The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1934-01-18

was dead"
"And you heard nothing at all In
the room behind your" Kilday's voice
sounded slightly incredulous.
Royce shrugged his dapper Shout
ders. "Tve said that I didn't. For one
thing, they were singing, and the organ
was playing. That would have drowned
out any but a loud noise"
"Mr. Royce" Kilday's bland tone
deceived no one, you hadn't, by any
chance, quarreled with Jim Franklin,
had your
In spite of the smile Of his thin
lips, there was an unpleasant express
sion on the newspaper mans narrow
face. Sherlock" he said, with a
hooking bow, don't tell me you have
guessed my secret. That's why was
the best man at his wedding"
"Just the same" Kilday retorted,
'you weren't overcome by grief. You
discover the man you say was your
best friend, murdered, and the first
thing you do is call up your news
paper"
He turned abruptly to Doctor Aber-
nathy. ''Where were you?"
I'm the church. I was standing at
the choir steps, waiting for the bridal
party"
"Could you see this man, standing
here in the door, from your position in
there?"
The rector hesitated. 81 could
have" he agreed. "But you see, i
wasn't facing in this direction"
"You didn't look over this way,
when it was time for the bridegroom
to show up, and he didn't?" The SER
geant had not missed that instant's
hesitation.
"Why, yes, 1 glanced over this way
several times. I didn't understand
what was wrong"
swell, when you glanced over here,
did you see Royce? That's what I'm
asking you, Doctor Alternately"
"No, L didn't see him." the rector
admitted.
~ wasn't standing where 1 could be
seen from the church." Nick Royce in
terrupted. "The door was only open
crack, and I was standing we'll back"
"You didn't say that, at first" Kill
day challenged.
81 took your intelligence too much
for granted, I'm afraid" If the Off
Ger heard, he gave no sign.
"We're taking one of the curtains
out Of your study. he informed the
rector. 'The slayer wiped the knife
there" II. ..r. 49,
did you find the weapon" 1t was
Milo Dunbar who asked. .....-
"Not yet. Probably the murderer
took it with him." w.
G "And so that convicts me-" Nick
Royce interrupted ironically. "Of
course I've had time to run home and
hide the knife" ss-- .~-,. l.
"You ran outside to get In the back
door of the study, didn't your" Kill
day demanded. Then, turning to one
of his assistants, "Take look out
side there, Pat. Maybe the knife was
dropped around there" ss f.. (
"YouA can't fool old Sherlock"
Royce ironically remarked, and walk
ing to the window, he watched the
detective as he searched the shrub
berry outside for some trace Of the
weapon. ~
Peter studied the newspaper mans
back with puzzled blue eyes. What
was wrong with Royce? Did he really
have something to conceal? The
thought seemed preposterous. As he
had so pointedly made clear, Jim
Franklin would scarcely have asked
any but his most trusted friend to be
his best man. Where could you make
a motive for murder out of that?
And then, too. where was the
knife? If Royce had committed the
crime, how had he been able to dis
pose of the knife? No, that didn't
fit, unless (and Peter entertained
slight hope of this) it were found out
side by the man Kilday had sent to
conduct the search.
Peter stepped outside. This was
the path Royce had taken, to get from
the sacristy to the back door of the
study. Except for few shrubs, he
noticed, there was no place the knife
might have been concealed on this
side of the church.
1t was different at the back. Stand.
ing beneath the stone arches of the
cloister which connected the study
with the rectory, the novelist sur
veyed the garden. There was ample
opportunity to hide dozen daggers
here, given the time. -.s.-.e.-. g.. .- q.
And Royce had had plenty of that.
Between the time the rector had left
the two men in the sacristy, and the
arrival of the usher sent by Ambrose
Carmody to discover what was wrong,
considerable time had elapsed. And
what if Nick had not telephoned his
newspaper, after all? What If that
were just subterfuge, by which he
hoped to explain his failure to notify
anyone of what had happened?
In that event. Peter reasoned, the
dagger would be found here.