Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1937-01-28
TUESDAY, Continued
IL


peared IN the doorway, my thoughts,
curiously enough, few at once to
Bessie. It was the common devas-
tation in their faces which linked
them together in my mind. Bessie's
face had turned the strange gray
which dark skins assume under
torment either physical or men
tai. Margaret's flesh had gone
waxy. Hers might have. been a
dead FACET it had not been for
the burning intensity of the har-
rowed eyes.
II went over to the police sta
ton to see you, Patrick" she an
nomced in her strange, dead voice,
f'but they told me that you were
here"
Patrick drew a long sigh. BY
its depth, I gagged the extent OF
his relief. els there something I
can do for you, Margaret"
Margaret looked at him hard.
81 must talk to someone" she said.
II have a strange story to tell
you. You may find it on the sur
face unbelievable. I can only say
that am telling you the exact
truth
Patrick remained silent.
"About a week ago, Ace Blake
called at the house and asked me
if I would lend him some money.
For many reasons, I did not want
to lend Ace any money. did not
like him in the first place. In
fact" Suddenly her dead eyes
blazed. Elm fact-I hated him. I
did not trust him either. When he
told me how much he wanted to
borrow, I was appalled,"
Patrick said, "How much was
it?"
"Ten thousand dollars" Marga-
ret answered.
Patrick whistled. I said moth
ing. I could not speak.
"What did Ace want that ten
thousand dollars for?" Patrick
asked.
II don't know" Margaret an
swered. perhaps I could guess,
but I'd rather not" She looked
pleadingly at Patrick.
you're right, Margaret" Pat
rick approved. "Let's confine our
selves to the facts. Did you lend
him this money!"
"Yes-but not at once. I told
him I would have to think it over.
knew that I would have to take
that ten thousand out of my prin-
cipal."
"He called more than once?" Pat
rick interrupted.
eyes, four times. have the days
in my diary. Ace stipulated-re-
quested I mean," she corrected
herself with the careful honesty
typical of her, "that give him a
certified check. 1t all took time,
but he kept hurrying me. He want
ed the money, I felt, for something
special"
when was the last time he had
been in your house before that?"
Patrick asked.
"'Ace Blaikie had not been in my
house for twenty-five years." Mar
garet replied.
Ibid you give him the money!"
Patrick asked.
eyes"
"When?"
1.-THE night of the masquerade.
"Where?"
Elm Mary's Spinney."
Patrick sighed again. "About
what time was it," he asked.
"a little after ten thirty"
''How were you dressed?"
II wore black dress, a black
scarf over my head, a big black
lace shawl of my mothers"
"How did you 60 to the Spinney?"
II walked up the road toward the
Park, turned off at Mary's path,
walked past the Little House and
met Ace" She paused bleakly.
Patrick waited.
Eat the exact spot where they
found his body" Margaret conclud-
ed.
A pause, pregnant with awful
possibilities, whirled between us
three.
did your interview take long?"
Patrick asked gently.
''No, it took scarcely moment. -
"Could you reproduce it for me?"
Easily. I said, Here is the
check, Ace He said, Thank you!
Here's my note for it'll l handed
him the check and he handed me
the note. I have it with me. Would
you like to see it,"
"Yes-thank you, Margaret, for
thinking of that"
Margaret took folded piece of
paper from her handbag and hand
ed it to Patrick. He examined it
on both sides, held it up to the
light. "Will you trust this with me
for a while?"
Certainly, Patrick" Margaret
replied.
"By the way, Margaret, who'd
you make it out to? Oh yes, you'd
have to make it out to Ace"
eyes"
Patrick whistled. "That compli-