The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-07-02

at MTS. MOrlOCk s.
 Well, Mrs. Dufresne's alibi is just as strong as her unsupported word. Here is the situation, Steve. 1 Dufresne called up his wife about 4:30 and told her about the ambush. He said he, was safe. was staying in the Austerlitz for the night, and that there was police guard.
 "She seemed greatly upset by the news. complained of a nervous head ache, begged of attendance at Mrs. Morlock's dinner party and imme- diately retired to her room.
 About five o'clock the maid left a tray outside her door. When she passed little later it had been taken in. The point is that no one actually saw Mrs. Dufresne from five o'clock until the maid went up to announce that Doyle was asking to see her.
 Dinner was served at seven and while they were dining one of the chauffeurs gave the alarm about the fire in the garage. The telephone wires were strung at the back of the garage and the phones went dead right after they'd called the Fire Department. Naturally. the whole house was in an uproar. but what Mrs. Dufresne did no one in the bOuca caomc fo know
 THAT wouldn't take any prize as
 an alibi, would it?" Harper asked quietly. q always thought that when a murder was planned the, murderer usually turned up armed with the best alibi-not the worst. It's almost law of criminal nature. Now who, would you say. had the very best alibi in this case?"
 Lafferty groaned. Sherlock Holmes is in again."
 Harper continued with a sly smile, as though he had been an swered, You're quite right, Steve. Dufresne and Andrews. And what portions of our evidence have been most troublesome to placer"
 Personally" Lafferty said, q could get along better if l knew nothing of the case that dated prior to sundown yesterday. That fellow buying the disguise months ago, the crank letters, the ambush, those damned things make everything dizzier."
 sHRight again, Jack. And why? Be- canse those three events should be links in sequence, the logical out come of which would have been Dufresne's death! That's why I've felt so uneasy about the letters something tells me they were not written by our dead man." Iafferty nodded. "I see. The let tets furnished Dufresne with his alIbi. If the letters are 'phoney,' then the alibi-I get your drift. Where's our next stop, the Auster- litz?"
 rNot yet. First we have to pay little social call on the mysterious h0lsemaid, Ellen Becker" Harper took slip of paper from his vest pocket. "Ellen lives at 1921 West Magnolia Street. don't think we're expected and ! doubt if we'll be welcome.
 Harris foun her in a little over an hour," he told Lafferty. That youngster will make his mark. He's got nose for the scent as sharp as beag.e's.'
 Do you expect her to cut and run?"
 "If she knows something, that's very likely. I'll be interested to see her reaction when she finds out who we are"
 The police car threaded its way through the city lanes until the driver pulled up at the opening of a narrow street. Here you are, Sergeant" he announced. The e. tectives got ont and Harris emerged at once from q tobacco shop on the corner and joined them. "Any sign of activity" Harper asked.
 T think so," Harris reported. Miss Becker has been called to the phone in that store twice. There's booth, so couldn't hear what she said. but she looked excited" Good enough Wait here for us," Harper directed, and he and Laf- ferty turned into the narrow street, solidly lined with neat, but small, two-story houses. They mounted the low steps at 1921 and pulled the | old-fashioned bell.
 They had wait before the door opened about foot and a middle aged woman with iron-gray hair looked out at them suspiciously. Harper greeted her politely. We would like to see Miss Ellen Becker"
 "She's rot at home," the woman answered brusquely.
 fCopyri0ht. 1ss4. by Walter c. Bro,on)