The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1938-12-30
CHAPTER xIn-Continued

portant this might be. He stopped
uncertainty; and she said, half-sob-
bing with excitement:
"No one had seen this bullet hole
till you did, Mr.. Wines. want
you to stay and tell them how you
found it. Wait. You will, won't
you? Till l telephone?"
"Why, guess't can," he decided.
"But-what's the idee?"
She closed the door, carefully, as
though afraid that to do so might
erase the indications his keen old
eyes had been the first to see. Her
thought was of Phil; but she would
not give Phil hope that might yet
fail. She must first be sure. While
old Mr.. Wines watched in a puzzled
way, she called Mr.. Fallran.
He was, his Office reported, out of
town; to be gone till tomorrow aft
ernoon.
In sudden frantic haste and. fear,
she called the District Attorneys
office, asked for Mr. Flood. The
operator said: "He's. away for the
weekend. Will anyone else do?"
Someone who knows about the
Sentry case," Linda pleaded des-
perately. ANYONE.
''Who is this, please?"
"Miss Dane, Mr.. Phillip Sentry's
secretary"
81 might give you Mr.. Weldon?
He assisted in the trial, and he is
here"
''Oh, do, pleased"
And a moment later she had Mr..
Weldon on the phone. He said
guardedly, 'Mr. Weldon speaking"
"I'm Miss Dane, Mr.. Weldon. Mr..
Phillip Sentry's secretary"
eyes"
"Can you come down to Mr.. SEN
try's office, quickly, please?"
"Why, if necessary, yes. What is
1t? Let me speak to him."
"Oh, he's not here! But it is neces-
sary. We've just found" She hes
itated, then spoke carefully, explicit
ly. "Mr. Wines is here" she said.
sThe father of-the dead girl, you
know. And he has found what looks
like bullet hole.'
"a bullet hole?" Weldon's tone
was puzzled.
eyes. In the lock of the door,"
'But don't see"
"It might mean," she urged, shat
Miss Wines was shot by someone
else; was already dead when Mr..
Sentry got here. You remember
they said the gun was pushed
against her, but he said he didn't
feel her when he fired. Can't you
come, please?"
.'tI see!" Weldon was alert now.
"You've found bullet?"
mo, just hole"
'.Don't touch anything" he di-
rected. ''I'll be down there in ten
minutes"
So Linda waited, and Zeke Wines
waited; and when Weldon arrived
and had seen what there was to
see, he sent for another man who
was expert in such matters to ex-
anime this that they had found.
Time thereafter dragged intermin-
ably; while Weldon questioned
Wines and Linda, and while the ex-
pert made his examination. Linda,
watching, fretted with impotence;
and once she urged, ooh, can't you
hurry"
But Weldon treasured her. "We've
plenty of time. Miss Dane. Today
and all tomorrow"
Something might happen!''
He said gently: ''Trust me, please.
We've time to make sure of our
ground"
And Linda, longing to telephone
Phil, nevertheless held herself in
check. Better that he should remain
in ignorance of this crumb of hope
than find it turn to ashes in his
mouth.
It was mid-afternoon before We'll
don was satisfied. He told her
then:
miss Dane, there's no doubt a
bullet did strike here. There are
bits of lead in the wood. And the
0AASs W0S HA4<A OOS, ldtC4, Will d
knife blade, or something of the
kind. And it was of the same cali
Der as the one which killed Miss
Wines. Or at least approximately
so.
''But Mr.. Sentry fred only one
shot. At least, there was only one
empty cartridge in the gun when
we recovered it. And we found
where his bullet hit the wall at
the end of the corridor out there.
That bullet matched his gun.
''Of course, that shot of his may
still have killed Miss Wines. There
is just a chance it didn't. Just a
chance, the Medical Examiner says,
that If she were shot here in the
doorway she could have taken two
or three steps to where she fell. It
is possible, that's all" He hesitated.
There are many possible explana-
tions of this other bullet hole" he
said.
She nodded fearfully. 81 see. But
mightn't it mean--What will you
do9t,