Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-13

His wifes dead There's one son.
pleasant fellow. Some sort of artist. Etchings
and woodcuts and that sort Of thing. Clair
mont lives alone, and . few women servants
and a gardener or SO, all with him for many
years. You can put the Clairmont household
out Of your mind"
IT see Yes" Reggie murmured
But in the morning he said that he must
verify the blood, and he went to his laboratory
by way OF Scotland Yard He drifted into the
room Of the chief of the criminal investga-
ton department, pink and dreamy
"Reginald!' said Tomas severely. SHED
that look Of innocence. What have you been
up to now? This man in Lamshire don't know
where he is"
well, WELL" Reggie beamed. HAS he found
that out? Good"
HE has not. He blethers. Yesterday morn
ing he rang me up to complain that you were
meddling with one of his cases and he wouldn't
have 1t. In the evening he was on the phone
again to say he was devilsh obliged to you.
/ am not"
zone Of your larger cigars is indicated"
said Reggie and took 1t. Eyes. Heard all
about it, Lomas?"
"oh, yes. And more" Tomas groaned
Its going to be a straight case Of a poachers'
murder, isn't it?"
Il wonder" Reggie blew smoke rings He
brought out the paper on which were the I'm
gerprints Of the dead man. Tell your fell
lows to see If that chap Is on their records"
pect?"
He isn't exactly q suspect He's the corpse"
Good gad!" Tomas gasped. But the dead
man Is the village policeman. They all knew
him"
Eyes. Identification unanimous though
casual. But he hadn't got q face"
MY dear fellow they must know the gen.
eral look of the man."
"Oh, yes The dead man must be the same
sort OF size as Constable Napier. The clothes
were fair at. He may be Napier. But I
don't think so. It's his hands The dead
man had been doing things with acids. That's
not usual In the police force. And Napper
hadn't any hobbies"
"YoU mean hands like q photo0rapher,s?"
eyes. It could be-"
"Another-killed and put into Napper,s
clothes-why?"
80 that his exit shouldn't be noticed"
Some one wanted your supposed photog-
rapher put out Of the way? Then the some
one must be Napier himself"
Not must. Might Napier either assisting
or being otherwise disposed Of" He produced
the scrap of charred paper. Does that sug-
gest anything?"
I oMAs looked at 1t with a reading glass
BIT Of a plump naked child tawny pink
Part OF foreign banknote, suppose"
YES Yes. Observe the letters B. p
Banque de France. suppose you've got a
banknote expert on the premises Ask him
what he makes Of 1t, will you?"
Tomas sent it away. Then he sat back and
put up his eyeglass. always happy to oblige
Reginald But isn't this rather q fairy, tale?
You begin with a nice, plain, running-d down
case. Then, by way Of glass from a bicycle
lamp you turn it into a poachers' murder
Still unsatisfied. you want to make the victim
somebody else because he has stained fingers
And finally you produce scrap of a burnt
tn hoox
I hate to hurt you," Tomas smiled but it
sounds TO me like masterpiece of the image
nation"
"Oh, Lomasi" Reggie was hurt How can
you? Imagination! I haven't any. I'm, Just
toiling, timid, after facts"
What are you trying to proven"
I'm not. don't want to prove any
thing" Behind the cigar smoke his eyes were
dark and vague. I'm only looking for the
truth. Followin' the gleam."
MY dear feilow!" Lomas protested This
Is fantastic. Come out of dreamand. What
has the burnt note to do with it?"
Il haven't the slightest idea," Reggie beamed
1T don't make any sense. That's what's so
interesting. Napier had a patron. Col Clair
mont. Old Chunk says he's the soul Of honor.
And Chunk don't like his fellow creatures too
much Clairmont lives a primeval desert
hill. And 1t was up there the bicycle smashed
and the hypothetical poachers slew the hypo-
thetical Napier. went wandern round Clair
mont's grounds. There's kind of empty cot
tage away from the house. Just by that some
body had been burning papers. Burnt fuff
on the heather, the sort of stuff that flies up
the chimney. And there was this bit Of as
note. Well?"
"As you say. 1t makes no sense. Your vir-
tuous friend had been burning papers, and
there happened to be a French note among
them. What do you want to read into it?"
Nothing" Reggie beamed I'm quite peace
full myself. It's the kind of case that feels all
right If only the policemen would let It alone
But they mean to hang somebody That's why
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