Henderson daily dispatch., 1936-05-01
CHAPTER "a

LAURA RANDALL'S mary con.
tinued:
October 16. Miss Joyce is more
set than ever on finding a job. She
left at this morning, and I have
been alone all day. She didn't even
come home to dinner. The day has
passed very slowly. Mr.. Van Every
has been out most Of the time. and
Soon is In the library. I tried to
talk to him because 1 was so lonely,
but OF course a Chinaman can't talk
deoently. What shall I do If Miss
Joyce really finds a job?
Later. There have been strange
happenings in the house. Murder. I
don't know what to think Of it. Miss
Joyce knows something of it. I'm
sure. She came upstairs tonight, be-
fore we knew about anything and
started to cry. / tried to comfort
her. but she sent me to bed.
1T is very hard to write this, but
must. The police are downstairs;
they have questioned everyone. Miss
Joyce and me, too. I was afraid to
tell them Miss Joyce had been at the
library door with Allan Foster for a
few minutes. It was after she came
upstairs that she began to cry, and
sent me to bed.
II saw them come in, Mr.. Van
Every. Miss Younger-I know it was
Miss Younger because I admire her
work on the stage very much. and
have seen her often-and another
man. A man 1 have never seen be-
fore. Mr.. Van Every was telling
them of the ruby. showing it to them,
IT turned out later, but even from the
stairs of the third floor could hear
what he was saying. More horrible
this ruby is. than 1 thought. I was
shivering as / sat there listening. 1
thought l would slip downstairs and
see the ruby. 1t would do no harm,
but just as 1 was starting I heard
q creak on the stairs, so hurried
back to Miss Joyce's bedroom. 1
stayed there perhaps five minutes,
then came out. but no one was there.
The hall was clear. I settled down
fioor and listened. 1 could hear Mr..
van Every's voice, and catch
snatches Of what he was saying. I
must have made mistake about the
ereak on the stairs. yet 1 know I
heard it. My ears are very sensitive.
Miss Joyce and Allan came up the
stairs later. / could not believe It
when 1 saw Miss Joyce coming up
with him, at that hour. After all I
have said I saw them look into
the door of the library for some min
utes. then kiss each other, after
which Miss Joyce came upstairs.
Allan was still at the door of the
library when I went into Miss
Joyce's bedroom. Then it was she
started to cry and sent me to bed.
went to my room, worried sick. I
could not scold her when she was
crying. yet she needed to be scolded.
I'm positive heard her open the
door OF the bedroom, and go out
again into the hall. She did it quiet
~. Out 1 heard it all the same. I'm
sure. one is sure of things some
times" From here Miss RandalPs
Ciary took up the questioning that
Followed. full descriptions of Captain
Reyes and myself, the ANNOYANCE
caused by detectives. The next dav
she detailed her trip to Reyes office.
An interesting item came the eve
ming of the seventeenth. "Soon
knows more of this than CAPTAIN
keyes thinks. I tried to tell him
this afternoon. How Mr.. Van Every
can trust this Chinaman is more
than can see. It easily might have
been Soon I heard on the stairs.
although will admit that he is very
quiet. always walking around as if
ne had double padding on his feet.
Yet it might easily have been Soon"
The morning Of the eghteenth-it
was the evening of the eighteenth
when Reyes and I read the diary.
the day Of Miss Randalrs murder
there was only one entry. "I have
found the hiding place of the ruby.
and this afternoon will prove to N.Y.
self whether or not the stone is what
they say, murder stone"
Then it ended, the remainder of
the book was clean. Miss Randall
had had no further opportunity to