The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-10-23
CHAPTER NINE

EDDIE did not recover conscious
~ ness sufficiently to tell his YER
sion of the story before he died.
There were hours of suspense, for
ne was young and dying did not
come easy to him, even with a frac-
tured skull.
But he was weak-hehadn't eaten
much for days, according to the
examining doctor, who also was
puzzled by the presence of dark
bruises on his body But in the
absence Of any other information,
ne attributed these to his fall.
Sometimes he moved r~estlessly
and babbled. Maybe he's trying to
tell US something" Mary suggested
But the others did not believe it,;
they were pityingly silent.
Bowen drew Dirk aside out of
Mary's hearing and let his wrath
explode. Dirk blamed himself miser-
ably for his failure to reach the
rendezvous at the appointed time,
and what the Exporter had to tell
him did not make him any happier
I tell you l saw it,! 1t was muir
der-pure murder! Two feet far
Their over, and they'd have got me,
too. BY God, to get that guy I'd
turn this town upside down."
Get away?"
Clean l tell you it was all care
fully calculated to the minute. Who
ever it was took a big chance,
swinging around under those L
pillars. just as he turned the cor
ner he flooded the carburetor and
the number-plate was hidden by
smoke"
But why should any one want to
kill the boy?"
Bowen shrugged. 1--WE got an
idea he knows something about this
Jupiter killing"
Ruyther looked at him sharply.
"Ah, the kid didn't do it, I don't
that" the reporter answered.
I'll bet my hat this was q profess
sional job. Somebody did the Jupi-
ter job and hung it on Eddie. And
when he went to tell, they got him.
That's how I figure it."
Perhaps you're right" Dick re-
joined stiffly. He did not want to
talk to Bowen, but one thing both
cred him. What time was it when
you and Miss Hardness reached the
corner? Did you notice?"
Fourteen. 1 looked at my watch
before I hunted a telephone to call
the Office"
Dirk turned away, savage with
regret. If he'd been punctual, Ed
die might have been living yet. He
was convinced the thing was an
accident.
Newspapermen lived with senSa-
ton until they saw it where it did
not exist. If he had been disposed
to think that someone had wished
Eddie's death, the antagonism he
felt for the other man made him
veer to the opposite view.
LIE could not have explained the
IL stiffness that came into his
manner when talking to the news
paper man, but it was strongly root
ed and came from two causes. An
aversion to publicity was bred in
the conservative bones of the Ruy-
Their clan.
And there was something more,
something about the way the alb
surd fellows gaze followed Mary
that stirred all that was proprietary
in Dirk's love. There is a mysteri-
Gus telegraph by which men in love
with the same woman recognize
each other. Ridiculous as the idea
was, Dirk felt constrained.
Bowen pursued his questioning
too absorbed in speculation to no.
tice the others stiffness. Already
a plan was forming in his mind
and if he found enough confirma-
ton of his suspicious, well-ht
might be on the trail of a bigger
story than he had thought.
How did you get in touch with
Hardness, by the way-do you mine