The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-07-14
Chapter 49 NEW THEORY
"TNHANK you. Andrews" Harper

"T'HANK you. Andrews" Harper
 acknowledged the patent sin cerity of the old buffers words. That will be all for the present" he told them, in dismissal. The ser, wants filed out silently, with O'Con nell bringing up the rear.
 Sergeant Harper leaned back wearily. His face was drawn and tired, his eyes looking duly through the window at winter landscape he did not see. Lafferty gave him a keen look. What's the matter, old man? You look as if you'd been up all night"
 The detective dumped the skein of rope on the table with sudden fury. Another life gone and 1 feel I'm partly responsible. should have figured out that rope trick sooner Now that youngster is out of the way and the whole damned business is to do over again!"
 What do you mean. Steve?" Laf. ferty gasped.
 "In plain words. Donaghy's sui eide is fake a plant He was murdered. just like the others. Out there is the same mysterious mark in the snow. only this time it's be- tween the pergola and the garage!"
 Holy Moses!" murmured the lanky detective, weakly.
 Mot only that" Harper went on. T found two more of those spikes. One driven into the end of the per gola and one beside the pent roof over the garage door. You see where this leaves us?"
 But good God. man, where is 1t gbing to end?"
 "I don't know, but 1 do know that Donaghy never went to any gam bling house and lost his roll You remember that it showed again from seven to eleven o'clock last night. l waited here until midnight to see him. How did he get back into the garage after that without leaving his own footprints in the snow"
 Lafferty shrugged.
 "T BELIEVE" Harper continued. "that Donaghy left this house and went directly to his room and stayed there. At that time it wasn't showing. But if he did that, he couldn't have lost his money gam bling and that would make that. much of the letter a lie. Yet the loss of that money is given as ma jor reason for the suicide"
 Hmm. What about Donaghy's alibi for the night of the murders? It looked all right to me-" asga
 "Yes, and it looked all right to me. It was the average sort of ac- count that is genuine in ninety-nne times in hundred. It's not the too foxy kind that can account for every minute. because the need for that was borne in mind."
 Harper turned the signet ring idly in his fingers. 'I can't quite swallow Harry Dorey.'" he said. "The bare name suggests nothing. explains nothing. Why did this HID. buy a disguise in order to look like Dufresne? We've got the right an swer as to how the escape was pulled of and perhaps the name of the murdered man, but along with these two answers we get about a dozen new questions to wrestle with"
 Lafferty said. You told me that the wound was in typical suicide form-with the gun muzzle pressed firmly against the head. suppose you realize that murderer rarely gets a chance to hold the gun that way, unless he catches his victim asleep or unconscious?"
 Asleep. or unconscious, or"
 "Or what" Lafferty pressed.
 "You just gave me an idea." liar per answered guardedly. but it's still too hay to discuss. Here's what want you to do. Jack. Take O'Connell and go back to the ga- rage. Give it a good ripping out, es- pecially for anything that might have bearing on the suicide-mur- der question:"
 After Lafferty had gone Harper paced the length of the room rest lessly. fitting this new design into the jumbled mosaic formed by all the known angles of the case. "A very pretty theory" he growled to himself. "but how to prove it? How to prove it?"
 VXyHAT was that mark where the w light gleamed across the pol khed wood of the table? The detec-