The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-12-16

traces Of talcum powder over a close
new shavel
And you will remember that he
said he had made a half-hour's
trip by bus, and had walked the
quarter mile from the bus stop on
Sheridan road to this house. 1t
was a mighty hot afternoon, chief"
Not conclusive" StraTn groTled.
Then here's another straw TO add
to the weight of my conclusion"
Dundee went on, mistaken. You
remember that Janet Raymond was
on the front porch watching for
Sprague, while the death hand CT
bridge was being played?
"Oh, she tried to protect him. E.. .
Wait, I'll read you the notes I made
when 1 was questioning her. I
looked them up while was waiting
for you. Here! I had said to
Miss Raymond: You observed Mr..
Sprague toiling down the rutty road,
hot and weary, but romantic in the
sunset?' And she answered, SIAM
mering, Il wasn't looking that
way
And I knew she was lying. knew
that she had been taken completely
by surprise when Sprague suddenly
appeared from the rear Of the
house!
Whats more, she betrayed her
self and him by admitting that she
was surprised. Then-because the
girl undoubtedlv is in love with
Sprague and was mortally afraid he
had killed Mia Selim, she tried
frantically to throw suspicion on
Lydia Carr, by telling how Lydia
had failed to answer Mrs. Dunlap's
first ring Good Lord! Wait a
minute! I want to Think" he in
terrupted himself to exclaim.
A FTER a full minute, while he
L n had stood very still, with his
fingers pressed against his closed
eyes, Dundee began slowly;
81 believe that's it Listen,
boys!" He turned to the two plain
clothesmen, urgent pleading in his
voice. Would you both take your
oath that there was no bag-Say a
small Gladstone overnight bag
anywhere in these rooms when you
searched them this EVENING""
The two detectives glanced at
each other, their faces reddening.
1t was Harmon, the older of the
pair, who swallowed hard before
answering:
Wed been told to look for a man
hiding, and for a gun" Then he
squared his shoulders as if to re-
ceive the blame like a man. Eyes,
sir! There was a little black grip
on the closet shelf.
Il went through it myself, but
there wasn't no gun in it. Just a
pair OF pajamas and a couple of
shirts, one. of 'em dirty, some socks
and collars and shaving kit"
Dundee drew a deep breath, and
clapped the red-faced detective on
the back in high good humor.
There simply had to be a bag
somewhere!" he laughed. This is
the way of it, Strawn. Mia
and Sprague rowed last night.
Sprague who stayed here and not
Mia must have been through with
him. Probably told him last night
to clear his things out and not
come back.
She thought he had done SO;
probably he did leave before she got
up, At any rate, she was so sure he
was gone and his things with him
that she and Lydia went to town
this morning and left Ralph Ham
mond here to go through the place
as freely as he liked, making his
estimates on the job of finishing
up the other half of this floor. And
Ralph-But let that wait for the
moment"
Got any real proof that it was
sprague who stayed here and mot
the Hammond boy?" Strawn inter
rupted Shrewdly.
I'm coming to the proof" Dun
dee assured him, "or rather, the
rest Of the proof that I haven't al
ready given you. You're damned
hard to convince, chief
But let me go on with my theory,
which think covers the facts.
At luncheon, when Mia received
that note from Sprague, I imagine
she got bunch that he hadn't
taken her seriously. that he had
not removed his belongings.
you remember Penny Grain said
Mia had Lydia follow her into her
bedroom, as soon as Mia got home
from the luncheon?
well, it's my bunch that Nita
asked Lydia if Sprague's things were
gone when she cleaned these rooms
this morning, and that Lydia said
no.
"Nita then probably told Lydia
to pack them herself, and 7 feel
positive that Lydia did so, for she
must have felt safe when she pro-