Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1937-06-03

tnOSe wires
Suddenly he stepped to one side
behind the %draperies and crouched
down, his eyes peering out cautious
ly into the garden. He raised a
warning hand to us to keep back out
of sight.
"Deuced queer" he said tensely.
"That gate in the far end of the
fence is slowly opening -. Oh, my
aunt!" And he swung swiftly into
the passageway leading to the gar
den, reckoning to us to follow.
Vance ran past the covered body
Of Swift on the settee, and crossed
to the garden gate. AS he reached
it he was confronted by the naughty
and majestic figure of Madge Wealth
erby. Evidently her intention was
to step into the garden, but she
drew back abruptly when she saw
us. Our presence, however, seemed
neither to surprise nor to embarrass
her.
"Charmin' of you to come up,
Miss Weatherby," said Vance. "But
I gave orders that everyone was to
remain downstairs"
II had a right to come here!"
she returned, drawing herself up
with almost regal dignity.
"Ah!" murmured Vance. eyes, of
course. 1t might be, don't y know.
But would you mind explainin'?"
"Not at all. I wished to ascertain
If he could have done it,"
"And who," asked Vance, els this
mysterious 'he'?"
"Who?" she repeated, throwing
her head back sarcastically. "Why,
Cecil Kroon!"
Vance's eyelids dropped, and he
studied the woman narrowly for a
brief moment. Then he said lightly:
"Most interestin'. But let that
wait a moment. How did you get up
here?"
"That was very simple. I pre-
tended to be faint and told your min
ion I was going into the buffers
pantry to get a drink of water. I
went out through the pantry door
into the public hallway, came up the
main stairs, and out on this ter
race"
"But how did you know that you
could reach the garden by this
route?"
II didn't know" She smiled eng
matically. II was merely recon
noitering. I was anxious to prove
to myself that Cecil Kroon could
have shot poor Woody"
"And are you satisfied that he
could have?" asked Vance quietly.
ooh, yes," the replied
with bitterness. "Beyond a doubt.
I've known for a long time that
Cecil would kill him sooner or later.
And I was quite certain when you
said that Woody had been murdered
that Cecil had done it. But I did not
understand how he could have got
ten up here, after leaving us this
afternoon. So I endeavored to find
out"
"And why, may I ask" said
Vance, "would Mr.. Kroon desire to
dispose of Swift"
The woman clasped her hands the
atrically against her breast.
Cecil was jealous = frightfully
jealous. He's madly in love with
me. He has tortured me with his
attentions :" One of her hands
went to her forehead in a gesture of
desperation. "There has been moth
ing I could do. And when he learned
that I cared for Woody, he became
desperate. He threatened me-"
Vance's keen regard showed nei-
Their the sympathy her pompous re-
cital called for, nor the cynicism
which I knew he felt.
"Sad-very sad," he mumbled.
Miss Weatherby jerked her head
up and her eyes flashed.
II came up here to see if it were
possible that Cecil could have done
this thing. / came up in the cause
of justice!"
Every accommodating" Vance's
manner had suddenly changed.
Were most appreciative, and all
that sort of thing. But I must in
sist, don't y know, that you return
downstairs and wait there with the
others. And you will be so good as
to come through the garden and go
down the apartment stairs"
He was brutality matter-of-fact as
he drew the gate shut and directed
the woman to the passageway door.
She hesitated a moment and then
followed his indicating finger.
When we were back in the study
Vance sank into a chair and yawned.
my world" he complained. "The
case is difficult enough without these
amateur theatricals."
Markham, I could see, had been
both impressed and puzzled by the
incident.
"Maybe it's not all dramatics,"
he suggested. "The woman made
some very definite statements"
"Oh, yes. She would. She's the
type" Vance took out his ciga-