The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-06-11
Chapter 26 <. -T,PEACEMAkERS

Chapter 26 <,
 ~T,PEAcEMAKERs iliil "CERGEANT." the Director began O in his booming voice. "Mr. Du. fresne has asked me to see what can be done to expedite this inquiry. Of course" he continued quickly. "it has never been my policy to interfere ar bitrarily with any man in my De partment. as you know, Harper. but MT. Dufresne is an old friend of mine and want to be as accommo- dating as can, especially in view of Mrs. Dufresne's mishap."
 T think 1t would be inadvisable to move from the scene of the crime under present conditions" Harper replied. quietly but firmly.
 But why, in Heavens name7" cried Dufresne. Am not 1 the one most concerned? There will be no more threatening letters. no more shots from hiding. don't care who he was or what he was. It is enough to know that he will not trouble us again. He was undoubtedly a homi- cidal maniac"
 What makes you think sow liar per challenged.
 Dufresne stared in surprise. "What else can we think? You have every characteristic of a violent homicidal mania"
 Apparently. yes. and of the most virulent type" agreed Harper. "But you forget that we have no proof whatever that the man who was killed last night was the same one who wrote the threatening letters and shot at you yesterday"
 Dufresne broke in excitedly. Ser geant, you are deliberately manu- featuring difficulties. To call such a train of events coincidence is to stretch a remote possibility until 1t snaps of its own thinness." He snorted his scorn of such an idea.
 Captain Macklin had been taking in this verbal tilt intently. From the first he had sensed some underlying current of hostility between Du- fresne and the detective. He injected himself smoothly into the converse tion. Harper, have you any direct evidence that this man was not the one who wrote the crank letters?"
 Captain Macklin, I would prefer to make my report privately" .f,
 Come. now. Sergeant" Connors boomed, "there's no need to take that line. There seems to be little friction between you and MT. Du- fresne. We don't want anything like that"
 Gentlemen" said Dufresne with great dignity, "my wife needs peace and quiet after the shock she had last night. She is the innocent vic tim of bungling methods"
 "Mr. Dufresne." Harper snapped. his temper rising. you will please remember that l had nothing to do with Mrs. Dufresne's mishap."
 q am not blaming you. Harper. There was nothing personal in my complaint but the fact still re- mains."
 Lets not get side-tracked," Mack lin resumed. "Is there any such evil dence. Harper?"
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 "Of course there isn't" Dufresne interrupted again. What happened in this room last night is plain to be seen. There is no need to twist 1t into still more fantastic shapes nor in trying to rationalize madman's actions"
 n1RECToR CoNNoRs waved his D big. blunt cigar in the air. "Yes. Harper. if you've got anything sub stantial to build on. let's hear about it."
 Harper drew himself up stiffly. "Very well, Director. have been re- luctant to part with this information for fear 1t would hamper my further work in this case. Maniac or not" he answered impressively. "this man was murdered, not by Officer Hamill, but by third person who was here in this room! This same unknown person also killed Hamill! The scene was fixed, the evidence tam. pered with so that 1t would look as If the two men had killed each other. At first this was only . theory, a suspicion of mine, but now l posi- lively know 1t to be a fact"
 "You have the proof?" Captain Macklin asked with restrained ten. sity.
 For reply the detective briefly re- counted the doubts he and Carlin had shared concerning the wound in the murdered mans head and how 1t had led to the recovery of the I original .45 bullet and the roll of carpet with the telltale bullet hole.
 Harper had been keeping a wary eye on Dufresne during his recital,