The Washington times., 1936-04-16

Sinclair lay In her own blood, shot
through the heart, and no one can
say where you, Bruce Lloyd, were
during that time. You are with
out an alibi."
Perkins braced himself as his
turn came last. He was viSibly
shaking, his lips were. dry, and his
hands wringing each other.
And you, who were the young
lady's superior, the incumbent Of
the highest position In the guild
ance Of our adolescent youth, who
should rank Is one Of our most
potent moral forces in this com
munity, you denied that you had
visited her on that Thursday
night, tried to conceal that you
knew her beyond your professional
association.
"Yet you were there at nine
O'Clock; you left her at nine fifteen
and were out Of the house at nine
twenty. She was alive, you say
"Your wife, who at first con
doned your visits to the teacher
because they were q blind for your
secret relation to her, heard your
avowal Of love to Miss Sinclair
Frederick Perkins, I charge
you with the murder Of Miss Con
stance Sinclair!"
I didn't believe it.
OBrien wiped the perspiration
from his forehead,
"Whew, Miss Julie, I don't
often put on Q show like that
What did you think Of it?"
II thought t. was SWELL" I said
"only I think you picked the
wrong horse"
OBrien was too amazed to be
angry at my impertinence.
hastily went on, to cover my flip
pancy.
1.-THE case against him isn't any
sounder than that against any Of
the other five, except in the point
Of time, is it?"
He shook his head.
and it seems to me that that
Is Offset by something awfully
important that you forgot. You
didn't provide him with a gun
anywhere along the line. You
base the whole thing on his sud
den realization Of the situation
after he got there that night, on
his acting on violent impulse. II
she had been choked to death, or
hit over the head with bookend
or something, it might work. But
after all, she was shot"
Then, what, Miss Watson, Is
your diScovery?''------- - '.... : ~.
# he was sarcastic, I was too
much in earnest to notice 1t, then.
I told him about Poe's Purloined
Letter and how finding the Oh.
vious solved that mystery. I told
him I had thought and thought
about the obvious clue which
would point out the murderer to
US surely. And ] told him I
thought I had found it.
"And it is?"
well, you said yourself this
afternoon that every one of the
six here had tried to conceal his
or her relation to Miss Sinclair.
Who didn't? Whose relation has
never been questioned? You said
each Of the six tried to keep out
Of the case. Who didn't? Who
has been active in it from the be-
ginning? You said that you had
to find everything out about them
from investigation and untiring
effort. Who came and gave you
all the information you wanted?
Who answered each Of your ques-
lions, especially personal ones,
honestly?"
"You gave me the answer once
yourself. You spoke Of q character
to whom hate: was an Unborn in
gredient, who was Of a passionate
and vindictive nature. This same
person had gangland connections,
implying possession of the weap-
on"
"And so you think"
zone persons name is the an
Swer to all these questions. came
back this afternoon with that
name on the tip Of my tongue,
ready to ask you to help me sup
ply the motive to back UP my In
tuition. You had the stage all set
for your, Show But you helped
me anyway. You said that Prin-
cipal Perkins had q wife, q wife
who condoned his visits to Con.
ME as q blind for later calls upon
her, a wife who later heard his
avowal Of love to Connie, a wife
Of whom he was afraid"
"And So
Thus when you accused Per-
kins Of the crime, was ready to
shout: The wife Of Frederick Per
kins and the murderess of Con-
stance Sinclair is Mrs. Anna Sar-
doni!'"
(To Be Continued
Copyright 1885. King Features