The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-01-12

VI NOkh w w SSASAS SASSA W
day."
Dundee had not exaggerated.
That Monday was one Of the busiest
days he had ever spent in all the
twenty-s seven years Of his life. He
began rather strangely, by visiting
half a dozen Of Hamilton's hard
ware stores, exhibiting a peculiar
instrument and making annoying
inquiries as to when and to whom it
had been sold.
But at his sixth port Of call sue
cess so completely rewarded his ef-
forts that he was jubilant when he
babe the mystif1ed proprietor good
day, signed statement reposing in
his wallet.
Two other calls-both in Office
buildines-took up only an hour Of
his time, and a taxicab delivered
him at police headquarters just as
the factory whistles were sirening
the news that 1t was IL o'clock.
He was lucky enough to find the
fingerprint expert, Carraway, in his
cubbyhole Of an office, his desk al
most crowded out by immense filing
cabinets.
Five minutes later Dundee sat at
that desk, photographs of Dexter
Sprague's dead body, just as 1t had
been discovered on the floor of the
trophy room in the Miles home, and
labeled set Of fingerprints spread
out before him.
You're sure there can have been
no mistaken" he asked. mo chance
that these f1ngerprint photographs
were reversed when the prints were
made?"
Not a chance-with my system! 7"
Carraway retorted positively.
"Fine" Dundee cried. MAY I
take these photographs? You
have copies, presume?"
n
IT was 2:30 when Dundee, after
L a much-needed lunch, parked
his car in the driveway of one of
the most splendid houses overlook
Ing Mirror Lake. home whose
master and mistress now were at
tending an inquest into two muir
ders.
Half an hour later he climbed
into his roadster again, his head
spinning. Did say ingenious?"
he marveled.
He drove directly to the Selim
house, for he had much to do be-
fore the arrival of Sanderson's COM
pulsory guests at Sis.
His first visit there was to a
small room in the Easements dark
cubbyhole next to the coalroom.
He had locked 1t carefully after
exploring it the day before, for he
had taken no chance on leaving I'M
guarded-as he had found it
treasure worth more to him than
its weight in gold.
And queer treasure it was that
he extracted nova coiled length
Of electric wire, which he and
Ralph Hammond had measured the
day before, with a triumphant ex-
element; a box of thumb tacks,
many of them surprisingly bent at
the point; an augur with set of
bits of varying sizes, step-ladder,
and hammer.
If Dexter Sprague had not over
estimated the amount of electric
wire needed for the job of in
stalling an alarm bell between Nita's
bedroom and Lydia's.
Dundee was about to close the tool
chest when his eyes fell upon a piece
of hardware he had not expected
ever to find, although he had known
of its existence for more than an
hour.
AT Sis he was entirely ready for
D. A. Sanderson, Captain Strawn,
and their party of indignant and
unwilling guests.
oh, Mr.. Dundee!" Carolyn Drake
squealed. You're not going to
make us play that awful death
hand again, are your"
They were all crowding about
h1m-the men and women who had
been Mia .Selim'S guests at her last
bridge and cocktail party.
Not only are the bridge tables
exactly where they were at this
time on the evening of May a."
Dundee answered so significantly
that all stopped chattering to listen,
but everything else in the house
is precisely as it was then.
Fortunately, not even the cleo
tricity has been cut off! But to
make sure L have forgotten nothing,
1 wish you would all follow me into
Mrs. Selim's bedroom and look for
yourselves"
Like sheep, they crowded into the
little foyer and on into the bed
room. There stood the big bronze
lamp, set squarely in front of the
window frame and in a direct line
with the musical powder box on
dead Nita's dressing table.
-
A T SIS Penny Grain, Karen
IA Marshall, Carolyn Drake and
IL 8 a Io IKN 0