Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-31
CHAPTER XIV.
WAS 1T viNcENT7


exclamation indicated that Ros-
Goes information was startlingly
~ important.
out in front with the carp" ne SAID
with mounting interest. Where Is he?"
Hes Just come" the constable said:
"He's talking to the two sisters now"
The men he addressed moved nearer
the hall door and looked in the direc-
ton he indicated. why. that's Vim
cent Blake!" exclaimed Miss Querdling's
lawyer, Morgan.
Richmond was puzzled as he re-
called that the girls had said he had
not been near the place for months
and that Ben Acres had sworn there
had been no callers. Were they lying,
or had this visit been without their
knowledge In his perplexity the SUI
perintendent did not know whether to
recall the jurors and examine Blake
or let them complete their delibera-
tons and declare their verdict. ex-
pected soon. If Blake had nothing to
tell, Richmond foresaw that he would
look foolish to interrupt the proceed
ings. Likely the jurors would lay the
crime to persons unknown, but suppose
they declared the doctor or the chauf-
feur guilty-and this new witness hao
not been heard?
Roscoe told him he was certain
Blake was the man he had seen crank
ing his car near the JradeSman's gate.
If that were so, Blake might nave
entered without Ben Acres seeing him.
Using the side entrance, he could have
worked through the shrubbery to the
Dutch garden, thus avoiding the lodge,
the garage and kitchen quarters,
where the chauffeur and maids were we're
on duty. Had Marjorie seen him? Dlo
that account for her nervousness?
Before he could decide the jurors
we're filing back into their box He
whispered to Roscoe to keep Blake
near for questioning. The foreman
was reading the verdict.
I'VE are unanimously agreed that
Miss Annabelle Querdling was w1llfully
murdered. The evidence Is at present
inadequate to prove the guilt of the
person or persons concerned"
The verdict did not quite follow the
stereotyped form Did the jury wish
to hint that the persons were not I'M
known?
Jimmie Haswell took special note of
Vincent Blake as Capt. Stirling greeted
him. his sisters and Duckworth, while
Audrey, Nancy and Mr.. Morgan Joined
the little group. His likeness to his
sisters was not notable, since he was
dark and they were fair and several
years younger. But the broken bridge
to his large nose suggested to Jimmie
that Roscoe had correctly identltled
him.
Constable Roscoe pushed through the
crowd and told Blake that the Superln-
tendent wished to speak with him. He
seemed surprised and Stirling ex-
planned. Hes inquisitive. We all have
to go through it,
Jimmie and Morgan followed the
nephew into a small side room, where
Richmond was waiting with an abrupt
question where were you on the
night of Thursday last, when your
aunt died?"
Taken aback, Blake looked uncom-
Portable but answered, In Bradford"
If Richmond was surprised by the
nephew's immediate admission OF pres
ence in the neighborhood, he did not
comment. Where do you live?" he
asked
in Wimbledon, just outside Lon
don"
why were you in Bradford that
night?" asked the constable.
Blake looked at him. Il wanted to
see my aunt" he said slowly.
Did you see her?"
mo, she did not know that I had
come"
Richmond regarded him sternly. do
you mean to suggest that you came
from London to Bradford specially to
see your aunt and went away without
doing So
Vincent gave a weak sort Of laugh.
SIT may sound odd, foolish perhaps,
but it is true"
Morgan interposed that Vincent was
not on good terms with his aunt and
might explain why he had changed his
mind. His tone was encoura ging and
Vincent appreciated it.
I'VE were not on bad terms" he
said. Recently a man I know gave
me an option on some choice property
between Wimbledon and Kingston.
The price was reasonable and I de-
cided to ask my aunt to finance me,
good start on my own account"
What did she say?'
II didn't see her. When I drove
over from Bradford I found I'd left
the plans behind. Then I figured that
If I told her I'd come without the
papers she'd call me fool and refuse
to help. me"
Morgan agreed, but Richmond con-
tinued. did you see your sisters?"
NO If I'd seen any one my aunt
would have inquired why I'd come and
I would have had to explain my mis-
take. When I got back to Bradford
I concluded I'd Started wrong. Know
ing my aunt. I reflected it would be
better to write first and show her the
proposition was sound and then see
her"
so you wrote from Bradford?"
mo, never wrote at all"
ct See," said Richmond sarcaStically.
"And this all happened on the night
your aunt was killed."
you've got to understand that I