The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-02-10
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CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

ID MINISTER paused to buy a
II PAPER and then went on with
he newspaper tucked under his
arm. Buying the newspaper hao
been a matter Of habit. Already he
knew the facts those columns con-
tained-all that the police had
learned. or been willing to disclose,
about the death Of Melvina HOLSTER.
Those facts were meager enough.
The finger print experts had been
unable to add anything at all to the
solution Of the mystery. The only
prints in the apartment clear
enough to be read we're those Of
Miss HOLSTER herself and her
brother.
Servants and tenants of the hotel
had been questioned about events
tie afternoon before. No one could
recall seeing any one suspicious
there. Mrs. Russell Kennebec, who
lived across the hall from the Hol-
listers, had reported hearing voices,
one of which she thought was Miss
HOLSTERS. some time during the
afternoon.
Investigation had disclosed that
between 3 and $3.50 boy had de-
livered laundry at the apartment.
The boy, whose name was John
Gregory, told police he had brought
the laundry. as he always did each
week. So far as could be learned.
this boy was the last person to see
Melvina HOLSTER alive. He reported
that she had not seemed disturbed
and there was nothing unusual in
her manner.
Efforts were being made to trace
the ownership of the silk scarf
with which Miss HOLSTER had been
strangled. There was a photograph
of the scarf on the front page Of
the newspaper. 1t was a black
scarf with narrow white stripes,
grouped together at intervals Of an
inch or more. There was no mark
of any sort on it.
The time of Miss HOLSTERS
death had been set indefinitely as
between 3 and s."
Matthew HOLSTERS story that he
had been out of the building at
that time had been partially cor
roborated. The clerk at the Shelby
Arms remembered seeing HOLSTER
leave the hotel early in the after
noon and saw him return a few
minutes before he ran downstairs
for help.
Nothing had been taken from the
apartment, eliminating the posi-
bility of robbery.
u, e were the facts Bannis-
was puzzling over them, as
he u! 4 been for several hours, when
he heard his name spoken. He
looked up and saw a woman COM
ing toward him.
"David-David Bannister!" she
said, You haven't forgotten me,
have you2"
why, of course not, Mrs. Har-
borough. How do you do"
The woman was short and rather
stout. She wore a long coat of
brown fur and a brown hat. The
hat was tilted slightly, showing the
hair beneath to be quite gray.
oh, I'm as well as usual" she
said. How's your aunt?"
Never better" he assured her.
That's fine. Tell her I'm coming
over to see her some afternoon. .
Mrs. Marlborough was an old friend
of Mrs. Hewlett's.
They stood for a few minutes talk
ing casually. Then Mrs. Marlborough
brought up the subject about which
the whole town was buzzing.
THAT was such a terrible thing
that happened last night" she said
Simply terriblel You see I've known
Melvina HOLSTER since she was a
girl. I just couldn't believe it when
I read about it"
1T was a horrible crime" Ban
mister agreed, land apparently the
whole things a complete mystery
The police don't seem to have been
able to find out much"
TO Be Continued