The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1938-07-15
CHAPTER H-Continued

''Not much herei" Mr.. Sentry
said and then: 1.-THE police think
she was one of the robbers. They're
looking for young Italian who has
been paying her some attention; a
wild youngster whose father is one
of our customers. They founA q
key in her pocketbook that 6.z the
lock on the back door," He spoke
to Ray again. "There are back
stairs" he said. "Mr. Loran and /
use them on Sundays or when the
place isn't open for business. This
back door admits to the stairs and
our offices. She had this key"
Mrs. Sentry realized that Arthur
somehow found. comfort in thus de-
failing the days events; and she
felt dry scorn at Neil Rays OBJ
vious desire to escape. afraid of
being compromised" she thought;
and she thought defiantly that a
good many people would be mali
ciously pleased because the old firm
of Sentry and Loran was thus in
volved in sudden sensational publici-
ty.
Ray had nodded uneasily, and Mr..
Sentry went on: "She must have
remembered the combination of the
safe. It's just an old iron box,
bought in my fathers time. We
never had enough cash on hand to
need real one; and a safe-cracker
could have opened this easily
enough. But it was opened last
night by someone who knew the
combination. She probably learned
it last summer when she worked for
U.S."
He hesitated, added then, "The
police seem to think she let this
fellow in, opened the door for him,
and opened the safe, and then for
some reason they quarreled and he
shot her"
Mary said: "It sounds like the
sort of ruthless, reasonless things a
cocaine addict might do. Don't you
think so, Neil?"
Ray did not answer. Mrs. Sentry
said, Don't be so medical, Mary!"
She thought: Mary is playing a
part! Pretending! I wonder why.
And she added: "The Office tele-
phoned, Arthur, just after you left
this morning. ! suppose it was
about this?"
eyes," he assented. "Miss Ran
dali found her, when she got there
at eight o'clock" L
Mrs. Sentry wondered, shivering
in spite of herself, whether any of
the women at the Furness luncheon
had known; wondered whether they
had been watching her to see how
she took it.
cit must have been just a few
minutes past when they phoned,"
she said. didn't anyone hear the
shot?"
Mr.. Sentry shook his head. ''No.
Or at least they haven't found any,
one yet who did," he amended.
'You see, she was in the hall on
the third floor. The hall has no
windows, and there's a brick wall
between it and the next building,
and if the Office doors happened to
be closed" He added, "And of
course there aren't many people
around on the streets down there
till early morning."
Mary said: "The poor girl! hope
they get the man. Father, did she
have any family?"
stNo% ~, Roc%Op Che caroa froy,,
Dennis; but she'd been living in
room out in Somerville, in private
home, where the husband was out of
a job so they had to take in board
ers. She'd had work at odd times,
a day here, a week there, filling in;
but no steady job. The police say
she'd been running around with this
young Italian; and he was missing
today. His father claims he's up in
Maine buying cider apples, but they
haven't located him. And-apparent-
ly there were other men with whom
she was intimate, too"
He shook his head, poured an
other cocktail, said, as though think
ing aloud: 81 suppose she was hard
up, and desperate. If we'd had any
idea, we might have made place
for her, given her something to do.
That's the tragic thing about living
in a city. Terrible things happen
all around you, perhaps even to
people you know; and till they hap
pen, you never even suspect. Peo-
pie are all actors, aren't they? They
wear mask, put up good front,
pretend that everything's all right
till suddenly everything is all
wrongI'
mo need to make speeches, Ar
thur" Mrs. Sentry commented dri-
ly.
1T has disturbed me a lot" he
confessed.
Mrs. Sentry said: 'Nonsensel It
doesn't concern usl Il happened in