Evening star., 1935-06-28
CHAPTER XII.
COUNTER STROKE.

bSIN CdIct auSOIi cdlu, Oue
- know this. I'm not going to
let you marry my father and
i kill him. tool"
why do you think that
would please me?"
II don't know suppose you'd get
his money" Alison's face was pale,
her breath came quickly. You d
better ask DR.. Lumley. He knows all
about your arrangements at your
house at Warley."
It was a shot in the dark, but the
effect vas startling. All Daphnes
GOODNESS dropped from her; she stood
up. her eyes glittering.
"Oh!" The tone was menacing
"Does he? Then perhaps you can
explain what he was doing there2
You're in love with him, aren't you?
Well. then, perhaps you know that
the police are looking for him on a
charge of murder?"
Il don't believe it," Alison flung
that back scornfully.
MOP" Daphne's head was lowered
like a snake striking will you be-
heve me then when I tell you that
I spent this morning at Scotland Yard
being questioned about what happened
in my house? The night that you
were there, Alison. man was muir
dered
You yourself told me that no one
else entered the house that night!
They wanted to know where was
and 1 told them-dining with your
father They asked me if any one
else had access to the houSe-and I
lied. Not for your own sake, for your
fathers. But if l told what l
knew"
She stopped dramatically. Alison
was white now. and she stared at
her as though hypnotized. But she
said bravely: L don't believe it. You
can't prove anything against Guy
And I can tell them that he didn't
do it. Why, you yourself said that
the movers men went in next day
and found nothing!'
Il made a mistake" Daphne was
smooth. I've asked them. and they
tell me that they didn't go into the
cellars"
Even then, he'd nothing to do with
It. I went down the next morning
and there wasn't anything there"
Did you?" Daphne smiled grimly.
ibid you go right into the recess un-
der the stairs?"
"Alison's face answered the question.
You didn't! And you didn't know,
perhaps. that DR.. Lumley vent dfyn
- ar1n RI lyilI ba -ho 70
those anonymous letters!"
1T isn't true!' That was cry.
isn't it? You don't know, perhaps,
that one of the letters was found on
the man that he killed." And the
police don't know that Dr. Lumley was
there-yet. Don't you think. Alison,
you'd better leave your fathers af-
fairs-and mine-alone? Unless you
want to see your charming friend
hanged?"
You did it! You did it all on pur-
pose!" The words broke in a cry from
Alison's lips.
You think SOP" She said that
Insolently.
You sent Guy down there to War
ley-you meant to frame him with the
murder" 1t was guesswork blind
hitting in the dark, yet as she said it,
Alison knew that she had hit on the
truth. You knew that other man
had the letter and you meant Guy to
60 down there and find him dead
and" She stopped Her eyes grew
wide, almost black, asthe pupils, OPEN
ing, swallowed up the iris. "Oh!"
Alison gasped.
''Oh! You sent him-that awful
man, down to kill mel"
1t was clear now-as clear as the
elinting, narrowed black eyes which,
shifting, avoided her own. Suddenly,
as fash of lightning throws up the
contours of dark landscape, Alison
saw.
A plan so safe, so simple, that no
one could ever suspect Daphne Sumers
of hand in it, except the murderer,
the one person who could never give
1t awayI
Two kilograms, one sent of for
Robert, one to the movers'-who would
suspect that they got mixed on pur-
pose? Above all, who could imagine
that Daphne Sumers had any deep
design in sending a girl whom she had
not met, had never seen, down to the
house at Warley?
Was 1t only by chance that that
gray-faced and awful man had come
stealing on tip-toe through the house?
Or had he been sent there to hide in
some corner or the garden and watch
for hired car to arrive, a girl to enter
and wait, unsuspecting?
Alison. ice-cold. swaying backwards.
away from the dark, malicious face so
near her own, saw too clearly. Sup
pose she had not looked up that night,
or heard the creak outside?
Murder by proxy-and a double
murder that would at one blow clear
Daphne from all danger from Guy
Lumley, leaving him safely hanged or
else in prison! No wonder Guy had
been afraid to tell her the truth.
thought Alison. in sick fear; no WON
der he was so sure that Daphne meant
to kill second husband For if that
plan had not miscarried, Robert Redes
the heiress to his money.
would be lying dead now! He would
be able to leave his widow a rich
womanl
Clear. simple-diabolical
Alison's sudden rush toward the
door was sheer physical panic.
A leap and she was fumbling at
the handle. Two steel-strong arms
closed round her, bearing her back.
heaving her over and face down onto
4 sofa.
Before she could even cry, Daphne's
hand closed on the back of her neck.
pressing her face down into the custn.
ions. Suffocating, she kicked out help
lessly, beating the sofa padding.
Lie still, you little fool! Do you
want a scene in here? Dyou want
me to tie you up? You can say what
you like about me-make up any story
you like, you can't prove it. The real
point is-are you going to keep your
silly little tongue quiet or not?"
Let me by" Alison stood I'D
shakily and tried to push past. A
deft shove sent her back on the sofa.
There! Sit quiet a moment. Think
But remember, Alison. I can prove