Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1937-01-21
With that sixth sense we all pos

With that sixth sense we all pos
sess and which, in that strange in
terval of my life, seemed to have
doubled on itself, I became aware
presently of sounds from the Spin
ney. Presently Sarah Darbe came
into the room. I said, There's
somebody in the Spinney, Sarah.
Who do you suppose it is?"
cts Mr.. Hopestill and Miss
Prentiss, Mrs. Avery" Sarah an
swered. They're there all the
time. suppose they're still hunt
ing for clues
Flows Bessie this morning?" /
asked Sarah.
IT don't think she slept very well
last night, Mrs. Avery"
"I'll go out and see her now" /
said decisively.
Bessie was busy with breakfast
dishes. Shocking as had her ap-
pearance seemed to me the day
before, it was doubly shocking to-
day. Had that gray, ironed face
ever shown sparkle, din1ple, a
smile? Bessie" I began at once,
"you look tired to DEATH" And
then as though Sarah had said
nothing to me, "Do you sleep
well?''
''Not so very well, Mrs. Avery"
Bessie answered.
'''It's the shock, Bessie" I ex-
| planned it to her. II feel better but
I am by no means myself yet. So
don't be surprised that you are so
broken"
''No, Mrs. Avery Bessie said
stonily, sit doesn't surprise me-"
"Bessie," suggested, "would
you like to go away for a week or
two? I think change would do
you good.'
Bessie's steely mask fared with
panic. "Oh no, Mrs. Avery!" she
demonstrated in frightened voice.
ooh no! I don't want to go away
from here. I can't go away from
here. I can't can't!"
"You don't have to go, Bessie"
soothed, .'if you don't want to
go. But somehow, ] thought you'd
like change
Again panic fared in Bessie.
"But I'm going to ask Doctor
Geary to call today" promised
hastily. Hell give you something
that will make you Sleep"
IT'D like that, Mrs. Avery" Bes-
sic declared almost inaudibly.
had scarcely finished telephon-
ing the Geary house when the po-
lice car curved into the drive.
"Take me where we can talk
alone, Mary" Patrick said. I led
him to the piazza which looked to-
ward the Spinney. .'By God, Mary,
I'm in jam!" Patrick said as he
seated himself in the broad Glou-
cester hammock. II might have
to arrest Margaret Fairweather.
And anyway, I've got to put
watch on her house."
"Oh moi" burst from me invol-
UNFAIRLY.
"That's the way I feel about It'll"
Patrick commented grimly.
1T would kill Flora if Margaret
was arrested"
'sThat's the way I feel about it"
Patrick repeated, more grimly
still.
"Queer I never thought of her
when Tony told me about the tall
woman in dark clothes. You thought
of her at once, didn't your"
At first I did not reply. Then !
said, Elbow did you know that?"
Because later, when I thought
of it myself, I could remember
your face. realized that you'd
thought of it. Not that either Of us
said anything"
He paused for a moment. "Per-
haps I could fix it to let Margaret
stay in her own home for a while.
I could detail car to saunter up
and down the without rails
ing suspicion, l guess"
"But you haven't any real evil
dence on Margaret" I remonstrat-
ed.
"It is little negative, I'll adj
NIT. But here you are. No woman
left the masquerade until long aft
er midnight-with the exception of
MOlly LdlllSo-N1O1ly 1ICdoWdy, l
mean. Molly left with Walter. No
other woman came over to the
Head that night. There was no
other woman at home that night on
the Head-except Flora and Mar
| garet Fairweather and Hannah.
One of my men called with his wife
on Hannah last night. He called,
of course, because I sent him, but
Hannah doesn't know that. Natur-
| ally they talked about nothing but
the murder. He established that
Hannah spent the whole evening
with Flora. Margaret slept, as she
frequently does, downstairs on the
porch. Hannah said that Margaret
went to bed early because she was
so tired. Hannah sleeps on the
porch outside Flora's chamber.
Now as soon as Hannah was asleep
why couldn't Margaret have slipped
out quietly from the piazza to meet
Ace Blaikie in the Spinney?"
"But what would she want
to meet Ace for?" I queried me-
| chanically.