The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-10-15
CHAPTER TWO

NOW GO on wITSH THE THE sT T leIm'
CHAPTER TWO
NEARFULLY, as if drawn by a
= magnet, Mary moved slowly
forward. Outside the closed door
OF Mrs. Jupiters sitting room she
stopped and called sharply, expert
mentally, "Eddie?" Then more
loudly, "Eddie!" There was no
reply. ~
Could it be Eddie in there?
what would he be doing in Mrs.
Jupiter's room? He had no bust
ness there unless the servants had
directed him there in error, or had
gone in there by mistake.
He hadn't said anything about
bringing some one with him, though.
and some other person was in there
the person he had been quarrel
ing with.
Suddenly she remembered, and
The realization stunned her. Mrs.
Jupiter was in that room. Hadn't
she gone upstairs to take her shoes
oftP 1t had been Mrs. Jupiters
voice she heard. Then whose-oh,
dear God-whose hand had fired
those shots?
Perhaps there hadn't been any.
Her unbelieving mind was milling
about desperately. Perhaps an auto
mobile had back-f1red in the drive.
But that was nonsense-the noise
had been close, plain. You couldn't
hear noise from the outside clearly
in her, in this great heavy-walled
house with the thickly shattered
windows.
The silence began to tear at her
nerves. Gasping with excitement,
she reached out suddenly and jerked
open the door.
The room was brightly lighted,
but empty. She looked about,
dumbfounded, almost ready to be-
Jieve that her senses had tricked
her
Then she looked down-and there
on the floor lay the crumpled figure
of Mrs. Jupiter, the white hair
awry where the diamond headdress
had been ruthlessly snatched from
it, the gold dress twisted about her
knees, the poor wrinkled old face
haggard, but strangely peaceful I'M
der the searching glare of the lights.
An old pair of felt house slippers
covered her feet.
Her hands, barren now of rings,
still clutched something which she
held clasped tightly between the
palms, still firmly grasped together
on her breast. 1t was the ruby
necklace.
But it was the spot in her fore
head just below the hairline, from
which a slow ooze of blood trickled
and ran redly down the temple into
the snow white hair, that drew
Marys Mortified gaze.
Her distended eyes took in the
whole scene with Photographic
clarity before she realized it's enor-
nifty.
For the first time it occurred to
her as she stared at the still, dis
heveled figure, that Mrs. Jupiter
was dead
What had happened seemed quite
clear - Mrs. Jupiter had been
robbed, but she had not given up
the necklace.
With her last breath she had
protected it; the coil of blood-red
stones between her fingers testified
to her success.
The thief had not been able to get
1t away from her, but his baked
fury had cost her her life.
A SCREAM broke from the girls
"A lips, and without looking where
she was going she backed away
from the figure on the floor and
stumbled through the first door
that presented itself. the door into
Mrs. Jupiter's bedroom.
She closed the door and leaned
against it, shaking, her knees nearly
giving under her. She tried to COL
lect her thoughts.
Suppost it had been money, then,
that Eddie needed
She ran from room to room,
stumbling in her haste, opening
doors, calling. There was no sign
of disturbance in the other rooms.
Her own door was open. If Eddie
had been there, he had gone. She
stood in the hall, looking from one
blank door to another, calling