The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1934-07-06
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MoGN1NG HOUSE
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nearly rs ulSuncIye as nngerprini
itself"
He spoke deliberately. Some one
struck the top OF that table four or
i've times with a clenched fist. Tha;
suggests quarrel or an argument.
The marks were made BY that ring
you are wearing. Mrs. Croydon. The
diagonal setting of those two dia-
monds makes an unmistakabIe pat.
tern. That gave 1t away"
The woman digested this in ST.
lence. She looked at the ring on her
finger. then. standing at the table,
made the motion Of phantom anger,
rapping with knuckles down. such
q small thing" she murmured.
"Great results are often measured
BIZ small devices" the detective an
swered.
She looked at the ring again.
otherwise, you would not have
known?" she questioned.
II wouldn't say that" Harper re-
piled. 1T really would have been
more bailing to us IL Donaghy's
death had appeared in its true col.
ors.
'Camoufiaging 1t as suicide really
broke up the puzzle. 1t was there
that your logic tripped itself up. for
in order to pin the whole thing on
the supposed snicide through his
confession, you had to give away
the secret OF that first escape. A ia.
tai error, for It prompted me to look
for the same clue in the second in
stance"
"The same clne?" she repeated.
YES 1.-THE same clue. No matter
! how clever the deed. there is al
ways an unsupported clue left be-
hind. Sometimes we are not alert
enough to q / it." He waved toward
the table. Those diamond marks
are an instance. But the clue re-
ferrea to was a peculiar cut In the
snow which was made when the rope
was shaken free and hauled back.
"We found that mark in the be-
ginning, but could make nothing Of
it. It was only when We were put
in possession of the rope itself that
its meaning became clear. Natural
". this led me to look in the snow
again after we found Donaghy, and
there was the same kind of mark.
THAT labeled it It once as another
murder. in spite Of the typed confes-
sion. the nature OF the wound and
the recovered articles. That ingeni-
Gus excuse for the absence OF the
blackmail money Donaghy had was
suspicious, too, for we know he had
not been away from his room last
night"
Thanks for tile advice" She drew
herself together. slowly pulled the
ring from her finger. and deliberate
Iy placed it on the table sThis has
betrayed me once. It would be dan
gerous to wear it any LONGER.
wouldn't it? See that it gets back
safely to my husband" she said
steadily. "and tell him I'm sorry fc.,
all the trouble I've caused"
''But, Mrs. Croydon, you can't go
away like this. simply saying moth
ing In your own defense. There must
be reasons, explanations, YOU can
give. You owe it to yourself to pre-
sent your side of the story Surely
Officer Hamill had done nothing to
warrant his death?'
Aline Croydon WINGED from that
name as from a blow. THAT is the
real urden on my conscience" she
whispered Il lost my head--I went
crazy-I saw the whole perfect plan
had designed destroyed by tlat one
blind chance That was murder. but
those other two" she flashed with
sudden anger blazing in her shad-
owed eyes. that was only Justice,
| have not a single regret. had to
use wat weapons could against
them"
Harper lowered his voice. "Mrs.
Gro den. whG was HID. Eeally?"
Neither YOU. nor any one, shah
ever know that" she answered bit
terly. "Let him lie in the Morgue. LET
him go to a Potter Field. I'll never
tell. It's the best he deserves. No.
one will ever come forward to claim
him. alive or dead!"
q am not prying. Pm merely try.
ing to understand your story. Mr.,
Croydon" Sergeant Harper said
with simple dignity.
Then I'll help you to understand
she famed. 81 have never see,.
happy In my marriage. 1t Is true that
| had an affair with that man. As
look back now. hardly know how
it began. except that | met him at a
time when ] was unhappy and
starved for ex cit m t." She
stopped. staring blankly at the de,
tective. 81 soon found l had fallen
into the hands of beast. | came
to hate him. tried to break away"
Copyright. 1854. bu Walter C. BrosemJ