The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-06-18


 No. but l was talking to Bob Johnson. That lad covered the so- cial whirl when he first broke in with the Daily Ledger and he's got a memory like filing cabinet. Ac- cording to him. the Bartell girls had the polite circles of their day stand ing on their collective ears.
 Incidentally. it might interest you to know that in those days our good host. MT. Pierr, Dufresne, was rushing little Aline. The engage ment was rumored unofficially sev- eral times and there was plenty or buzzing and whispering when he up and married Sister Sylvia in- stead"
 "To hear you talking. one would think that Mrs. Dufresne and Mrs. Croyden were now a couple of dow agers."
 That was all of ten years ago." Lafferty answered. land ten years can make a lot of changes. but you never can tell when the old fire will flare up again. That happens often enough. Remember that Sylvia Bar. tell married man considerably older than herself. while her sister well. l take Croyden for one of those artistic chaps. all nerves and temperament. charming as an &C., quaintance. but damn hard to live with. Certainly Mrs. Dufresne is still far removed from an age where one could say. This woman is past the time for love affairs"
 HARPER looked amused as he l l held a match to his pipe. "very we'll put" he acknowledged. "al. though the implications are some what libelous. But listen. you old social philosopher. does MT. Du- fresne strike you as being the sort of man who would connive at hiding his wife's guilt?"
 There's such a thing as pride, Steve. and it takes some queer turns. Many a man has brazened down the world in case like that and taken his own measures in pri- vate-later."
 No. don't believe you're on the right track at all. There are plenty of gaps in your structure. What of this alleged lover. for instance? He was here in the city. buying his dis guise. while Mrs. Dufresne was still at her summer home. That doesn't sound much like clandestine af- fair"
 Granted. but remember that the Dufresne summer home is on an island. Not much chance for secret meetings there unless the third party came as guest. think those two conceived the idea of writing crank letters to Dufresne. After a due interval he was to be bumped off. Then Mrs. Dufresne would be free and the police would be busily hunting around for some down-at. the-heels homicidal maniac who never really existed. It's a clever scheme"
 g'I see. Having decided to disen- cumber herself of the husband she no longer wanted. Mrs. Dufresne, fin Ia fit of absent-mindedness. killed her lover instead. Very clever, Jack. very clever"
 Lafferty smiled sourly. "Just the same, old boy. I'm holding to my theory till you can produce a better .one," he stated. Everybody but Mrs. Dufresne has an alibi for the time in question. Why don't you challenge her with it?"
 Harper shrugged. You know the situation. Dr. Ulrich has forbidden her to talk. What would be the use of trying to hold vital interview like that when she can stop and think and write down the answers at her leisure? Since you're so set on your theory, I'll delegate to you the job of visiting the Morlock house. You can check up all you want, but don't let the cat out of the bag. Mrs. Morlock is a relative of Mrs. Dufresne and if she finds out that we suspect anything 1t won't take long for 1t to get back to this house. Go to it! Here's your chance to show me up."
 That's not the idea, Steve, and you know 1t. Of course. there's an alternate theory. built on the same base. Has that occurred to you?"
 Harper took long pull at his pipe. "I'm full of theories" he re- piled. with little encouragement I could build up a case against almost any of the eight you picked out. But who is involved in your alternate theory?"
 Pierre Dufresne himself. Per haps he discovered this affair and killed his rival. I'm convinced the elementary motives in my theory are right. whatever the individual moves may have been."
 The Sergeant's glance sharpened. "Tve been toying with some such idea" he stated slowly. <<vo..,~.cht ,ost h.. rurYt,s ~ p..,