The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-02-16

"a 1NI e..
mol" McMann barked. "Just
tell the boys that Detective Ser
geant Thomas H. McMann expects
to make an arrest within a. few
hours. And that's no liel Be sure,
they get my name spelled right.
-. And Birdwell, bring Rita Du-
bois to me as 500 as Clay dragS
her in."
McMann waved his subordinate
away, then concentrated upon Jack
Hayward again. $50 it took you ten
minutes to answer the phone and
pick up a couple of theater tickets.
That right?"
Not exactly" Jack answered
evenly.
i was pretty we'll knocked out
by the bad news from the insurance
company, since I'd counted on the
commission to get married on, so
1 sat at my desk for two or three
minutes, trying to get. hold of my
self before seeing Miss Lester. again.
T didn't want to spoil her day-the
first after our engagement"
He drew a quick, sharp breath,
then smiled down at the girl who
was clinging to his arm.
Needed money pretty badly,
didn't you, Hayward" McMann in
terrupted significantly.
Il was sorry to lose the commits
sion, because it might mean aspost-
ponement of u marriage" Jack
admitted CURLY.
Then it occurred to me that
since I'd lost the commission I'd
better be- lining up other business,
SOL packed my briefcase with work
to do over the Weekend. It took
me, several minutes to find a. list
Of prospects I wanted to work on,
for I'm not. familiar with my sec
retary's filing system. When T had
found 1t I left the office and re
Joined! Miss Lester at the hotel"
cat what time?"
AT ten minutes past two"
"NOU'VE got the time down
Il pretty pat, haven't you?" Nc
Mann insinuated, ~grinning crook
edly as, he made a note. Then, more
directly, "You were already. think
ing in terms of alibis, weren't you,
Hayward"
you're certainly, open-minded,
McMann!" Jack laughed contempt
uously. First you sum up a mag
nidcent case against Mrs. Borden, {
until the poor woman herself must
have half believed she did it.
Then you make an equally strong
case against Miss Lester, and now
both of them must give way to your
new favorite-John Darlington Hay
ward!'
And the foolhardy, angry. young
man bowed ironically, gg
oh Jack, don't!" Ruth cried.
please, darling"
Give him enough rope" Nc
Mann shrugged, but his face was
livid with anger. ST admit your
charge, Mr.. Hayward: [ am open
minded, and you can oblige me with
"a, little more informationt+ You saw
Borden across the airshaft,I didn't
your"
Ruth held her breath, then re-
leased it with a sigh of relief as
Jack retorted emphatically: II did
not! I never even went near the
window. I had other things to
think about, besides Borden"
sstArd yet you knew he'd been
making violent love to Miss Lester"
McMann reminded him. "You
threatened, in the presence of
Moran, the elevator boy, to kill Bor-
den, remember!"
II did-before she had assured
me that Borden had not touched
her." Jack answered evenly. But
]. believed Miss Lester when she
assured me that she had hurt her
hip against the door"
Yes, you did! You believed. her
SO firmly. that you came back later
to kill Borden!" McMann shouted,
banging his fist, upon the desk.
Come clean, Hayward. You own
a gun yourself, don't you? You,
didn't spend good money-hard up
as you are-to protect Borden's.
offices from holdup men and neglect
your. own safety-did you?",
Again, when she most needed-i it,
courage from some unseen, benef-
cent source sustained Ruth Lester,
just as g%sickening waves of nausea
began to pour over her brain.
II own a .38 caliber Colts auto
matte, exactly like the pistol I gave
Miss Lester" Jack answered stead
lily. you will find it in the bottom
drawer of my desk, unfired. LhaVe
never usedcit." .af z
AS he spoke, Ruth stared at him
in terror she was powerlesS to con-
ceal, wanted to clap her hands over
his mouth to hold back that dam1-
ing admission. &
why, he doesn't know the gun
is gone!" she realized, with almost
historical joy. "He doesn't know!
How stupid I've been! Of course
he'd have cleaned it and put it back
If he had killed Borden! He had
plenty of time"
McMann rose. GAS you say, Hay
ward, Tin open-minded! I'll have
a look at that gun, and then, still
open-minded, I'll wait for Peder-
sons report on whether it's been
fired OF not.
"Pederson's our firearms expert,
and if he says it's never been fired,
Ill take his word for it-but not
yours. Pretty clever of you to adj
NIT possession of a gun, but you
knew damned well that the record
would show when and where you
purchased it."
He strobe to- the communicating
4 <O0,. $780, - a. Il - 49, =