Evening star., 1936-09-16
INSTALLMENT vi.

THE lawyer laughed. "Bravo!"
he applauded. Its a clever
argument, Riley. I'm just
L afraid that Dallas won't agree
with you"
I'm afraid so, too," admitted Black
wood. I'D like to find that redhead.
Hang it, wonder if it was she who
called Percy from the party! That
was at 2 o'clock, and you saw him at
3 on the boulevard in a taxi. What
the devil was he doing for an hour
after he went away? You didn't
notice how much of fare he had
rung up. I suppose?"
I'm afraid I didn't" said Fentress,
amused.
HE was alone, wasn't hep"
"Oh, he was alone, all right"
"And headed south?"
South is right"
"As if he'd just then come away
from the party" mused Blackwood, in
perplexity An idea struck him and
he frightened. II know where he
was. He was at the Weldon Hotel.
I was wrong about the girl before;
she does live there. That's where
she telephoned from. He went up
there to see her"
1t was one of his unpredictable and
mysterious lunches. They visited
him as inspirations and were fire.
Quently quite wrong.
why should it be she who called
him?' questioned Fentress, as Con-
stantine had earlier done
II don't know" said Blackwood
"It's a bit muddled. isn't it? She
knows something about the Wingfield
murder. Confound it, she must!"
Her story should be interesting.
'at any rate, if she can be found"
said Fentress. He glanced at his
watch.
Blackwood, pulling at his jaw, was
suddenly aware that he was beginning
to need a shave. How many hours
had it been since he had left his rooms
In Pomander Mansions? 1t seemed
week. Well, we'll: His aunt was long
since in bed, asleep. He had express
ly told her not to wait up for him.
Rather too bad, for she had a new
she had wanted to expound to him.
The solace of Dickens! The remote
ness Of his scenes and people! But
even the great melodramatist-the
great imentalist-Would have been
impotent before the revolving spectacle
Of twentieth-century Chicago. Where
the devil could Percy Jones have been
at
In the morning? A thousand places,
Of course. AS many places as there
were places in that direction to 60.
The man knew everybody!
Fentress was rising to his feet.
sGot to go. Riley" he said. "I'll be
hearing from you in the morning, I
suppose? I wouldn't worry about
Percy Jones tonight, If I were yoH
II he's in difficulty, he'll come to see
me shortly"
I'm going out to the Weldon" said
Riley Blackwood. "It's the place to
start. That redhead Is the key to
everything" He looked at Philip
Constantine. "Are you coming with
me?"
IT am not" said Philip Constantine.
Tim going home" he added with dig
nifty. "I don't care what becomes Of
Percy Jones. I've had enough Of
him"
The tireless amateur was reaching
Tor the check. For some time the
night club had been empty. The little
group from Janice Hume's, he noted,
already had departed. So had the
girl-surrounded Goliath and his flut-
tering doves. Their own waiter was
patiently waiting; there were lines of
WEAKNESS beneath his eyes. 1t was
extraordinary, reflected Riley Black
wood, what a passion some people en-
tertained for sleeping.
The streets were deserted save for
departing clubbers. Around the cor
ner, in the boulevard, two taxi drivers
slumbered behind their wheels, wait
ing for stragglers from the clubs and
dives. Blackwood opened the door OF
one of the cabs and climbed in.
"I'll call you about II, Fentress."
he said, prodding his driver into wake
fulness. Good night, Constantine"
Yes, there was no doubt about it, he
Sefiected, leaning back against the
cushions; the redhead was the CEN
tral mystery-the redhead and her
Hindu and her kitten. A more piquant
trinity, he admitted, had never crossed
the trail of his curiosity. As told by
i. Percy Jones, to account for his tardi-
ness, the tale had been simply an
amusing bit of nonsense, but as COM