The Coolidge examiner., 1937-02-04
FRIDAY

All that night l kept going over
and over Doctor Marden's story. I
kept going over the talk l had had
with Patrick after he left. Caro-
Aces child. l could not accustom
myself to that shining signal-light
in my mind. For how glad 1 was,
find it hard to say. l had grown
to love Caro-. 1t made me happy
to think of her presiding over the
beautiful Blaikie house, an integral
part of our life in Satuit. And l
was glad, because that vigorous vi
| tality of Aces was not lost to us
and to the world. l kept wonder
ing that 1 had not guessed it. But
of course nobody could have
guessed it. Caro- bore no resem-
blance to Ace-except for the sculp-
turesque quality of her bony struc-
ture. But as to my conversation
with Patrick-my tired mind con-
cerned itself only with that last part
of it which occurred after Doctor
Marden had gone.
We'll, Marden seems to be the
third to meet Ace that night. Tor
rlano is out as a SuSpect-unleSS
he came back. Margaret's testi-
mony fixed that. Margaret's out
too-unless she came back. Mar
den'S testimony fixed that. But
who's going to save Marden? He's
got no alibi and he's got a grand
motive"
"You mean, you think he and
Ace quarreled and he killed Ace?"
Il don't think that. l don't think
anything. I'm only thinking what a
| jury will think. I'm a helluva de-
tective. l don't think that Waiter
killed Ace. I don't think Torriano
killed him. l don't think Margaret
did it. l don't think Marden killed
him. The trouble with me l guess
is that I'm too fond of my friends.
Too trusting! I don't seem to think
anybody can commit murder. Yet
people are committing murder ev-
cry day, all about us, in-in man.
: ner of speaking-great numbers.
Mary, I'm up against it. l can't
keep Torriano in the hoose-gow
much longer. Of course he knows;
he's known from the beginning that
he wasn't there for keeps. And if
l let him out, I've got to make
another pinch. If l don't, the D.
! A. will have to take the case out
of my hands. And then MacGoon!
You don't know what the pressure S
been, Mary. You've seen the news.
papers, l suppose-country cops
and all that. AS it is, if l don't
clear this thing up, I'm no longer
chief of police. Yes, I've got to ar
rest somebody. But by God, who?
Seems to me it's got to be either
Walter or Marden. Walters got ar
alibi. According to Molly they
drove about tWo-thirds of the night
But then again Molly's his wife,
and there you are! Mary, I'm toe
little man for this big job. How
wish | could talk it all over with
Ace!"
with Ace?" l repeated involun-
tarily.
Actually, l had forgotten for a
moment that Ace was dead. OF
course, he'd been the first I'd have
gone to. Strange, about Ace! Do
you remember, Mary. Robert Louis
Stevenson said that no woman
had ever loved him for the meat on
his bones" Well, if you loved Ace
at all, you loved him for The meat
on his bones and for lot of things
besides. He was a whale of a man,
Ace was. He went crooked toward
the end. Life on the woman side
got too much for him. But he
sure was mani"
1 sighed. Patrick was only say
ing what I had thought myself
II wonder" Patrick went on
meditatively. "if I'm not licked. "
When Patrick appeared Friday
morning he looked. for the first
time, haggard. Il didn't close my
eyes last night" he admitted. by
criminy, Mary, l hate to lie down
to this thing. However, I'm giving
myself until tomorrow night. If l
don't get anything by then, I'll see
the district attorney and admit I'm
licked. l came over here-well,
l don't know why l came over. l
have no excuse. But 1 can't stand
the P. S. Almost everything I've
got about the case. I've got here.
And 1 return every day Ike the
homing dove"
Caro- and Hopestill are playing
tennis" said vaguely-merely by
way of conversation.
THAT seems to have become a
pretty close friendship in less than
a week." Patrick commented
vaguely too-also merely in the
way of conversation, I felt.
She's only seventeen" 1 pointed
out to him. 'Hopestill is still in
college,"