The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1933-10-20
CHAPTER XIv-Continued

CHAPTER XIV-Continued
10
"As matter of fact" Rankin stated,
II told her of his presence myself. At
our first meeting, as l recall. she cas-
ually mentioned his quarrel with
Stuart; then, when let the fact slip,
she was shrewd enough to turn it to
her own advantage. Her story sup.
piled him with motive for the MUIR
der and cast suspicion on him." He
hesitated, reflectively. Looking back.
I realize now why she extracted my
promise that she would never need to
confront Buckley personally and tes-
tffy against him. It was barely pos
sible he knew the real Walter RAN
dali by sight from Aberdeen and would
Immediately recognize her as an i'm
postor."
"Why didn't she and this Doctor
Prince merely obtain the record Of
some high-school graduate, who never
intended to go to college? He would
have been just as eligible and easier
to find; and also safer. His applica-
ton would have served the same pur-
pose"
The detective shrugged Hardly,
Mr.. Warwick" he pointed out, "since
Mrs. Jordan would then be compelled
to begin as a freshman. That would
have necessitated entrance examina.
lions; whereas upper classmen were
accepted without them If they had
marks as creditable as Randalrs.
Too. Jordan was an upper classman
and the dormitories for the two classes
were widely separated. That meant
she could not secure rooms close
enough to his to complete the essen.
tial steps Of her design. She had to
learn his schedule to ascertain when
she could safely search his quarters
thumb-tacks In all his shoes to identify
him at the initiation. The letters she
wrote him and the Cancelled checks of
the monthly payments he made her
had to be discovered and destroyed. to
conceal her very existence until she
was prepared to appear on Friday
with an alright alibi. All these de-
tails she accomplished successfully by
means Of the dormitory ledge"
'T.edge? What ledge are you talk
Ing about?"
1.-THE coping that extends along the
wall under the windows of the third
floors of Pelham and Croft halls" RAN
kin elaborated. 'It- Is about foot
wide and continuous, and since Stuart's
windows were usually open. gave her
easy access to his quarters. Ran
dalrs charwoman said it was not I'M
usual for students to use it to pass
from room to room or for flight during
class scraps. OF course, if that con-
venient entry had not existed, she
would have had to devise another
means. And it explains all the evil
dence discriminating Mr.. Edward
Fletcher that baffled me so. He had
the motive of jealousy; and it ap-
peared it was he who entered Jordan's
rooms Tuesday morning, after the
charwoman Strengthened it out, and
tempered with his shoes. I also found
the hypodermic needle with which the
poison was administered in his road
ster."
Mr.. Warwick pursed his lips and
placed together the tips of the fin
gers of both hands. 81 must confess
1t isn't clear to me how the ledge
solves those problems. Youll have to
be bit more explicit, Rankin"
The detective bent toward his
listener as though to impress him more
strongly.
1T is wholly a matter of the Sc
Quence of events. At ten-fifty the
morning of the murder, Stuart went to
class and Mrs. Hogan entered his suite
to clean up. She was finished by
eleven O'Clock. Less than five minutes
later. Mrs. Jordan, as Randall, climbed
In the window to put thumb-tacks in
all his shoes. At eleven-fifteen, Mr.
Fletcher arrived to see the boy. and
claiming to be his uncle, persuaded
Mrs. Hogan to let him in. Too late
to escape, she overheard the converse
-AoAA AZ SAO huA 40 TIE hcy Ioltlcu III
the door, she could only drop the
shoes hastily in Stuart's vestibule,
where the charwoman later noticed
them. and conceal herself in his bed
room closet"
His closetT Mr.. Warwick spoke
I'm surprise. "Then she was hidden
there the entire time Mr.. Fletcher
searched the study and distracted all
his mail?"
'Yes, she was; although from the
bedroom, she could not see him pocket
it. She did not dare open the closet
door too wide to watch him. She did.
however, catch several glimpses of
him as he moved about stealthily and
hunted nervously through Jordan's
property" Rankin talked deliberately
to emphasize his statements still fur
Their. sand that is the most important
point, Mr.. Warwick" he went on.
Mrs. Jordan had never even heard Of
Edward Fletcher; nor had she the
least information of the unpleasant
ness between him and her husband,
But at some time or other. Stuart had
9th ~ shown har a nhotoqranh 0f Mr.