The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-07-09
Chapter 45 CROYDEN'S PLEA

CROYDEN'S PLEA
 THE house seemed as deserted as
 before, but as Harper came down the stairs he realized that the dinner must be over. for he heard music from the wing-room, in dicating Richard Croyden at the piano.
 Harper was passing the doorway when the playing stopped. and Croy den. looking over his shoulder hailed the detective. Come in," he called. If you can spare a minute I've been watching for you"
 Harper was somewhat surprised by this invitation. He eyed the pianist sharply as he crossed the floor. Have a cigarette?" The de. tective declined the offer, while Croyden turned back to the piano, his fingers moving softly over the keys. There are some passages in this l need to brush up." he ex. plained. Recognize it? Chopin. Polonaise in Flat Minor"
 The detective sat down in the chair by the piano bench. Croyden's whole manner was feverish and ex. cited and though his fingers con. tinued through rippling passages his mental abstraction showed that he was casting about for an opening for whatever he had on his mind.
 Then. preceded by nervous ex. halation of cigarette smoke, he struck out boldly. Harper. cant you call off the dogs? Must this thing go on. boring deeper and deeper into the private life of this house? You cent ease the dead by an autopsy on the living"
 "A detective on a murder case has no friends. MT. Croyden. We cannot call this case closed until we have found the killer who Is hiding among you"
 The fingers slipped into dangling discord and stopped. The pianist turned to face the detective. T think you exaggerate when you call it 'case.'" he challenged. q really don't see it. Harper. You've built up a scarecrow of shreds and patches. When you tear it apart you won't find your murderer. but you will expose all the poor bare bones of our family skeleton to the pub lie gaze. The public is always roaring for that sort of stuff, but felt that you were above that kind of show. Harper"
 He drew long breath. Don't think I'm talking wildly. or trying to hide some deep. dark secret. Dig below the surface anywhere in so. called Society and you'll find deceit. treachery, disillusionment. And. God knows, if you're going to take those things for clues to motive. you'll finish by putting all of us in the dock. Does this make sense " yOu oi uo yOu tuiuh III ueluS merely rhetorical?"
 Through haze of smoke the de tective looked straight into the glittering, excited eyes. There was no mistaking the genuine fervor of that plea. q think l understand, MT. Croyden." Harper responded gravely. Yesterday. perhaps 1 should not have, but today a great many things have become clear to me-" CROYDEN turned again to the " keyboard. softly lingering the treble keys with muted sound. Are you married man, Harper?" he asked. suddenly, without turning his head.
 No"
 "Then take my advice-and think well first!" he counselled. "It can do things o you, bring about condi- tions that no lover can survive. Ones birthright of spirit can be sold out for compromise" he added darkly. To-day. we seem to cling only to the Thirteenth Commandment - thou shalt not be found out Many things can be borne in silence. indig. mites to the spirit as well as acts of the flesh. so long as these are kept discreetly hidden from our neigh. bors' eyes. But Haunt them across the horizon and then comes the end. That is why ask you to take no fur ther steps in that direction"
 He stopped to snub out the cig. arette end. T suppose you'v. heard about MT. Dufresne and Joyce Roh. mer. to give the lady her more ia. miliar name? And. possibly other de. tails of the sort?"
 Harper shrugged. Servants will talk. tabloids thrive on scandal" he remarked. "and there's precious lit. tie escapes them. As understand it, there have been dissensions and sus. picions on both sides of the fence.