The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-07-17
Chapter 51
 COLLAPSE

-. s SO66HI ~ co THIS man bounded you" O asked Harper. Followed you back to the city and forced you to continue the affair? He made you meet him in this empty house-in his room? Then he is the one who put the notes in that sand urn on he hearth?"
 "Ycs. How did you know thatT' the asked, surprised.
 T "You'd be surprised how many persons in this house knew about those secret notes. But why did this man buy disguise so that he would look like MT. Dufresne? We have raced that purchase, back in Oc- ober."
 Aline Croyden shuddered. "He turned into a beast. a maniac. once le had me in his clutches. think 1t first he got the disguise to avoid detection should he be seen here. put later 1t pleased him to strut up md down dressed in Pierre's clothes. sneering and cursing at our money and social position. 1 saw hat his madness would bring ruin md disgrace anyway once this louse was occupied again."
 She squared her shoulders. "I was desperate. It was too much to pay tor my folly. l saw plainly that 1t was simply a question of his death or my ruin" the words trailed off into significant silence.
 "Was he blackmailing your" S"Oh. if it had only been ques- ton of money-but he'd only laugh at me when tried 10 buy him off. I began to plan. IL had to be carried out here in this house. He would meet me nowhere else. He made me give him key for the side door.
 "He kept his address secret. He would call me up from pay ..atiori and tell me to look for the note in the urn. built up my plan. tested every detail. went through every motion a thousand times. The first time there is snow on the ground, swore to myself. he should die."
 "Did this HID. write those threat ening letters to Mir. Dufresne?" liar per interrupted.
 q don't know. hadn't heard about them until after-it would have been like him. his idea of a joke. 1 put off the next meeting until the night of my husbands concert. knew it would be easy to slip away then"
 Weren't you nervous, afraid, when the time came?"
 Mrs. Croyden shook her head. "Ev- erything was arranged. rehearsed. had no need to think, just act. When it got dark enough I slipped out of our house and came over here to put up the rope. Then went down town with my husband. sss 7.
 Tt was nearly eight o'clock when I drove back. I left my car two blocks away. tested the rope by reaching the house that way. It worked perfectly" '
 "Oh, so you came by way of the rope? hadn't thought of that"
 A LINE CROYDEN nodded. "IIe was waiting in this room. We quarreled again. think he enjoyed those sceles. It was then that l pounded angrily on the table. stand. ing opposite him down the length of 1t. He went on calling me ugly names, so 1 raised my gun and shot him. l was amazed at how easy it had been.
 First 1 wanted to be sure no one heard the shot. looked-and there was a policeman just turning in at the gate! The next thing knew. was standing with the front door open, telling the policeman that l had shot a burglar. He seemed to recognize me and came in without the least sign of suspicion"
 What brought him to the house." Harper questioned.
 "He said he had seen sparks com ing from the chimney. and. knowing that the family was away. came to investigate. He had not heard the shot. had been stirring up the logs in the fireplace to make a better light in the room"
 The detective felt a pardonable pride in the accuracy of his previous deductions about Officer Hamilrs movements and motives on that fatal night.
 Tt wasn't until the policeman was actually standing here looking at the body that realized what an error 1 had made-that l couldn't possibly explain any of the details, my own presence, the seated body, the disguise, the two liquor glasses, anything. All this time I had been holding the gun.
 "He made a step toward me and I fir1d-twice. That is the horror of it." she burst out
 Harper nodded understandingly. That is true of every cri ne. The