Evening star., 1936-09-18

Of detectives gave the information
without hesitation. Figure it out! The
police car got there at 1880, and she
was certainly dead then. The coroner
didn't get there till after 2. AS
matter of fact, she was dead when the
housekeeper found her about o'clock.
Blackwood made mental calcula-
ton. Then she was probably killed
some time between 1890 and l
o'clock; and not right at o'clock,
either, If that's when she was found.
Well, it certainly narrows down the
time" He smiled. do you want this
hairpin?"
IT may as we'll take 1t along" said
Dallas. He got up and strode out of
the room. "If you find any howitzers
or machine guns, you might let me
know
BY jove! reflected Blackwood. the
time element was getting interesting!
Percy had arrived at a quarter before
/. He didn't wonder that the police
were eager to find him.
He wandered about the apartment,
. poking into everything. but without
result. The radio announcers taste
was hardly notable. He ran to nudes
In pictures and to sentiment in books.
But the place was expensively ap-
pareled and voluptuously furnished.
Blackwood imagined that Dallas
thought it pretty swell.
In one of the bedrooms he got under
the feet of pair of strange policemen,
disguised as detectives, and was softly
cursed The bathroom, to his dis
appointment. yielded nothing what
ever.
After a time he wound up in the
kitchen.
But nothing had been left to indi-
cate a recent occupancy, unless it
were the hairpin. If-just for in
stance-Percy had visited his own
rooms, the night before, in the COM
pany of a woman, there might possibly
have remained some unwashed cups
or glasses. However, there was moth
ing of the sort
His foot struck sharply against
something that ratified against the
floor, and he looked down in thought
full contemplation of saucer. Just
q saucer. A whitish saucer with a
band of gold. And chip of at the
side. 1t was thrust halfway under the
kitchen sink.
Sweet Caroline" said Riley Black
wood.
Could it be possible?
He glanced around him furtively,
then stopped and plucked it swiftly
from the linoleum. He shifted 1t
gingerly, then with a long inhalation
The saucer was quite empty, but 1t
had been used-and it had not been
washed. He suspected that it had
contained milk.
He touched his tongue against the
bowl and made a face of violent dis
taste, then spat into the sink.
But kittens were clean little animals,
he had been told.
He tiptoed to the pantry and peered
into the refrigerator. 1t contained,
among other items, scarcely opened
bottle Of milk.
well, well, WE'LL" murmured Mr.
Blackwood. "Is there a detective In
the house?"
He executed a brief pas seuE re-
placed the saucer where he had found
1t, and prepared to leave the place.
In the living room Dallas intercepted
him. The big detective was almost
purring.
What luck?" he asked with jovial
patronage. Not taking anything
away, I !1ope!'
Blackwood answered the second
question. mot anything" he agreed,
and swung open his jacket. Look me
over, Dallas" Then he saw the
packet of letters in the detectives
hand and asked question of his
own: What have you got there?"
The chief of detectives thrust the
package into his pocket. His smile
was a blend of cunning and triumph.
mo statements today" he answered.
"Is that friendly?" asked Riley
Blackwood In his voice there was
sorrowful reproach. May I ask what
efforts you are making to find Percy
Jones?"
The detective shrugged. "He can't
get very far" he boasted. He may
even show up at the studio tonight
when he's thought things over. I've
got a man waiting for him"
Il see And all railroad stations
and airports. suppose, are likewise
being watched?"
Something like that" admitted
Dallas amiably. 80 if you think you
know where he is, you might as well
come across"
Blackwood laughed and went away.
He was fairly pleased with himself,
upon the whole. But what was it, he
Quite possibly a package of letters
written by Rita Wingfeld, herself.
There was no testimony, as yet, that
she and Percy had been acquainted,
but it was probably enough. Indeed,
1t was almost certain. BY no other
hypothesis was suspicion of Percy
even plausible. There would have
been no point in anybody's involving
him-deliberately, at any rate-unless
he were acquainted with the girl.
Blackwood strode south in Dearborn
street. Yes, he had been pretty smart,
himself, he reflected immodestly. As
he now read the riddle, Percy Jones
had falsified one feature, at least, of
his story-that having to do with the
Weldon Hotel. Instead of driving to
the Weldon, he and the redhead had
driven to Percy's rooms. The kitten
seemed to prove it. To be sure, he
had not found the kitten-but, after
ALL A saucer beneath the sink,
still tasting of milk? And a Clipped
saucer, at that? Not such saucer
as one would be likely to set before a
guest. Therefore, saucer selected for
an animal. Since there was no animal
Of Percy's own about the place, a
visiting animal.
Good work, Riley, old boy!
It was, of course, possible that the
pair had been at the apartment all
the time; that there had been no
ho,,se with q r,nrcelajn doorknoh and