The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-12-31

with heavy knob of carved onyx,
which lay about foot beyond the
reach Of the curled fingers of the
stiff right hand.
"Sprague's hat?" he asked, point
ing to a brightly-banded straw hat
which lay upon the top of the cab
met.
Yes" Strawn answered "And
did you notice the window screen?"
He pointed to the window in front
of which the body lay. The sash
Of loaded panes was raised as high
as it would go and beneath it was
a screen Of the roller-curtain type,
raised about six inches from the
window sill.
A pair Of curved, nickel-plated
catches in the center Of the inch
wide metal band on the bottom Of
the coppernet curtain showed how
the screen was raised or lowered.
n n
DUNDEE nodded, frowning, and
II Strawn began eagerly.
You'll have to admit I was right
now. boy. You've sneered at my
gunman theory and tried to pin
Nita's murder on one of Hamilton
finest bunch Of people, but you'll
have to admit now that every de-
tail of this setup bears me out"
"Yes?"
"Sure. This is the way I figure it
out: Sprague has good reason to be
afraid he's next on the program.
He's nervous. He hops taxi at his
hotel and comes here-can't stick
to his room any longer. Wants a
little human companionship.
This crowd here-and have
Miles word for liant any too
glad to see him, and shows it. He
phones for a taxi to 60 back to his
hotel-about 9:15, that was, Miles
says-but decides to walk down the
hill to meet it.
Doesn't want to go back out on
the porch and lie about having had
a good time, when he hasn't.
Well. he opens the front door, or
what would be the front door if this
was any ordinary house, but before
he steps out he sees or hears some
thing-probably a rustling in the
hedge across the driveway, or may
be he even sees a face, in the light
from the lanterns on each side of
the door.
He feels sure Nita's murderer
4 In q n l1n 10 c
into this room, and don't turn on
the light for fear he'll be seen
from the windows, but he can see
well enough to make out how the
screens work.
I'll bet you anything you like
Sprague stayed in this room for an
hour or two, till he thought the
coast was clear, then eased up this
screen, intending to climb out of the
window and drop to the ground.
Not much of a drop at that.
You can see that the tall hedge on
this side of the driveway comes
pretty near up to these windows.
well, I figure he laid his hat on
this cabinet, intending to reach in
for it when he was outside, but
that he made some little noise
which the gunman was listening for,
and that when he got the screen up
this high. the gunman, crouching
under the window, let go with the
same gun and silencer that he used
to bump off Mia.
I've got Miles word for it that
neither her nor nobody else heard
a shot. Of course, nobody knew
Sprague was in here, and since his
hat and stick was both missing
from the hall closet, they took it for
granted he'd beat it. ANY OBJ
jectionS to that theory, boyP"
Just a few-one in particular"
Dundee said. But I grant it's a
good one, provided DR.. Prices au-
topSy bears you out as to the course
of the bullet, and that Carraway
finds Sprague's f1ngerprints on that
contrivahce for raising the screen.
Even then"
But Dundee was not allowed to
finish his sentence, for Strawn was
summoned to the telephone by
Whitson. When he returned there
was a slightly bewildered look on
his heavy old face.
That's funny. Collins-the
lad sent to check up on the taxi
companies-says he's located the
driver that answered Spragues call
last night.
THE driver says he was told to
wait for Sprague at the foot of the
hill. on the main road; says he
waited there until 1890, then went
ON back to town, sore'n a boiled
OWL"
{ ut doesn't look exactly as if
Sprague we're afraid of any one out
side Of this house last night, does
it?" Dundee asked. by the way, 1
suppose you've sent for every one
who was here?"
"Sure!" But again Captain
Strawn looked Uncomfortable. But
we haven't been able to locate the
Beale girl and Give Hammond"