Evening star., 1933-07-15
TheWhife CoClkafo0
by M;gnos G. Eberharf

"You are sure it was a man who shot
at you in the courtyard, Mr.. Sunbeam"
asked the detective.
why, yes. of course. That is, we'll
no. I didn't actually see him, and
suppose a woman can fire revolver
as easily as a man. But I felt that it
was a man."
Sue said quickly: you've forgotten,
Mr.. Sundean. told you there Is a way
into the hotel after the doors and gates
have been locked for the night. know
it. Lovschiem and his wife know it.
Marcel knows it. But otherwise 1t is
supposed to be kept secret"
I remembered her words at once.
And you said the man who followed
you last night knew the way into the
hotel? That limits it further. then, If
the way Is supposed to be kept Sc
cret-" Sue nodded vigorously, though
I thought it unlikely-"then among
those people must be-"
checked myself, as saw was get
ting nowhere. and Lorn said little
maliciously: Must be whom, Mr.. Sun
dean? The murderer or the murdered
man?
That depends on the identity of the
murdered man." I said rather glumly.
AT any rate, it proves that the man
who tried to abduct Miss Tally had
some connection with the hotel-or
with the Lovschiems. The fact that,
after driving about for SO long a time,
he finally brought her back to the i'm
mediate vicinity Of the hotel indicates
that, too"
Lorn nodded Possibly" he said.
Then" said, there's the car she
was carried of in. If the murdered
man was her abductor, then the car
must be standing about near the hotel" 2"
True" said Lorn, giving me family
out about that. Fortunately, as I said.
the police here are inclined to be
friendly to me. I wonder now soon we'll
know the exact poison: we can't con-
slider its hypothetical relation to the
few facts We have until we know what
the poison was, how it might be admin
istered and when However, the alb
ductor may have had accomplices"
There was only one man." said Sue
with small shudder. glanced at her
white face and said quickly:
We'll. there seem to be several things
that will bear investigation. I want to
know, first. about this business of the
dagger; who took it off the dead man
and washed 1t and then put it back on
the clock?
Then want to know why the lights
went out Just as thev did while was in
the court. It was most opportune &C
cident-n accident it was-for the man
IN the court with me; otherwise I
should certainly have caught a glimpse
of him.
MY only surmise about that is that
II 1t was LovSchiem in the court, then
Nine. LovSchiem could easily have
pulled the main switch. She might have
been watching the affair and have come
to her husbands assistance, in that
way. Where were you, Miss Tally, when
the lights in the hotel went out?"
I was still In my room," she said at
once.
That was" asked. hating myself
put remembering too vividly the face
in the third-floor window, your own
room-19? On this f1oor?"
Why, yes, of course" she said.
DO you mind If ask how you>knew
Of the murder?"
Not at all. was opening my win
dow; I could not see through the shut
tiers, and unlatched one in order to
glance out into the court. I saw light
streaming from your room and several
ngures-yours, thought, and Marcel's
and could see Father Robart bend
ing as II he were kneeling.
II was clear, OF course, that some
thing unusual had happened, and was
curious, I suppose. felt apprehen-
sive and alarmed and couldn't possibly
have gone to sleep without knowing.
Finally closed the shutter and started
to dress again. While I was dressing
the light in my room went out.
That has happened before, so Just
waited TILL 1t came on again and thought
nothing of it. As soon as I got my coat
on came out into the corridor and
hurried along it and into the north cor
ridor and saw Marcel. You and the
priest weren't there any more. Marcel
told me what had happened. and then
you came"
You met no one in the corridors?"
NO" she said promptly. mo one"
couldn't say: But saw you looking
from q third-floor window and YOU
looked white and terrible. couldn't
say: Why was your story about the
key 50 strangely apt? I couldn't say:
Why did you replace the dagger? I
couldn't say: Why, oh, why didn't you
tell me the truth about the time when
you left my room?
The terrible tangle takes . new form,
tomorrow.
Ehirfs yroada In Yorop n ratoyl ty,