Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-12
INsTALLMRNT XVI.

WIFI lips anu COiO, UlUc
IL than a taIker. He remembered
Mitchell, he said, and listened
with marked Interest to Peters report
Of his visit; 80 did Steve and Prentice.
That's veVy good" he said. I" 1 know
the man. lRe's had rather raw deal
Connollys ( rather a stuffed shirt
though he's no fool, by any means. I've
an idea. Mitchells right-that well
have to depend on you to dig up some
facts FOR us, Wayne. Assuming that
Mrs. Ehayer and Ross had nothing to
do With the shooting. it's obvious that
the1e are factors that haven't come out
at all that aren't even suspected.
Even If Ross did do the killing-an
] don't think we can wholly eliminate
Mitchell's suggestion that he could have
done it in that hour he was away from
Sanborn's-his motive isn't clear.
Assume that he did shoot Thayer,
just for the sake of argument. Why?
Not because he was afraid of Thayer's
jealousy-nor to clear his own way to
marry Mrs. Thayer. Regardless OF
Thayer, they weren't In a position to
marry, I imagine, according to their
standards. And Mrs. Thayer is wdrse
OF, financially as a result of her hus-
bands death. That's so, isn't 1t, Prem
tice?"
decidedly" said Prentice Martha
and Tack came down and talked to me
about a divorce, rather more than q
year ago-when, by the way, so far as
know, Ross wasn't involved at all. They
were simply both tired OF MARI age
that hadn't been a marriage at all Tor
q long time.
"The boy was extremely decent and
he went into his finances with me very
fully. Aside from his Salary-ten thou
Ill he 1nnI 10 nf
income from a trust fund, that came to
q little more than five thousand a year.
And his mother had laid down the law,
II there was a divorce she'd cut off all
supplies, and, what was more, he'd lose
/ his job. She practically controls Thay-
er-Hibben, you see-she could get him
thrown out. Martha comes in for that
trust fund-he made will, leaving 1t
to her. But she hasn't-a chance OF
getting a penny of old Mrs. Thayer' s
money. And she's got about fifteen
hundred year of her own"
whats Ross make, on q guess,
Peter?" asked Wentworth.
: Fifty a week-Seventy-five, at the
outside" said Peter. whats this about
his having cleared out? didn't have
a chance to get a paper"
Seems to be straight" said Bouton.
Connolly tried to get hold OF Ross TO
question him, but Ross had been In and
changed clothes-right after he left
Mrs. Thayer at her place, apparently
and then gone out again, with bag.
There's general alarm out for him
now. It looks bad. don't like 1t.
Warrant" asked Prentice.
''No. Connolly's going slow. Says he
wants him as a material witness.
We're getting a break from the way
Connolly's stalling- though there's a
catch in that, too, probably. He's got
enough to make arrestS-no doubt OF
that"
Peter wasn't enjoying his food. He
knew that this precise. cold-blooded,
impersonal sort of talk was necessary,
but he hated it.
well" Bouton was looking at his
watch.
"Wayne, I wish you'd find out as
much as you can about every one in
volved.. There may be a lead Of some
sort In this affair. Ross seems to have
been carrying on with this Rita Gould.
And who was particularly in Mrs. Thay-
er's conference.-the from yourself?
She seems to have talked quite freely to
you, luckily"
Peter wondered, rather wretchedly,
whether Martha was going to think so
when she found out how much he'd
told.
at don't Know he said slowly.
"'She's not the sort to talk much TO
girls, I think. OF course, there's DR..
zahn. She's been going to him."
THE psychoanalyst?" said Bouton.
"Good man. But we won't get much
out of him. HIM. Anything you
haven't told me?"
Peter, with a start, remembered the
episode of the bracelet, the first night
he'd met Martha, and the $500 he'd
given to Benny for her In its place. He
hadn't told any one about that
Charley Mitchell or Steve or any one
else. Now, rather guiltily, he did.
That's interesting" said Bouton.
''Tn have to 60 after Mrs. Thayer about
that. Emma's, Ell? / know the place.
Sounds like blackmail" He shook his
head. I'm afraid Wen uncover some
unpleasant things before we're done
with this affair Well-thats all for
now, think. I'll be up to see Mrs.
Thayer in the morning, Steve-tonight,
for that matter, If Watson gives the
WORD The sooner the better"
Peter went of, after lunch, feeling
curiously and unhappily at loose end.
Both Charley Mitchell and Bouton, in
almost the same terms, had put 1t up
to him to learn something that would
tend to clear Martha by solving the
mystery of who had actually killed Jack
Thayer. But 1t was a lot easier, OBJ