Evening star., 1936-09-29

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Wv ion, to the apartment of
the murdered Rita Wing
Geld
Blackwood groped to the bed and
sat down upon its edge to answer his
own question. Vaguely he felt that
the case was beginning to take shape
In this very room, now lost in dark
ness, Janice Hume had furiously
searched for something of Importance
But had she found it? When Zelda
had told her that her search was
known, she had gone hysterical. In
the circumstances, was it not prob
able that Janice had failed to find
the thing she sought?
And surely it must be something, he
reflected, that Janice feared would
identify her with the crime. Some
piece of wearing apparel, possibly?
He had quite certainly seen heI
searching in the closet.
Almost more important, he realized
was the questions corolary: Who hao
1t been-if it had been anybody-Whc
had aided Janice in her search? In
brief. who the devil had been with
Janice in this very room?
He was cropping for the light switch
when he heard sound that struck
him rigid. 1t was a light cough
somewhere in the apartment itself.
THE murderer"
The words rushed through his mind
with such force and clarity that he
almost believed they had been shouted
aloud.
But it was a mad idea The muir
derer, If he-or she-had sense, was
now full man va mile away, estab.
fishing a glorious alibi.
Blackwood breathed more freely
Nevertheless, he rather wished that ht
had slipped pistol into his pocket
before going to the theater.
1t was at this moment. with ears
cooked apprehensively for further
sounds, that new and paralyzinl
thought occurred to him.
II Percy Jones were in hiding. eithel
rs murderer or suspect. innocent ol
guilty, what safer place for him Il
hide-now that it was empty-thar
in the Wingf1eld apartment? The
daring of it would be enormous, but i
was quite the last place any one woulC
think to search. The place was CLOSED
--locked-by police order-until suct
time as some executor of the mur'
dered woman might appear to take i
over. The inquest-continued-hat
been held that afternoon.
What a notion! Percy! With
Janice close at hand to feed him anc
keep him posted!
It was brilliant flight of fancy
and so hard did it seize hold on hin
that for a moment he almost knew
that 1t was So What it did to hi
various other theories he did not stol
to consider.
He put away his spectacles, and tip
toed to the inner door. He venturec
further and stepped into the kitchen
Softly he slipped along the passag'
leading to the dining room and pu
his head around the corner.
There was a faint light in the bee
room off the living room-the room
in which the murder had been com
mitted. A little light that glowec
and dimmed and vanished and re
appeared like foxfire on a marsh; 1
miniature torchlight, he supposed
Small sounds of occupancy were tele
graphed across the rooms that la!
between.
He stepped into the dining room
and a loose board creaked beneath
his foot. He shuddered and stooe
stiff Listening, the light had van
ished. There was no sound whatever
from the murder chamber. The dark
ness lay in visible layers around him
It advanced upon him and recedec
noiselessly.
Then he was aware that something
vas moving in the room beyond
Something half-felt, half-seen, tina
floated ghostlike between him and tht
farthest patch of blackness. HI
stepped back recklessly against tn,
wall and ran his fingers over it
cropping for the light switch. But h,
had lost his bearings in the darkness
and 1t was some moments before HI
had found the button. 1t was clost
beside the door through which he hac
Just entered.
A faint perfume, intangible as the
darkness itself, yet vaguely allurins
and familiar, drifted to him acros;
the chamber; and quite suddenly ht
knew that the intruder was woman
His finger pressed the switch.
At the same instant he heard the
front door softly open and softly
close.
The visitor had gone.
For q moment he stood blinking
blinded by the sudden dazzle of light
then he was fastening in pursuit
with all the chairs Of Grand Rapids
Mich, it seemed, across his path. HI
flung into the entry and snatchec
open the door.
Nothing!
The passage was bare from end II
end. No sense of recent occupanc,
pervaded 1t. There was no sound o
elevators In either shaft. The stair