which
piece doesn't ftp
Ruth smiled bravely, trying to
meet his mood. 1.-THE telephone call
of course, and the shot fired toward
your Office. Of course Cowan may
have called Borden's number, in
stead of yours, due to the similar
ity of numbers, or the operator may
have made a mistake"
Lets not try to explain away the
pieces that don't fit" Jack urged.
For the sake of argument, and
probably for the sake of truth, let's
admit these two fatal pieces into
our puzzle, and shift them about
until they fit. Let's say that Borden
was talking with someone in my
Office at ten minutes after two"
"And for several minutes before
ten minutes after two Ruth inter-
rupted. Rita says she called Mr..
Borden from the station at five min
utes past two and his line was busy;
GlaG STle caIled again at ten min
utes after two and it was still busy,
and that at eleven or twelve min
utes after two she talked with him.
IF, as McMann thinks, Borden
was already dead when Rita arrived
about five minutes later, he was
killed Immediately after she talked
with him, by someone in your office,
undoubtedly the person with whom
he had been quarreling over your
telephone.
But here is another piece that
won't fit into the puzzle; why
should Rita, even if she robbed the
body, take the gun with which Bor-
don had fired at his murderer?"
mo earthly reason that I can
see" Jack agreed. Equally. there