Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1937-04-29
CHAPTER w

The lights from the halls shone into
the dark recess of the vault, and
as Vance pushed the door further
inward white cord hanging from
a ceiling light became visible. To
the end of this cord was attached a
miniature brass pestle which acted
as weight. Vance stepped imme-
diately inside and jerked the cord,
and the vault was flooded with light.
Vault" hardly describes this
small storeroom, except that the
walls were unusually thick, and it
had obviously been constructed to
serve as burglar proof repository.
The room was about five by seven
feet, and the ceiling was as high
as that Of the hallway. The walls
were lined with deep shelves from
floor to ceiling, and these were piled
with all manner of papers, docu-
ments, pamphlets, filing cases, and
racks of test-tubes and walls labeled
with mysterious symbols. Three Of
the shelves were devoted to a Sc
ries of sturdy steel cash and secur-
ity boxes. The floor was overlaid
with small squares Of black and
white ceramic tile.
Although there was ample room
for US both inside the vault, I re-
manned in the hallway, watching
Vance as he looked about him.
Vance leaned over and picked up
batch of scattered typewriter pa
pers which had evidently been
brushed down from one of the
shelves directly opposite the door.
He glanced at them for a moment
and carefully replaced them in the
empty space on the shelf.
Rather interestin', this dis
array" he observed.
"The professor was obviously not
the last person in here, or he would
certainly not have left his papers on
the floor :" He wheeled about.
"My world" he exclaimed in low
tone. "These fallen papers and that
Unattached door It could be,
don't y know" There was a sup
pressed excitement in his manner.
II say, Van, don't come in here;
and, above all, don't touch this door
knob"
He knelt down on the tiled floor
and began a close inspection of the
small squares, as if he were count
ing them. His action reminded me
of the way he had inspected the
thing on the roof near the chair in
which we had found young Swift.
It occurred to me that he was seek
ing here what he had failed to find
in the garden.
1T should be here" he muir
INJURED. ut would explain many
things-it would form the first vague
outline of workable pattern :"
After searching about for a min
ute or two, he stopped abruptly and
leaned forward eagerly. Then he
took a small piece of paper from
his pocket and adroitly flicked some
thing onto it from the floor. Fold
ing the paper carefully, he tucked
it away in his waistcoat pocket. Al
though I was only few feet from
him and was looking directly at
him, I could not see what it was
that he had found.
II think that will be all for the
moment" he said, rising and pull
ing the cord to extinguish the light.
Coming out into the hallway, he
closed the vault door by carefully
grasping the shank of the knob.
Then he moved swiftly down the
passageway, stepped through the
door to the garden, and went direct
ly to the dead man. Though his
back was turned to me as he bent
over the figure, I could see that he
took the folded paper from his waist
coat pocket and opened it. He
glanced repeatedly from the paper
in his hand to the limp figure in
the chair. At length he nodded his
head emphatically, and rejoined me
in the hallway. We descended the
stairs to the apartment below.
Just as we reached the lower
hall, the front door opened and
Cecil Kroon entered. He seemed
surprised to find us in the hall,
and asked somewhat vaguely, as
he threw his hat on bench:
Anything the matter?"
Vance studied him sharply and
made no answer; and Kroon went
on:
II suppose the big race is over,
damn it! Who won it-Equanimity?"
Vance shook his head slowly, his
eyes fixed on the other.
azure Star won the race. be-
lieve Equanirnity came in fifth or
SIXTH"
"And did Woody 60 in on him up
to the hilt, as he threatened?"
Vance nodded. "I'm afraid he
did,"
Good Gad!" Kroon caught his
breath. '"That's a blow for the
chap. How's he taking it," He
looked away from Vance as If he
would rather not hear the answer.
"He's not taking it," Vance re-
turned quietly. Giles dead"
/Tn DE CnNTYMr1Cn,