Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise., 1938-12-30
CHAPTER II

WIZ nave q AASAC W OC oiAAOJCu'
Dragging me into a criminal case
hauling me up before a jury. Her
bert'n be furious!" (Herbert was her
husband.)
Ann shot at her: "What has Claire
DONE"
The false friend tossed her head
"You may we'll ask! Only insured
ON the sly, mark you!-my fourcarat
solitaire I loaned her as security on
$500 I'd lost to her in card game!
told her she could keep it till paid
her what I owed. I'd overdrawn my
allowance and my bank account, and
Herbert was mad at me for playing so
much contract, so I trusted Claire
and what do you think she did?"
"Just the facts, please. Don't elab-
Orate," Ann told her sharply.
"After I'd paid her the $500 and
she'd returned the ring to me, she'd
the criminal nerve to go to the insur-
ance company with trumped-up tale
Of having lost the ring-her ring!-
and boldly claiming the $500 insur-
ance money!"
"Did they pay it," AIMS voice
seemed to come from very far off.
"No, they didn't. They aren't such
fools. They put an Investigator on
the job, and he came shopping here
this afternoon. Thinking he was an
ordinary caller, the maid let him in"
"And he's with Claire now? Is
Lolly there too?"
"She's out. Mercifully everybody's
out but us. Bernice is at the doctors.
Your mother at luncheon party. Not
that you can hope to hide it from
them! I guess everyone in town will
know pretty soon."
"And there you're dead wrong"
Ann said with spirit. "I'm going to
set this thing straight" She swept
past the bearer of bad tidings into
the big, shabby living-room, to find
Claire staring wretchedly out of the
window, with Redeemed eyelids, and a
grim-faced man standing on the
hearth-rug.
Without preamble, Ann addressed
him in business-like tones. you're
the Investigator from the insurance
company?"
eyes. My names Beacon. I'm from
the Adjustment Of Claims office" He
nodded over AIMS shoulder in the di-
rection of Carol Ditmar, who, anxious
to miss nothing that would humiliate
the Delafields, had followed Ann into
the room. "I came here to find out
all could about Mss Delafield's lost
ring, and first thing l saw was the
dead spit of it on the hand of-Mrs.
Mrs."
"Ditmar," said Carol.
She added eagerly: "And he admir-
ed it, and not knowing what he was
after, I took it off my finger when
he asked me to, and let him have a
look at the mounting, and the initials
Herbert had had put inside-C. D,
Carol Ditmar."
'These are Claire's initials, too
began Ann. Then she saw a wry twist
on the face of the Investigator. From
his pocket he pulled out a photograph
of the ring. "Miss Delafield," he said
Twill remember this picture being TAX
en- in our office when she came down
to pay the premium on the ring, which
she claimed was her own property"
Ann looked at her eldest sister, felt
a queer tug of compassion draw her
over to the respondent figure.
"Have you anything to say Claire p
she whispered, putting hand on hel
shoulder, to reassure her, make hel
understand that she was with her, har
pen what may.
Doesn't seem much good my talk
ing, when Carol and Mr.. Deacon
Beacon-have settled it all betweeI
themselves" Claire murmured.
Carol bridled. "Wer, l must say
you're, not showing much gratitude
How was to know what was in tn,
wind? Or that you've rink that lool
ed like this and with the same initial,
in it? How was 1 to tell Mr.. Beaco,
anything different from what I did
which was the absolute truth 2"
"You loaned this ring to Miss Della
field?" he repeated, his gaze restin.
appraisingly on Carol, who shrugged
rolling her eyes towards the ceiling.
Ann intervened.
"Now that the rings been found
Miss Delafield naturally drops he
claim against your company. Sh,
was going to notify you, of course
and save you the bother of comins
here. We're really sorry to have civ