The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-04-08
CHAPTER THIRTY-sEVEN

~xxTHAT a fercely loyal little
w thing she Isl" Dundee re-
Elected after Gigi had taken her
leave. with surprising docility- But
--loyal to-whom2 I'd give a month S
nav to know who it is that adorable
little pest is trying to shield. !.
Darned clever-her case against
me! Which reminds me that 1 must
send that cablegram to Sir Edward
Moresby."
He raced down to the library,
dictated the cablegram to the tele-
graph Office, directed that it be
charged TO the police department,
then called Captain Strawn.
mo, nothing yet" the chief of the
homicide squad answered disgusted-
". THE earth seems to have
opened and swallowed johnson, but
wen get him yet. Having a
good time2" he added, rather sar-
castically.
VERY amusing" Dundee answered
graphically.
On his way back to his third
floor room he stopped to get two
fresh sheets of carbon paper from
George Berkeley's desk. AS he had
expected, the wastebasket had been
emptied.
Probably by this time the multi
millionaires unfinished letter to his
lawyer had been fed to the furnace,
but it did not matter. The beauti-
fully clear record upon the other
wise virginia. sheet of carbon paper
would be ample evidence of George
Berkeley's interest in a beauty shop
for Doris Matthews-if such evidence
we're ever needed in court Of law
It was nearly $3.50 when the young
detective began to transcribe his
notes taken during the morning
investigation. He was a rapid
typist.
within half an hour he held in
his hands the complete transcript
of Abigail Berkeley's story-that
amazing tissue of lies, truths and
half-truths.
And as he read what he had typed
automatically he felt again that
queer surge of excitement which had
tingIed his nerves two or three times
while the woman had babbled and
evaded and admitted.
Here" he said aloud to the par
rot, sis the key to the puzzle, if l
could only put my clumsy fingers
on it,"
His eyes fell again upon the
passage which most puzzled and
intrigued him:
Mrs. Berkeley: II told her to
open a new bottle of perfume I'd
bought in the city yesteday, and
and she said something imperti-
nent-
Q. Just what did she say, Mrs.
Berkeley?
A. II don't remember. You
don't expect me to remember every
tiny thing, do you? Well, it was
just-just a word or two, ike-Oh,
yes! She said. You use too much
perfume. madame OF course 1
was furious at such impertinence,
and IL slapped her face!
A STRANGE thing for a we'll
1 n trained maid to say to mis-
tresS," Dundee unused aloud. The
question is: Does Mrs. Berkeley use
too much perfume? So much that
a faStidious girl like Doris forgetS
her station and proteStS?"
He wrinkled his forehead in an
effort to remember. Had Mrs.
Berkeley been wearing a disgusting
amount Of perfume when she greet
ed him the night before?
He forced himself to reconstruct
that scene with the sense OF smell
as well as those Of sight and hear
ing. Mrs. Berkeley offering her
hand. gushing at him
Good Lord!' he calculated SO
forcibly that Cap'n tapped his
wings irritably and commanded
shut up. you old fool"
I've been a fool. but please
heaven, the curse has been liftedp
Dundee exulted. Perfume. Capnl
Perfumel Did poor, struggling
detective ever find such a weird
stumbling block in his path?
Doris gets soundiy slapped on &C
count Of perfume! Gigi gets her face
smacked-by the same handl-on
account Of perfume! And it is with
a flask of perfume that Doris Mat
thews is stunned or killed."
"Perfume!" Cap'n echoed tenta-
lively. Then. exulting in the addi-