The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-01-08
NOW GO ON WITH THE OFFICE
CHAPTER XXVII.

WdS nearly HIHc Q CLOCK tlOHudy morning. and Dundee sat alone in the district attorneys office, inn patiently awaiting the arrival of his chief. Coroner Price, with the approval of Captain Strawn of the homicide squad, had sent the inquest into the murder of Juanita Leigh Sellm for 10 o'clock, and there was much that Dundee wished to say to the district attorney before that hour arrived.
 When the thoroughly tired and dispirited young detective had re- turned to his apartment late Sun- day afternoon. after having seen Ralph Hammond completely exon- the murder of Nita Selim, he had found telegram from the district attorney, filed in Chicago:
 CALLED CHICAGO SERIOUS ILLNESS OF MOTHER STOP RE TURNING HAMILTON EIGHT TEN MONDAY MORNING STOP SEE BY PAPERS YOU ARE ON SELIM JOB STOP GOOD BUT WATCH YOUR sTEP-sANDER-
 We'll and Dundee srinned rue fulIy-he had been on tho job all right. that he had watched his s'ISP fhI hhy 'dtt, ii' ilid pttIl thorough, he congratulated him. sels, as he weighed the big manila envelope containing his own trans scription of the copious shorthand notes he had taken during the first hours of the Investigation. A smaller envelope held Nitas tell tale checKbook, her amazing last will and testament, and the still more startling note she had writ ten to Lydia Carr. The last two Dundee had retrieved from Carra- way only this morning. after hay ing submitted them to the finger print expert on Sunday.
 Carraways report had rather daEhed him at first, for it proved that no other hands than Nita's and his own, of course - had touched either envelope or contents But he was content now to believe that Nita herself had unsealed the envelope she had inscribed. "To Be Opened in Case of My Death" Why? Had she been moved by an impulse to give clue to the identity of the person of whom she stood in fear. but had stifled the impulse?
 Strawn had said. too, that the little rosewood desk had been in fairly orderly condition, before his big, official hands had cIawed through 1t in search of q clue or the gun itself. Well, Strawn had been properly chaGrincd when Dundee had produced the will and note.
 "Why did she stick it away in q pack of new envelopes. if she want ed it to be found?" Strawn had de- manded irritably, and had not been appcascd by Dundec's suggestions: "Becausc she did not want Lydia, in dustinS the desk, to sec it and be alarmed"
 Yes, he had been busy enough, but what. actually, had he to show for his industry? He had worked up three good cases - the first against Lydia Carr. the second against Dexter Spraguc, and the third against Ralph Hammond only to have them knocked To pieces almost as fast as he had conceived them. . or course Lydia Carr might be lying to give Sprague an alibi, but Dundee was convinced that she was telling the truth and that she hated Sprague too much to fake an alibi for him. Of course there was always Judge Marshall, but
 Through the closed door came sounds which Dundee presently identified as connected with Penny Grains arriVal-thc emphatic click of her heels; the quick opening and shutting If desk drawers.
 The down hearted young detective tive debated the question of taking his perplexities out to her. but de cided against it. She probably wanted to hear no more of his theories. was undoubtedly burning