The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1934-03-30

RearQon showed MS C11dI JACK
against the wall, balancing 1t on two
legs. His innocent blue eyes were focus
ed intently on the heavy featured face
Of his superior.
'"The department has been catchin'
he'll" said Garrett crisply, ever since
Taylor CRANKY was rubbed Out three
weeks ago."
II got a lead on that case, too, in
spector. I was tellin' you this after
noon"
cts a lousy lead, Danny. I've been
over that ground mystelf. Now listen,
I been in this game since you was
knee high to a drop Of rain. I'm tell
ing you that we amt ever gonna find
out who killed CRANKY. Maybe it was
the dame and maybe it wasn't-but if
we haven't picked up anything by
now, we amt goin' to-ever. I'm tell
ing you"
"Okay, I'm listening" But Danny
was troubled. you'd like to find out.
wouldn't you?"-
"Sure I would. And why? The news
papers have been riding the seat out of
my pants, askin' for action. It was the
first good murder we'd had in six
months. There amt nothin'. else hap
pening in town, and so they've been
plasterin' the yarn all over the front
pages. Prominent society man u
dered mysteriously,' and all that sort
of boloney. Mystery woman seen by
garage helper You've read the dope.
Public has been bowling for action,
and we haven't given EN- any. All
right! Now I'm asking you a ques-
ton. What's the best thing to make
the newspapers and public forget a
mystery?"
IT dunno, chief. What?"
"Another mystery! Give 'em some
thing new and sensational to read about
an discuss and they'll forget the old
excitement. That's why we're gonna
make the killing of Wallace McDougal
so mysterious and sensational that
~everybodyu forget Taylor CRANKY"
Danny nodded slowly. Tn begin
ming to understand. You mean we're
fixing to build this McDougal case up"
bright lad. We got the town just
where we want it. KNOWN that we'd
neve solve the CRANKY thing I was
worried. Already they've begun to write
editorials about police inefficiency and
they've been taking nasty cracks at
me. Now gimme the dope on Nc
Dougal."
Hes been in Europe for six months,
explained Danny, crisply. Single.
Country club. All that sort of thing.
He had a pal-Morgan Todd -. and
what a pal"
II know the bird. Keep goin' -"
when McDougal went abroad he
turned the keys Of his safety deposit
box over to Todd. This is McDougal's
story, see. He had negotiable securi-
ties in that box . . about fifty thou
sand smackers worth. All he owned.
Todd had been hooked in the market.
He sold them securities of McDougal's
and chased stocks clean off the board.
Lost it all. And we can check that
easy; the bond numbers can be traced
through the office of whatever broker
handled EN-. McDougal came back and
got plenty sore. This afternoon he
phoned Todd and Todd showed up.
McDougal told him what he was plan
ming. He reached for the telephone to
call the police. Todd let him have it.
Nobody heard the shot that I've dis
covered and Todd got away clean. OF
course he thinks McDougal died in
stantly. But we know better. He
crawled to the telephone and asked for
headquarters. I was in car seven six
when the orders came through. And
that's the setup."
Inspector Garrett bit the end from
a big black cigar.
Couldn't be better. Well trail Todd.
He don't dream he's suspected and he'll
go on acting natural. But we'll find
other clues. Well find a woman's van
ity case lying open on the floor. May
be a glove. I'll put you in charge of
the case. You got brains and you a
kid the newspaper boys along. Then,
when the papers begin yelling some
more about police inefficiency, we'll
solve the mystery. Well pick up this
bird Todd-hog tied and wigglin'. And
for your end, me lad, you'll get the
credit-and maybe a s%ergeancy. BY
that time they'll have forgotten that
We hit a stone wall or the CRANKY
thing"
But we didn't inspector. I'm ask
ing you where was CRANKY and the wo-
man going the night he was killed?
There amt but place. They must
have been headed toward Buck Man.
| gins joint on the Berkley road"
Forget it, Danny. I figured that
out first and checked up at Bucks.
CRANKY wasn't there that night-either
alone or with a DAME"
"I'd have sworn he was" said Dan
ny s%tubbornly.
"Well, quit swearin'. It's a bad hab-
it. And you're wrong anyway. You're
on the McDougal case now-and about
to become famous. To do that you've
got to commence plantin' clues. Hop to
it, Danny"
The early morning papers which ap-
peared on the streets at nine o'clock
that night howled the new mystery:
prominent broker murdered in office
police hunt mystery woman" And
wallace McDougal shot to death-city
shocked by new mysterious murder"
Inspector Garrett chuckled as he
waded through the lurid and highly