The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-10-06
CHAPTER XIX

With Q culver of relief, Cilly
 awakened from dream of horror.
 The warm morning sun shone
 through her open window. What a
 blessing the morning sun wasl All
 through the night, she had been in
 Blueflelds, where every street was
 pitch-black roof, bordered by yawn-
 ing, treacherous chasms, into which
 one pitched at the first halting mis-
 step. Where all these streets con-
 verged, Jim had stood with arms
 outstretched to greet her, though @
 thousand shadowy policemen strug-
 gled to hold him back. And along
 the way drunken Corbetts mocked
 her, and paralyzed men arose from
 their wheel-chairs to block her path.
 She sat up in bed and rubbed
 her eyes. Her heart still thumped from the excitement of her ad- venture in sleep. Under the covers her feet were cold and damp. Her eyes travelled from one to another of the familiar objects in the room until she was finally, thoroughly, awake.
 Today was Wednesday. Only two days since she had last heard from Jim, but what endless days they had beenl How many more would she have to wait until he returned to lift the cloudsp All the world would be right if she could hear his voice again, if she could feel the strength of hic hand on hers
 Thoughtfully she rose and dress ed. Then, because she was so mis- erably lonely and forlorn, she walk cd down to the drug store on the corner for breakfast. On the way she bought a newspaper. The mur- der of Amy Kerr, she noticed. was still front page news. She read 1t as she drank her coffee.
 Returning to her apartment, she mot Detective Martin in the hall,
 Good morning, Miss Pierce" he greeted. I've just been through the house. Dolan wants everyone down at police headquarters this morning at 10:30."
 "Very well. I'll be there" Cilly assured him. She decided that she would De there at 10 o'clock to inform the sergeant of her latest dMcoVery. He had ruled MT, Hunter out as 8 possibility because oL the mans physical incapacity. This morning, however, Hunter ioomed in Cilly's mind as a very important possibility. Why would Q man deliberately tie himself to a wheel-chair when he was well able to walkp WI" Later, however, when a burly po- liceman ushered her into A private room at police headquarters, she oivcovered she would have no m. portunity to see the sergeant alone. several Of the Bayview tenants had arrived before her. They sat in a semicircle around a plain flat ton desk, nervously expectant, She rec ognized the Downeys; so obviously mother and daughter, MT. Hunter. looking feeble and frail in his wheel-chair, was there with his wife A blanket covered his supposedly helpless limbs. Cilly felt an over- whelming urge to kick him in the snins as she passed, to see if he would jump. She wondered how the man had made the journey, wheel chair and all. Detective Martin must have provided a special police car.
 MT. Johnson arrived a few min utes after she was seated, and he was followed by a young couple the Smiths, undoubtedly. As vet there was no sign of Mrs. Wheeler,
 Fromptly at 10:30, Sergeant 1olan entered the room, followed by Martin. Dolan seated himself at the desk, his back to the double windows. Martin stood behind him, leaning against a window-