The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-01-15

seemed incredulous when I told her that Polly and Give were en- gagged. Polly played Mrs Peachum,' and was riot in the part. .. |. But Nita's intuition was correct. Flora carried off the acting honors. Oh, yes, she also asked, quite naively. If all my friends were rich too, and could help support a Little Theater. I reassured her on that point"
 And" Dundee reflected silently "upon point much more import ant to Nita Selim." Aloud he said: II don't see you among the cast"
 "Oh. I haven't grain of talent" Lois Dunlap laughed. "I can't act for two cents-can I, Peter dar- ling? !. . Here's the redoubtable Robin of Bagshot' in person, MT Dundee-my husband!"
 The detective rose to shake hands with the man he had been too absorbed to see or hear ap- preaching.
 You're the man from the dis trict attorneys office?" Peter Dun lap scowled, his hand barely touch- ing Dundees. "I suppose you're trying to get at the bottom of the mystery of why my wife brought that Selim woman"
 Don't call her that Selim | woman,' ?eter!" Lois Dunlap in- terrupted with more sharpness than Dundee had ever seen her display. You never liked the poor girl, were never just to her"
 Well, it looks as if my hunch was correct, doesn't it?" the stocky. rugged faced man retorted. 'I told you at the beginning to pay her off and send her back to New York"
 You knew couldn't do that, even to please you, dear" Lois said But please don't let's quarrel about poor Nita again. She's dead now, and I want to do anything I can to help bring her murderer to justice." .
 "There's nothing you can do, Lois. and l hope Mr-ah-Dundee will not find it necessary to quiz you again.
 Dundee reached for his hat. "I hope so. too. MT Dunlap. By the way, you are president of the Chamber of Commerce, aren't you ?''
 "Yes, I am! And we're having a meeting tonight, at which that Sprague mans bid on making q his- torical movie of Hamilton will be turned down unanimously. Now that the Selim woman isn't here tc vamp my fellow-members into do. ing anything she wants, think can safely promise you that Dexter Sprague will have no further busi. ness in HamiltOn-unless it is DO. lice business!"
 Thanks for the tip, MT Dun. lap." Dundee said evenly. "I hope you enjoyed your fishing trip Where do you fish. sir?"
 "A tactful way of asking for my alibi, eh 2" Dunlap was heavily sarcastic. ''I left Friday afternoon for my own camp in the mountains Up in the northeast part of the state. l drove my own car, went alone, spent the weekend alone and got back this noon. I read of the murder in paper I picked up in a village on my way home. didn't like Nita Selim and I don't give a damn about her being mur- dered, except that my wifes name is in all the papers. Any ques- tions?"
 swered curtly. then turned to Lois I men with troubled. gray eyes. q am very grateful to you, Mrs Dun- lap. for your kindness"
 The detectives angry resentment of Peter runlap's attitude lasted until he was on the road into Ham ) ilton. Then common sense inter- vened. Dunlap was undoubtedly de- voted to his wife. Penny had said that he never looked at another woman" It was rather more than natural that he should be in fu- tile, clustering rage at the outcome of her friendship for the little Broadway dancer
 Free of anger, his mind reverted to the story Lois Dunlap had told him. For in it. he was sure, was hidden the key to the mystery of Nita Selim's murder. Not at all interested in the proposition to or ganize a Little Theater in Hamil- ton. Nita had been seized with a strange excitement as soon as she was shown photographs of large group of Hamilton's richest and most prominent inhabitants. |. But there was the rub! A large group! Would that group of possi- ble suspects never narrow down to one? Of course there was Judge Marshall, but if Lois Dunlap's mem- ory was to be trusted Nita had not noticed the elderly Beau Brummel's picture until after that strange, hysterical excitement had taken possession of her. And if 1t had been Judge Marshall whom she had come to Hamilton to blackmail would Nita not have guarded her tongue before Lois? The same was true about her unusual interest in Flora Miles.
 Dundee tried to put himself in Nita's place. confronted suddenly with group picture containing the likeness of person man or woman against whom she knew something SO dreadful and so se- cret that her silence would be worth thousands of dollars. Would he have chattered of that very person [? No! Of anyone else but that par ticular person! It was easy to pie ture Nita. her head whirling with possibilities. hitting upon the most conspicuous player in the group dark, tense, theatrical Flora, all ready pointed out to her as one of the two female leads in the opera. But of whom had she really been thinking?
 Again a blank wall! For in that group photograph had appeared ayarV man woman and oic uhr