The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-04-21
CHAPTER FoRTY-EIGHT

INTO the twilight of the room
Il stepped a woman's figure. The
soft closing of the door was followed
by the click OF the light switch be-
side it.
In the dazzle of light from the
four wall brackets Mrs. Letitia
Lambert was revealed, leaning
against the door, as if she was too
exhausted to take another step.
From her lax left hand hung an
afternoon paper, so folded that a
two-column picture Of George
Berkeley was plainly visible
to the detectives watching from
the clothes closet.
Slowly she lifted the newspaper
Ter closed eyes opened, fastened
upon the picture with agonized in
tensity. With sudden fierceness she
crushed the paper against her lips,
low, dreadful means throbbing in
her throat, her usually serene face
a mask of agony.
"Motivei" Captain Strawn
breathed in Dundee's ear and the
younger detective pinched him TO
warn him to silence.
The woman could not have heard.
but she lowered the paper, lifted
her breast in tearing sigh and
slowly started to cross the room.
Her right hand. from whose wrist
her handbag dangled, went up auto
matically to remove her cloSe-f1t-
ting black hat
Dundee held his breath. The Su-
preme moment was upon them. For
as he had known they would, those
tortured eyes flew TO the dressing
table.
Not once since Saturday morning
he felt Sure-had Mrs. Lambert
returned to her room without cast
ing d terrified glance at her dress
ing-table to make sure that the
black-and-gold perfume bottle had
not betrayed her. that it was still
there.
How many times she must have
seized It, wildly casting about for a
means to hide 1t or to destroy its
tell-tale contents, only to realize
each time that she was safer with it
in plain sight, in the place where
Della. the maid, had been accus-
toned to see it.
In its rightful place, it looked SUI
premely innocent. for the black
glass concealed the fact that, once
nearly empty. it was now full. Miss
ing, destroyed, it might betray her.
Handbag. newspaper and hat
slipped from her nerveless hands
to the floor. Jerkily, as if she we're
half paralyzed, Mrs. Lambert crept
70 the dressing table.
The detective saw her stare at the
label, which Dundee had printed
and pasted upon the face of the
bottle.
A shaking hand went out to touch
it, then shuddered away. Only then,
it seemed. did she see the grayish-
white remains of her tennis oxfordS
"nUICKi She's going to faint!"
" Strawn whispered urgently.
Dundee was in time to catch her
as she fell. but she was not uncon-
scious. For a long minute she
lay passive in his arms. her eyes
still fixed in blind trance of
horror upon a vision of ruined
shoes and a groteSquely labeled per-
fume bottle.
Finally the paralyZed lids relaxed
and curtailed the dawning agony
Of realization in her eyes.
Dundee was merciful to her Mo-
tioning to Strawn to stay in the
closet he rose with his burden and
carried it to the bed.
She lay as if dead until he had
gone to the bathroom, mixed a dose
of aromatic spirits of ammonia and
held 1t to her gray lips.
After she had drunk the dose,
she closed her eyes again and lay
motionleSs. except for the rising
and falling of her breast in quick,
gasping signs. Finally she spoke,
her voice a gusty whisper:
Il wasn't sure until today" he
answered gently. "At first couldn't
believe that you, who said you
loved Doris, could kill her"
Il did love her!" the woman
cried, beating her breast feebly
with clenched hands. THAT is
what made it so-horrible Oh.
I'm glad it's over! Glad, glad! Do
you hear?
I couldn't have gone on much
longer. trying to be natural. having
to talk Other 1 was going to
kill myself tonight. Why couldn't
Wouldn't YOU feel better If you
told me about it?" Dundee suggested,
very gently. Il am not trying
to trap you, Mrs. Lambert. You
realize that the evidence is con-
elusive. without your confession"
Evidence? What do 1 care
about evidence now?" she moaned.
her hands still feebly beating her
breast. II warn you now that I'll
not live to stand trial. I'll find a
way Somehow-Soon! But you
shan't go on thinking I lied about
being fond of Dorisl"
You killed her in a frenzy or
terror, Mrs. Lambert, because she
was determined to expose you. not
only as Mrs. Berkeley'S would-be
murderer. but as Phyllis Crosby
blackmailer," Dundee told her
quietly.
"Blackmailer?" she whispered.
rer eyes enormous. 'I-never
called myself that, butt suppose
it's true +. We all lie to ourselves,
justify ourselves. don't We, Mr.. Dun
deep" she asked pitifully.
She was silent for so long then
Building B