Evening star., 1935-12-15
Magazine Section

SIepDCOl tilNO tilC AOOli' AAS hiiC" at
once he had entered the study to
which he had been directed in the
telephone summons. He could see part
of ron-top desk. A row of books ran
along the top of the desk. He turned
his head and found himself staring
down at a mans leg and foot stretched
out at grotesque angle.
After a moment, Klay took two for
ward steps. The man who lay sprawled
OH he floor was undoubtedly dead. He
had been shot twice, and from the two
bullet holes, red streams had welled
out to flow into sinister red puddles.
Lester Klay stood perfectly still.
His mind. trained by legal study to
look for and note significant details,
saw that the man had evidently been
sitting in the swivel chair in front of
the desk when he had been shot. He
had fallen from the chair and, in his
fall, had dragged an electric clock
from the desk, jerking the plug from
the wall. The hands had stopped at
exactly seven seconds past nine
nineteen. The left arm was doubled
under the body. The right arm was
extended, the fingers crooked as
though trying to claw at the carpet.
The dead man was wearing gray
business suit
The study indicated that its occu-
pant had been painstakingly attentive
to detail. There were no loose papers
on the surface of the desk. The
various documents and letters which
had been placed in the pigeon holes
were neatly folded. the ends smoothly
regular. Over the desk was bronze
tablet which evidently contained the
mans business creed. 1t said: TIME
WAITS FOR NO MAN AND NEITHER
DO I. MY TIME IS THE ONE ASSET
(WHICH LIFE GIVES ME. METER MY
MINUTES AND EXPECT THOSE WHO DO
BUSINESS WITH ME TO ACT ACCORD
INGLY."
.Klay, standing perfectly still, his
mind focusing to white-hot con-
centration, realized that either this
man had called him and had been
murdered after the telephone call, or
someone had deliberately called him
after the man had been murdered, in
which event the object of calling Klay
must have been to implicate him in
the murder.
In Klay's mind was the memory of
his brother who had been sent to the
penitentiary from this same city, a
brother who had been employed as a
deputy county clerk, and had been
found guilty of embezzlement on
evidence which, to Lester's mind,
seemed utterly inadequate to sustain
a conviction. Yet, jury had returned
a verdict of guilty and judge had
refused to set aside the verdict. Hugh
KIay was now branded as felon and
serving time in the penitentiary.
During the three years his brother
had been in the Big House" Lester
had diligently studied law. deter
mined to vindicate Hugh. But, with
the knowledge acquired through his
studies, he had been forced to realize
that the case was finally and officially
closed; that his only hope lay in
executive clemency, and, in order to
secure action from the Governor, it
would be necessary to present evil
dence establishing frame-up. The
memory of what the machine" had
done to his brother made Lester Klay
realize just how ruthless were the
powerful forces aligned against him.
with racing mind. he considered his
predicament. Should he call the police
and explain the circumstances to
them, or should he quietly withdraw?
If fhe called the police he would become
identified with the murder and would
be definitely classed as suspect. If he
tried to leave the premises and were
caught or identified, his fight would
be an unmistakable and significant
sign of guilt. Which had the people