The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-02-28

| it in his possession or on his desk
Saturday before he was killed.
An unknown woman was in these
offices some time Saturday after
noon. You have the fingerprints.
I believe that Rita was telling the
truth when she said that Borden
was alive, that he gave her his half
of the $500 bill to make his peace
with her, for having missed the train
to Winter Haven. After all, she had
kept her part of the bargain. She
had waited for him at the station;
he could not know that she would
ditch him after getting the money.
''The $500, for some reason, was
of vital Importance to Rita Dubois.
Either Mr.. Borden gave it to her of
his own accord or-She killed him in
desperation when he refused That
is the only reason why Rita Dubois
would have taken my gun away with
| her-because she had used it upon
Harry Borden"
! McMann had listened patiently,
even respectfully, to Ruth's long,
passionately sincere speech. When
she paused, breathless, he asked
quietly: you don't believe that Rita
killed Borden, do you, Miss Lester?"
mol I know she lied a lot, and
that she was desperate for money,
but I don't believe she killed him.
Neither do I believe she robbed his
dead body. What do believe, Mr..
McNIann, is that Harry Borden's
nurderer-or murderess-has not
yet been questioned"
NcNIann smiled, but not deris-
lively. Cleo Gilman? If she was
here Saturday afternoon, she walked
up-part of the way, at least. Mo-
ran, the elevator operator, seemed
pretty sure that he had brought no
other passengers to this floor"
81 wouldn't count too heavily on
NTicky Moran's memory, Mr.. Nc
Mann" Ruth flashed. "And grant
ing that NIicky is infallible, isn't
it reasonable to suppose that a per-
son coming here to see Mr.. Borden
after a telephone quarrel with him,
a person he feared and armed him
self against, would have walked at
least a flight or two, rather than
be seen getting off the elevator right
in front of Mr.. Borden's offlces?"
"Just minute, Miss Lester" Nc
Mann brushed her question aside.
"You refer to a telephone quarrel.
Surely you're not forgetting that
that telephone quarrel or part Of
it, was overheard by Bill CoWan,
when he was cut in on Haywards
busy line? How can you explain
that? You don't think it was your
petty thief, prowlipg through the
Starbridge building, who called up
Borden and quarreled with him,
after stealing HayWard's gun?"
I'd UTH looked staggered for a mo-
N. ment, then triumphant. 'Tele-
phone operators have been known
to give wrong numbers as well as
plugging new calls in on busy lines.
Mr. Borden's telephone numbers
are Main $500 and 1901. Mr.. Hay
wards number is Main 3051. Mr..
Cowan was formerly rather a close
friend of Mr.. Borden's.
"He could easily have given the
operator the Borden number, which
he must have called many times in
the past, thinking that ne was CIV
ing Mr.. Hayward's number. Re
member, he did not hear Jacks
voice-only Borden's!'
McNdann chuckIed. You're very
clever, Ruth Lester. You can have
a job under me any time you like.
That's all for the present,
Hayward. You can get back to
your work"
"Thanks" Jack bowed ironi-
cally. Then, to Ruth, in low
voice: You're a darling and I love
you"
"All right, Ashe!" McMann called
through the door by which Jack
was leaving.
The gray-haired, bloodless-look-
ing little man who had been Harry
Borden's man-servant slipped noise
lesly, difhdently, through the door,
and took the chair which McMann
indicated-opposite his own at
Borden's desk.
sit down, Miss Lester" McNann
invited II may need you.
Now, Ashe, how long had you been
with Mr.. Borden?"
Ten months, sir"
When did you last see your en-
ployer?"
Saturday morning, sir. He left
his apartment at half-past 8. as
usual. He told me he would be out
of town for the weekend, and that
was to pack his bags. I was to
expect him for dinner Monday eve
ning-him and a young lady," the
valet answered.
did he say who the young lady
VASE"
Eyes, sir. He said Miss Dubois
would dine with him."
Where were you Saturday after
noon, Ashe?" McMann pounced
suddenly.
The valet looked startled, then
family indignant. It sir? I had
lunch with my daughter-lny mar
ried daughter, Miss Bernard Will
lianS, in Washington Heights, and
took her to a neighborhood movie
my daughter and her two children.
At half-past four her husband met
us in the lobby of the theater and
all of US"
All right, Ashe!" McMann inter-
rupted the iron-clad alihi impa-
tiently. Now tell me: have you
any knowledge or suspicion as to
who killed your master?"
The anemic little man straighten-
ed in his chair, then leaned forward
slightly toward the detective as he