The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-12-06
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SYNOPSIS

SYNOPSIS
 On . stormy November even- ing DAVID HARVESTER meets . pretty blond girl and offers her c lift In the cab In which he is riding. Her handbag opens and he secs Q revolver inside.
 Next morning Bannister reads that TRACY KING, orchestra leader in . movie theater, has been found dead in his apart ment. Police are searching for an unknown blOnd'' who visited King tho night before. Bannister, relnembering the girl in the taxi- cab, Is puzzled.
 He sees her again that morn- ing. The girl tells him her name is JULIET FRANCE and that she knows nothing of the mur- der.
 He goes to see his old friend, JIM PAXTON, editor of the Ire. mont Post, and arranges to work on the King murder case for the Post. Banister and J. RAN DOLPH GAINEY, star reporter, go to police headquarters. They learn that HERMAN SCUR- LACH, unemployed. is in jail, accused of writing threatening letter to King.
 Bannister decides to take a look at the room where King died and leaves. On the way he stops to see Juliet France. He is informed that she has left the hotel.
 CHAPTER VIII
 Bannister repeated, in a tone of disbelief, Checked out? You mean she's gone? But there must be-"
 Miss France checked out of the hotel early this afternoon" the voice over the wire told him crsiply.
 Bannister heard the click that been disconnected. He put down the instrument he had been hold ing, stared at it rather stupidly for an instant and then turned away. He walked slowly across the lobby toward the door.
 But he had not taken a dozen steps before he was back. He said to the room clerk, T understand that Miss France has left the ho- tel. Do you know if she left 8 message for me? My name is Bannister-"
 The room clerk turned. q see, sir" he said and began sorting through collection of envelopes. A moment later he shook his head There's no message" he said.
 "And she didn't leave for warding address?" Bannister per- sisted. He knew, even as he asked. that she hadn't. Juliet France had gone away from the Hotel Fremont because she didn't want anyone to be able to find her. Evidently she hadn't trusted him. hadn't believed him when he said he would try to help her.
 Or did this disappearance have an entirely different meaning? Did it mean that the story the girl had told him that morning was a tangle of lies, made out of whole cloth to appeal to his sympathy? Did it mean she was clever ad- venturess?
 ''No, there's no forwarding ad- dress" the clerk said briefly.
 Bannister thanked him, turned back toward the door. This time he went out to the street, hailed a taxi and told the driver to take him to the Shelby Arms.
 Hes felt rather as though he had dived from high spring board and landed flat. The more he thought of it the more he was con- viHced that the girl had used him to suit her purpose-and how well she had done it, too!-then artful- ly gone her way. What those pur- poses were, what part he had play ed in them, Bannister could not guess. Of course her story about going to see Tracy King to ask for a job was ridiculous on the face of it. So was her explanation about the revolver. And she had said she had no friends and was so terri fled of the police and the tears had come into her eyes!
 Bannister muttered, "Damn!" and drew his brows together. He had forgotten that he had gone into this thing to help Juliet France, that his visit to Jim Pax tons office and the sudden. im- promptu suggestion that he should go to work for the Post had all come about because of the girl. He wanted to know now, more than ever, who Juliet France was. He wanted to know whether or not she had killed Tracy King-and if so, why.
 The cab slowed and came to a halt. Bannister got out, paid the driver and walked slowly up the steps. For an instant he had a vision of a slender, green-clad figure silhouetted against that en- trance-a figure that drew back from the stormy night, then darted into it. But the vision was gone almost as quickly as it had come.
 Bannister pulled the heavy door open and stepped inside. He was in a large, oblong entrance, car- peted and furnished almost like a room in an impressive private home. Chairs, 8 divan and tables were arranged with taste. He mo- ticed a tapestry that he did not like and tail vas of bronze chrysanthemums placed before a mirror. The only detail that was unlike 8 home was the hotel desk at the rear. A man stood there. A little at his left sat the switch board operator afid as Bannister moved forward he heard the oper- ator's softly slurred, What num- Der are you calling?"
 Bannister addressed the clerk.