The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-04-16

give him the right number. then changed her mind and clamped her lips tightly together.
 Sergeant Mahoney started to say something else, but was interrupt ed, as running feet sounded in the corridor. The door of Milicent's room banged open without a pre- liminary knock, and Detective Buchanan, his face flushed with anger and modification, stood in the doorway.
 My God" he said, that flask. y"
 Sergeant Mahoney made a quick motion. He raised his hand, palm outward, but Detective Buchanan failed to interpret the gesture. That flask" Buchanan said. "It's ben smashed into a million pieces, Someone ground it into powder with 8 bronze book-end."
 Sergeant Mahoney sighed, shrug- ged his shoulders, and said very softly, When you get to be a bet ter detective, Buchanan. you will know better than to leave valuable bits of evidence around where sus- poets can get hold of them. You'll also know better than to tell other suspects when that evidence has been destroyed. If you'd had sense enought to tell Miss Grabes her fin- gerprints checked identically with the fingerprints on that flask l think she'd have made state ment. As 1t is, she'll take advan- tage of the situation by keeping quiet" .. Buchanan stared at Sergeant Mahoney with crestfall express sion. "I'm sorry" he blurted. 1T didn't think, I was so interested in let ting you know what had happened. I think we should concentrate every effort on finding out who smashed that whiskey flask" Sergeant Mahoney got to his feet nodded slowly. Did you say that Jarvis Happ gave you his key to the study" he asked.
 "He surrendered it temporarily, yes"
 "You explained to him why you wanted him to do so?'
 "Yes. I told him had to have an absolutely safe place in which I could leave a valuable piece of evidence"
 You didn't leave him in 7. the tsudy with the hask?' | Certainly not. I put the flask in the study where 1t would be available for the fingerprint spe- cialist. Then left the study my self and saw that MT Happ left it. locked the door and put the key in my pocket - that is, there's a spring lock on the door. pulled 1t shut and the lock clicked into position. The key was in my pocket"
 Did you try the door to make certain 1t was locked?"
 "Of course" ~s--... Keys to that study" Sergeant Mahoney said slowly, "are in the possession of virtually everyone in this house. with the exception of Miss Grabes. That is, almost every one of the servants can get into the study if they want to badly enough. A key Is accessible to them" 'If we'll hurry" Detective Buchanan said, i've can make in- quirics immediately"
 Sergeant Mahoney walked slowly toward the door. opened it, stood at one. side for Buchanan to leave the room. then turned and stared steadily at Millicent.
 You understand, Miss Grabes.' he said. that you're under grave cloud of suspicion. Under no cir I aS ut fo nkn avNk N leave this house without my per mission"
 He pulled the doer shut behind him with the ominous finality of one who clangs the door of a cell upon on unfortunate prisoner. | Millicent got to her feet. her heart pounding. She stared at the door through which the men had gone.
 So someone had smashed that tell-tale whiskey flask! Her finger printes were stamped on it. Now they could never be identified. If she kept her head, 1t could never be proven that she had been in Harry FeIdipg's room -. except for that Handkerchief. She must do something about that handker- chief. ,g Suddenly she realized that if she told MT Happ frankly that she had tried to follow the woman in the black ermine coat he would under stand. In fact. Millicent realized that she only needed to tell the entire truth. up to the time she returned to the house and sat in that wicker chair on the front porch. She could tell Jarvis Happ that she had usod the borrowed front door key just as soon as she returned to the house. Happ would believe her.
 She regarded her stained. fin-