Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1937-07-29
-1X-

Vance seemed profoundly puzzled
and said nothing for some time.
Then he glanced up suddenly.
''How much light was there in the
room?" he asked.
"Only a dim shaded night-ight
by my bed"
Elm that case, you might con-
ceivably have mistaken an empty
bottle for one filed with colorless
fluid"
! eyes, of course" the nurse re-
turned reluctantly. 'That must
have been the case. Unless ="
Her voice trailed off.
"Ten me, when did you discover
that all the medicine was gomez"
Vance asked.
Shortly before Doctor Siefert ar
rived this morning. I moved the
bottle when I was arranging the
table, and realized it was empty"
II think that will be all just now,
Miss Beeton." Vance glanced at the
girl sombrely and then turned
away. Really, y know, I'm deuced
sorry. But you'd better not plan
on leaving here just yet. We will
undoubtedly want to see you again
today"
Heath, who had been waiting in
the passageway for the girls dis
missal, came in to report that Sic
fert and Doremus had departed,
and that Floyd Garden had made
the arrangements for the removal
of his mothers body.
"And what do we do now, Mr..
Vance?" Heath asked.
"Oh, we carry on, Sergeant"
Vance was unusually serious. II
want to talk to Floyd Garden first.
Send him up. And call one of your
men; but stay on the job down.
stairs yourself till he arrives. We
may get this affair cleared up to-
day."
Footsteps sounded in the passage
way, and Floyd Garden entered the
study. He appeared deeply shaken.
II can't stand much today. What
do you want?"
1--WE understand just how you
feel" Vance said. "It was not my
intention to bother you unnecess'ri-
ly. But if we are to get at the truth,
we must have your cooperation"
go ahead, then," Garden num-
bled.
eve must have as many details
as possible about last night. Did
your expected guests Gomez"
Garden nodded cheerlessly. ooh,
yes. Zalia Graem, Madge Weather.
by, and Kroon."
"Was there any one else here?"
''No, that was ALL"
(Which of your visitors arrived
first?"
Garden took the pipe from his
mouth and looked up swiftly.
"Zalia Graem. She came at half
past eight, I should say. Why?"
MERELY garnerin' facts" Vance
replied indifferently. "And how long
after Miss Graem came in did Miss
Weatherby and Kroon arrived"
"About half an hour. They came
a few minutes after Miss Beeton
had gone out"
Vance returned the mans steady
scrutiny.
"What time did your guests de-
part?" he asked.
IA little after midnight. Sneed
brought in sandwiches about half
past eleven. Then we had another
round of highballs.
''Miss Beeton had returned by
then, of course?"
eyes, long before that. I heard
her come in about eleven"
"And after your guests had gone,
what did you do?"
81 sat up for half an hour or so,
had another drink and a pipe; then
I shut up the front of the house and
turned in"
Vance lighted another cigarette,
took several deep inhalations on it,
and settled himself deeper in the
chair.
'To 60 back bit," he said casu.
ally. ''The sleeping medicine Doc.
tor Siefert prescribed for your
IllOlIieI ScSIIlS W COllStlLuIG SOIIl6'
what crucial point in the situation
Did you have occasion to give he1
a dose of it while the nurse was
out?"
Garden drew himself up sharply
and set his jaw.
"No, 1 did not" he said through
his teeth.
Vance took no notice of the
change in the mans manner.
"The nurse, I understand, gave
you explicit instructions about the
medicine before she went out. Viii
you tell me exactly where this
was?"
Gin the hail." Garden answered
with a puzzled frown. "Just out
side the den door. I had left Zalis
in the drawing-room and had gone
to tell Miss Beeton she might &c
out for a while. / waited to helr
her on with her coat. 1t was Their
she told me what to do in case the
mater woke up and was restless
"And when she had gone you re-
turned to the drawing-room?"