The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1934-03-15
Characters figuring
In our new serial
The Wedding
March Murder
z
CHAPTER vi
cross-Examination


about that phone calf" Kilday In
Quired as the two men started back
downtown. 81 can't figure her out.
1 Peter pulled his cigarette medita-
! lively. "She received telephone call,
I'm satisfied of that" he replied final
| ~. ''Why else would she have changed
her mind about going to the wedding?
And she did change her mind. Frank
lin was surprised to see her.
However, It wasn't Fletcher who
called I can see no reason why ne
| shouldn't tell the truth about it. What
/ am trying to determine is whether
Choo Choo really believed 1t was
| Franklin's servant, or Is only trying
to make us think so. In order to con-
ceal the identity of the person who
! really did call"
"She seemed mighty surprised that
Fletcher didn't remember it." Kilday
volunteered doubtfully.
II can't forget that she's an actress"
! Peter confessed. 81 find myself won
dering how much of what she said and
did was sincere, and how much was
/ only for our benefit" He lighted an
other cigarette, blew out the match
and holding 1t between thumb and
forefnger, inspected 1t slowly, as
though, in the charred match head, he
might find the solution to the puzzle
which was worrying him. 'What II 1t
were the woman In blue-that would
provide a motive for Choo Choo's visit,
and for the crime. / don't think she
was acting when she told us she loved
Jim Franklin. It must have been that,
.ror else" he still scrutinized the match,
1.-THE murderer knew Of Choo Choo's
relationship with Franklin. and tele-
phoned her in an effort to bring her
Ito the church. IF that Is the case, OF
course this actress had nothing to do
with the crime and was only drawn In,
by the real culprit, in an effort to con-
fuse the trail' Peter shrugged. f
that's what happened, we're farther
from solution than ever"
The car had reached police head
quarters. and the novelist followed
,Kilday up the battered steps On the
:sergeant's desk lay the revolver dis
covered in the rectory garden. the dag
ger with which the crime had been
committed. and the stained curtain on
which the murderer had wiped the
blood from the weapon.
Every blessed thing we have to go
on" complained the sergeant discon-
solately Except. Of course. the
thumb-print on the gun. The keys
won't be much help now. The only
one we haven't Identified Is obviously
not q door-key. 1t couldn't at the
apartment Of our woman in blue"
"Just because the pieces of the puz-
zle don't fit the first time we try them,
IL no sign we don't have all the pieces"
retorted Peter
I'm merely pointing out that the
keys are eliminated as one of the
pieces to the puzzle" exclaimed Kilday
ruefully. 81 was hoping that they
would help us identify this woman
In blue, when we found her. But
now" he tilted hack his chair and
gazed ceilingward through the haze of
smoke that clouded the room. "Now
I think you have given me hint that
Is just as helpful"
He drew another long, reflective puff
on his stogy
@The trouble with this case," he be-
gan, presently. sis too many suspects.
OF course, there aren't many genuine
clues, but we haven't needed clues so
much Not since we've had an OPP
IT, III
Peter, has anything struck you as
peculiar about this case?''
"Not unless it's the fact that you've
Just mentioned-too many suspects"
The sergeant leaned forward, smile
warming the harsh lines Of his face
you've laid your finger on It." he said.
snow what would you say that indi-
Gates? No. don't interrupt I know
the answer myself Whoever muir
dered Franklin purposely entangled
some Of these others in the case in or
der to drag a herring across his own
trail, ehf isn't that the way you
figure itr'
Peter eyed his friend carefully. ''It
looks that way" he admitted.
"All right. them" Kilday made no
effort to conceal his exuberance. Lets
End out who seems to have been
manipulating the herring. Let's find
out who seems to have been involved
In this case by some one else When
we eliminate this class, perhaps wen
have the murderer. First" he began
the enumeration Of the suspects on his
fingers ssthnrn'a Crho0 Choo Che
claims some one phoned her. saying he
was Fletcher. and told her Franklin
wanted her to come to the church.
Royce heard the argument. after she
arrived there. Franklin wasn't ex-
pecting her. OF course. she may not
be telling us the truth. but just at
present, she seems to be telling a
afraioht story And FRO nlrlir, MO Sn,t