The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-03-31
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT Con


tinued0
You went to the roof Immediately,
by the stairs, just as you said, be-
cause even then you were planning
an ahbi in case 1t became necessary
to kill your wife. You met your
wife. she charged you with having
married her for her money. with
having been unfaithful to her; or
with some more serious crime, the
exposure Of which would have
ruined you socially.
"A crime, possibly. OF which only
Phyllis Crosby knew and for which
she could have had you arrested"
"THAT'S a foul lie. tool" Crosby
i gr0aned.
"Yean? Well. you became vio-
lently angry with her, and in your
rage You lifted her and hurled her
over the railing. And you were
caught in the act by Doris Mat
thewsl"
You deserve to be killed, Cap
tain Strawn." Crosby told him, in
a QFdQ. lDIlGItSS NOlgt.
"Yeah?" Strawn grinned, and lit
his pipe again, striking the match
upon the sole of his big shoe. The
unexpected appearance of the maid
with your wife's wrap-you didn't
know, of course. that Mrs. Lambert
had sent her, after speaking with
you-threw you into blue funk.
Perhaps you did try to leap after
your wife, and the girl restrained
you. God knows what you said to
her. l don't say you offered her
hush money then. I rather think
you appealed to her love for her
mistress, urging her to believe that
Phyllis Crosby would rather be
listed as a suicide than that her
husband should hang for her muir
der.
At any rate, it is my firm con-
victiOn that you and Doris Matthews
concocted your alibi between you,
then and there. She had rung twice
Tor the elevator
You made her agree to say that
she had rung only once, so that
your own story of having Just come
10 the roof could be partially sub
stantiated.
Well. Crosby. it all worked out
as you planned. The girl stood by
you at the inquest and you were ex-
onerated. Phyllis Crosby was listed
as a suicide while temporarily de-
ranged.
But Doris Matthews had a con-
science, and she loved her dead mis-
tress very dearly. She conf1ded to
her sister, as this letter very clearly
indicates. and Kathryn Matthews
advised Doris, for her own sake. not
to try to reopen the case, lest Doris
be convicted of perjury.
AS Doris writes Kathryn: THE
case is closed forever, and maybe I
did then what she would have
wished me to do
But she hated you. Crosby Doris
wanted to make you suffer as Phyl-
lis Crosby had suffered. And as she
says here. there are other ways
one way was to expose you to the
Berkeleys as a fortune hunter. and.
IN strict confidence. as a wife-killer."
No, I tell you! MOI" Crosby de-
MED paSSionatelv.
You came here yesterday, not
knowing that Doris Matthews was
now Mrs. Berkeley's maid"
That's not truei" Crosby inter-
rupted. Mrs. Lambert had written
me that she had hired Doris for the
Job"
1t was Dundee who spoke now,
with curious reluctance: Pardon
me, Captain Strawn. Mr.. CroS-
by, it is my duty to remind you
that when Mrs. Berkeley mentioned
Doris last night, you appeared sur
priSed. even startled.
you said, Surely you don't mean
little Doris Matthews?' and Mrs.
Lambert then told you she was quite
sure she had written you Of Doris
being here"
But Mrs. Lambert Just thought
she had written you" Strawn in
terrupted. The truth is, you were
in a panic. You knew you would
have to see Doris Matthews i'm
mediately. and insure her continued
silence by bribery or by numbering
her!"
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE