The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-05-29

| we SedrcneQ IL, there an enQ or the matter"
 Harper smiled doggedly. "No. that's not the end of the matter. I already have hints of certain things that require explaining. We're going to sit down in this room and recon struct this affair. movement by movement. If 1t really was an un- foreseen and aimless business, then every single bit of evidence we have gathered vii. fit into place-if 1t does not. then something has been tamrered with!"
 But who could have tempered with 1t? This room has been under guard every minute since Hilleary first looked in and saw the bodies"
 Exactly. But what about the in- terval between the shooting and Hilleary's arrival?" the detective asked. drily.
 Certainly. but you've just fn- ished proving to me that no one could have left here after the shoot ing without leaving tracks in the snow and ] know that no one was hidden in the house. What are you driving at?"
 Simply this-the visible evidence tends to show that these two men were absolutely alone In this house and that they killed each other. But if the evidence leads us to impossi. bilities. then the evidence must be wrong"
 Lafferty gave his e 'rior a know. ing look. Then You i've got some thing up your sleeve" he accused.
 No. haven't. except an instinc. tive feeling that we're going to run into some mighty queer things. Now, let's have look at Jackson's surprise package. Perhaps we'll get some help from it." HARPER began to open the sealed II envelopes marked with his name While get these sorted and arranged" he suggested. suppose you step outside and check over my work on the footprints. There was only one mark anywhere in the snow that couldn't account for"
 The detective put down little X on his sketch. There 1t is. curved gash in the snow about twenty feet from the side of the house. Just the one solitary mark and not more than an inch below the top surface. It's the sort of mark that would be made by bent twig. except that there Is nothing buried there in the snow. It Is about eight or ten inches long. cant see any significance. but you'd better take look and see fl you can explain 1t. We may as well be thorough"
 Lafferty took the sketch drawn by Harper and left. while the latter spread out on the table all the ma terial that had come up from Head quarters. But. before he had chance to delve into this. there was a discreet tapping at the door and Andrews grave face appeared in re sponse to the detectives invitation to enter.
 There is a MT. Howard Doyle tc see you. sir" the butler announced but the officer won't let him in un. less you say so."
 That's all right. Andrews. let him come in."
 The butler gave his stiff. jerky nod and withdrew. anG shortly after. ward the Daily Ledger's crime re porter entered. How are tricks, Sergeant?" he asked in his usual breezy way. For minute thought l was persona non grata around here"
 Pull over a chair. Doyle. I've been wanting to have few words with you and l may as well get them off my chest right now"
 The reporter brought chair over to the table. and sat down, unbutton- ing his overcoat. Listen, Harper, before you start talking. answer me one question. Did you say anything about what did last night? Just an- swer yes or no. and no hard feelings either way"
 "l did not"
 "How about Captain Macklin?"
 Harper shook his head. "I'm in full charge of this case, Doyle. Macklin wouldn't do anything like that without consulting me first. The chances are he doesn't even know about it."
 Doyle lit cigarette and took sev. eral puffs iL silence. his eyes fixed on corner of the ceiling. Get this. Harper. I've been pulled oil the case. What does that sound like to you?"
 "It sounds to me as if Dufresue has had something to say to your front office" Harper replied prompt ly. "and after that bonehead play of yours I'm not surprised"
 "Bonehead play. you call itf" Doyle grinned impishly. "Listen. Harper. you'll be plenty glad made 1t before 1 leave here"
 fCopyrtoht. IsSt. by Walter o. Bro,,xJ