The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1934-01-11
CHAPTER I
Death In the Study
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ssctward, hesitantly. The procession
.,owpd its solemn march.
. afr Of uneasiness was somehow
.-.nsrItted to the crowded pews.
rsere was a vague bustling through
-. the church, polite, muffled, yet
thsre like the restless whispering OF
,aa1os even audible against the ma
tsstIc organ tones Of Lohengrin's wed
ding March"
potar Cardigan sensed 1t from his
now deep In the nave OF the church
pnd smiled at the fancy he thought
s.d BETRAYED him. What could be
mrono9 His novelist's mind pictured
Tho many services conjured from the
corners of the world by Carmody
yealth to insure the perfection OF de-
.o,l which had been the heritage OF
carmody brides since New York was
young. -
II had seemed strange to Cardigan
for Jim Franklin to be marrying AM
brose Carmody's daughter. But then,
Tim had been q stranger to him for
seventeen years. When Peter Cardi-
can knew him, Jim Franklin had been
: Young attorney, just out of law
school, laying the first foundation OF
hIs career in the hard experience OF
the police courts. Peter, without
realizing it, had been laying some foun-
dat,on stones of his own in those days,
for that was when he was a police
reporter and before he had become
famous as writer Of best-selling mys-
teries, as well as for the occasional
solving Of one in real life.
That was seventeen years ago. Now
Jim Franklin was marrying Doris
Carmody. If there was anything to
these newspaper stories, he would be
the next governor of New York, too.
Ridiculous to think that anything
could be wrongl And yet, the process
sion was scarcely moving now.
Doctor Abernathy, rector of st.
Matthew'S, stood by the choir steps
and wondered Everything had gone
off well at the rehearsal What had
happened now? Where was the bride
groom? IN e
The rector was troubled about the
quarrel he had witnessed in the sacris-.
ty, too. What an odd setting for a
quarrel The sacristy of church,
just before a wedding. Too, he had
tried to question the strange woman
who had quarreled with the bride
groom. For moment his suspicious
had been aroused. But pshaw, Frank
lin was all right! Nothing like that
could happen to Doris Carmody. The
generosity of her ancestors had made
this fashionable old church possible.
No, there could be nothing wrong.
Things like that didn't happen to peo-
pie like the Carmodys. The suspicion
with which the good doctor had mo-
mentarily regarded that scene had
fickered brightly. for a moment, and
as quickly died. But not died. either.
The distrust with which he had re-
garded that quarrel was recalled very
wildly now. What should he have
done? Notified the brides father? He
had thought Of that-and yet-what
could he have said? The circumstance
of quarrel was not sufficient to ques-
ton the pr0priety of wedding, at
least where there was no question Of
morals involved. No, the rector re-
fected, there was nothing he could
have done.
Calls Shipley was worried What
had happened to Jim Franklin? Where
was Nick Royce? Calls was the first
bridesmaid on the left. At the re-
hearsal, the bridegroom and the best
man had entered at the first notes of
the organ, and waited at the choir
steps for the procession that moved
Slowly down the aisle. Why hadn't
sne thought to see If he were there
before she started? She had been a
third of the way down, before she
realized ne was missing. Several Sec
onds Slipped past, and still he did not
come. Calls glanced back, hurriedly.
Inc rest of the procession was falter-
ing, too, marking time, almost.
Why didn't he come?
! She suddenly realized she was
AFRAID. Where was Rylie Carmody?
Wnat had Web Spears meant? Some
mins terrible had happened! She
knew It!
II she only could have found Ry-
lie!
outside, on Carmody avenue, a po-
neeman pushed back the curious
tnfong that waited to glimpse the
pride. A Carmody! And Jim Frank.
WI. He'll be the next governor. too.
You'll have to keep moving Miss"
sa'a the officer. The pretty woman
~ ollle struggled through the iostling
Doris Carmody was thinking of Web
s'er Spears-"Web," whom she had
anoWn all her life, whom she might
az. even now have been marrying. if
dis mad turned out only little
o @uerently. Why had Web walked
s se OF the church, without remaining TO-
s1.. the wedding? What had he said
wou a. ner brother, Rylie? That he