The Coolidge examiner., 1936-12-17

my hammock.
Nothing seems to have hap
pened," 1 said tentatively.
"A lots happened" he answered
tersely. tive arrested Tony Tor
riano."
How Gomez" I exclaimed, sur
prised into some of Hopestilr S
slang.
1T come very easy" Patrick re-
piled. TONY practically arrested
himself. This morning I'm sitting
in my office when in gallops Tony
and his brother Frank. Franks
brought him in by the scruff of the
neck. 1t seems that Tony hadn't
told the whole truth about his talk
with Ace Friday morning. Tony
was in a jam. He wanted his
money and he wanted it quick. He
told Ace he had to have that three
hundred dollars that night. He
wasn't going to take no for an an
swer and he didn't mean maybe.
l find out that Ace has overdraWn
his account. They said it wasn't
the first time he'd done it. Ace
has been sailing pretty close to the
wind for long time. Tony knows
all this. He makes Ace realize
that his situation is pretty tough.
Ace tells him to meet him in the
Spinney that night at half past ten
and that he'd have the money for
him. Tony was prompt at the ap-
| pointment and so was Ace. Ace
pays him three hundred dollars in
cash, settling the account in full
| Tony sWearS that the talk was
pleasant and he says the whole
transaction didn't take more than
five minutes. He said, When 1 got
the three hundred smackers in my
fist, I scrammed!' Tony drove over
to the Head in his Ford and drove
| back. Tim saw him come and CO.
but naturally ne didn't stop him.
After all nobody knew a murder
was going to be committed
And so you arrested him!" I
put in.
Yes. AS a material witness for
the present. 1t seemed to me the
next step in the game. And it'll
give the papers something to chew
on. I still don't think Tony did it.
He showed me receipt for two
hundred and fifty dollars that he
paid on Saturday on his mortgage.
That came out of the three hundred
he says Ace gave him. He spent
nine dollars Saturday night, taking
his girl to Boston. They had din
ner at Little Italy. But I told Tony
not to worry and l don't think he
is worrying.
Patrick looked at me with all his
Irishness glinting in his eyes. II
think I'm giving a pretty good imi-
tation of a detective, Mary. Don't
you?"
Il think you're acting with
great deal of common sense"
TONY told me one thing more.
I told him to keep his mouth shut
over it and not to spill it to any
body-not even to the force. He
said he wouldn't. But I'm telling
you, Mary. Tony says that he left
Ace standing there in the Spinney.
You remember it was late
moon"
Yes" l answered. II remem-
ber everybody was heartbroken be-
cause we didn't have a full moon"
He says that Ace was waiting
for somebody else. Perhaps he
owed somebody else money is To-
ny's natural explanation. Tony said
that when he left Ace, instead of
keeping to the path, he took a short
cut through the trees and jumped
over your stone wall. But just as
he started into the brush, some
thing-he wasn't quite clear what
made him turn and look back And
there was {. woman coming around
the path from the direction of the
Little House in Aces direction"
who was she?" l demanded
breathlessly.
TONY didn't know"
You mean she was a stranger
to him?"
HE doesn't know whether she
was a stranger or his best friend.
He couldn't see her face. She didn't
come under the moonlight. She
kept under the trees"
And you're sure no woman left
the party?"
Nobody, man or woman, so far
as we know but Ace himself.
who-as you know-Tim Dolan saw
and spoke to, and Molly Eames
and Walter TreadWay who got into
Molly's car and drove of. And
then Bessie at about twelve. Bes-
sizes alibi is pretty good-if, as Joe
Geary says, Ace was murdered be-
fore twelve"
Looks to me-" Patrick went on
"as though it was some woman on
the Head. l don't mean that
woman committed the crime-but
that the woman Tony saw lived
herel"
"A woman could have walked
over the causeWay to the Head" l
pointed out. Some do every day"
Il think one of the boys would
! bova cean herr Patrick op.uarad