The Coolidge examiner., 1933-11-03

| This was the product OF Detec.
tive Gordon's visit to the dormi-
| tories to interview the charwoman
and the student occupants in
Croft hall. The questions he was
instructed to ask the cleaning wom-
an, Mrs. Molly Hogan. had re-
suited in startling information.
You mean. Lester, with regard
to some one getting at the boys
shoes to put In those thumb tacks?"
Rankin inquired eagerly, at this
any person around his rooms she
thought suspicious?'
Gordon produced a notebook and
began his recital in a routine. me-
chanical manner.
"It seems" he narrated. that on
Tuesday morning al eleven-tifteen,
soon after Jordan quit his room 10
90 TO class, q well-dressed. middle
| aged gentleman appeared in the
hall and Knocked on his door Mrs
Hogan, who was Strengthening the
next room, hurried out to tell MIN
the boy had left The visitor iden.
titled himself as Jordans uncle and
claimed he was to nave met him
there at eleven. But II he came
late, he was TO get the charwOman
to open the door for him and wait
for the boy in his rooms Accord
ingly, she unlocked the door"
Rankin heard with growing as
tonishment this unexpected intlma
ton that Howard Merrick was in
Philadelphia the day of his neph
ew's death.
And he declared he was Jor
dams uncle?" he asked, wondering
ly. "What was he like? OF course
you obtained a full description from
Mrs. Hogan"
"She placed his age al fifty; he
had a thin furrowed face. a bony
nose and piercing eyes. Though of
medium height. be seemed rather
short. What impressed her the
most was his severe wrathful look
! that made her hesitate to displease
him. His hair was gray and strag-
Cling, tending to badness"
The detectives frown of perplex-
ity deepened. Gray hair and not
tall? That doesn't sound like Mr..
Merrick. Are you positive his hair
wasn't whittier"
"No. Tommy" Gordon shook his
head emphatically. Mrs Hogan
described II as steely gray. And he
was certainly not large man"
Rankin now realized that the
stranger had been Mr.. Fletcher and
not the guardian at all He had
represented himself as Jordan's
| uncle, merely as a subterfuge to
gain the woman's confidence and
access TO his rooms. And he must
have sought the boys apartment
| Immediately after regaining his
roadster al the Shawnee garage.
But what was his motive for enter.
ing 315 Croft hall in Jordan's alb
sence, unless to tamper with the
shoes he had left there?
well. was that all Mrs. Hogan
had TO tell?" Rankin asked. "She
didn't, by any chance, see what this
man did In Jordan's room"
/ Of 70
related, "she looked in once after
he had been inside alone for ten
minutes. She said be was standing
in the boys study by his desk he
had one drawer open. Her entrance
startled him and be closed ii quick
ly. Then he explained be had
changed his mind about waiting for
his nephew and would get In touch
with him instead. She followed
him out few minutes later. Jor-
dan never heard of the incident.
because he was dead before she
saw him again."
Besides that, the apartment
hadn't been disturbed in any way,
Gordon?"
Rankin's assistant smiled quiz.
zically. Il was coming to that,
Tommy" he returned Before she
left 1t, Mrs. Hogan had swept ii care
fully and put everything in place
And it was still just as tidy. except
for this very peculiar difference
Three pairs of Jordan's shoes lay
about In the vestibule between his
study and bedroom"
"She was positive she hadn't left
them there when she finished her
work." Rankin asked, pleased at
this immediate confirmation Of his
theories.
"Yes, of course, and it puzzled
her how they got there and what