The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-06-22

going in for subtlety. Aline. What Harper really wanted was our alibi. Are you quite satisfied. Sergeant"
 Harper smiled. Its one of the best alibis 1 ever heard. I don't see how we can do a thing with it," he tested in return.
 Pierre Dufresne faced the detec- tive suddenly, and asked bitterly, "Harper. how long are you going to keep up this business? You have brought a very serious charge against my household and I'm wait ing for you to back 1t up with proof, sound, legal evidence. If it turns out that you can't warn you that it's likely to cost you your stripe."
 Pierre. you mustn't talk like ,that!" Aline Croyden tried to smooth the ruffied waters. MT. liar. per is only doing his duty"
 Without the slightest warning came the sudden crack of a revolver. The report seemed to come from be- meath their very feet. sharp and un. usually loud in that silent house. They exchanged startled glances.
 Don't be alarmed" Harper urged. Detective Lafferty Is testing the real murder gun. Fortunately we have found 1t, hidden in the gutter of the roof. That answers your ques- tion, MT. Dufresne. We now have sound, legal evidence that there was a double murder here. We'll be finished when we find out whose fin. ger pulled the trigger last night!"
 Richard Croyden's hands h a d jerked so nervously at the sound of the shot that he had to recapture his cigarette in midair. He stared at the detective with frowning inten. sty. Aline Croyden leaped up in her fright. her hands clasping each other and her ring still flashing its multicolored sparks.
 But Pierre Dufresne went on quietly tapping his cigarette against the platinum case. There was mock. cry and defiance in his glittering look, and Harper caught a faint reek of brandy on his breath.
 Don't let us stop you!" he sneered, "but I'll be damned if we wish you any luck!"
 I AFFERTY looked through the h pocket lens at the crystal body of the goblet and then again at the sheet of yellow letter paper Harper held out for his inspection. "It's smeary print" he stated, but there's no doubt about it that's Andrews thumbmark in both places. Well. let's have another round with the model butler. We'll see If he can think fast enough to get out of this one"
 al The lanky detective took the let ter and read it over. It was the third of the eight crank letters Dufresne had turned over to the police when he had first placed the matter in their hands. about week before. The thumbmark appeared b o u t midway of the left margin.
 igIt was just a fluke." Harper ex- plained. q was showing Mrs. Croy- den how fingerprint Is brought out for photographing and 1 happened to pick up this glass for the experi- ment."
 Tt would have come out long ago." Lafferty grumbled. If Du- fresne hadn't opposed the finger printing of the staff. Come on. let's put the screws to the old boy. I'm going to enjoy this"
 Not so fast. Jack. not so fast. There's no profit in going off half cooked. Nobodys going to run away while we figure things out. It might be help if some one did" he added as an afterthought.
 Lafferty threw his superior sar- donic look. You're hard to con- vince" he protested. What are you holding out for now. a hand-written confession from the murderer?"
 "No, but we're not couple of rockies out after big game for the first time. If we made an arrest every time we struck a clue we'd have Mrs. Dufresne locked up be- cause she went out last night and Dufresne because the gun disap peared from his room this morning. Before we tackle Andrews let's have good look at these letters. We've been so busy with other matters they haven't had the attention they deserve"
 "The first thing that is apparent" he went on. "is that each was mailed downtown. That gives us no help with everybody at the Austerlitz ex- cept the Whitmores. The first four were exactly one week apart. then came a gap of eleven days with the last four somewhat irregular. Du- fresne placed them before Director Connors on the 4th of January. On the morning of the 7th came the last letter. at least up to the present."
 At least? Do you think there are going to be any more of them?" Laf- ferty questioned.
 fCopyright. i9s&. bu Walter c. BrownJ
 Tomorrow. the situation nears a