Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1938-02-07
the nr,m with SODA water
~ TO BRUCE ASSOCIATION

the brlm with SODA water.
| could see Lord Simon shud-
dering at this. MY dear old boy"
he could not help saying. that's
death. you know. Absolutely bal
ly death. :.
Its never done me any harm, "
I grinned. 1 had realized that I
was expected to be something OF
fool-to catch the last finesse
in an Investigators work one had
best be that.
"And I suppose you'll smoke a
cigar on top of it?" he breathed,
as though it hurt him.
i've every intention Of doing
so."
Then Lord help your stomach.
What do you think Of the case
so far?"
NV conclusions, it must be
owned, were at this point a trifle
confused. And when under Lord
Simon's kindly glance I tried to
express them. they really did not
sound very helpful. I was sure
enough on one point-that Stall
knew more than he had admitted.
otherwise, why had he lied about
the time at which he received the
money? On Thursday. he had
said, but a few grains Of his snuff
were still on the dressing table
when we examined it. The dress
ing table had a glass top. In a
house as well cleaned as this
one, it would have been impossible
for it to have escaped Ends dust
er on Friday morning. But why
should Stall have lied? Surely he
could not have committed the
murder, for he had been outside
that locked door almost as soon as
we were. But then, so had every
one else.
At this point I saw a faint smile
stretch the aristocratic lips above
Lord Simon's chin.
"Everyone?" said Lord Simon.
well, everyone except the
Vicar and the new suspect, Miles.
On the whole, I think it is prob
ably one Of those two, though I
don't see how it can have been the
Vicar, or where was he when we
broke into the room? And how
ever clever a cat-burglar Miles
was, how could he have climbed in
or out Of that window? And if he
by any means used one Of those
ropes to get in at the window
above, how had he escaped notice,
and got out Of the hotel after
1890? Besides, what motive
could he have? ?"
"Confusin', isn't it," said Lord
Simon.
I plunged on. I wondered about
the cook. She was determined
sort Of a woman, evidently with
strong prejudices. And she had no
alibi at the time Of the murder.
Or Norris. What about Norris |?
No one had seemed to pay much
attention to him. He was on the
scene pretty quickly. But then
that might be in his favor. After
all, he couldn't have come through
the door, and he hadn't had time
to come round. Or Strickland?
He slept next door. That was sus-
|picious, surely. But he had come
out Of his room within 80 short a
time. And there was no ledge
along which he could have
climbed. Then there was Eel
loves. A violent sort Of a chap.
and as It appeared now. bit Of a
Don Juan. An affair with Enid,
and something Of the sort with
Mary Thurston.
"In fact" said Lord Simon,
"you suspect everyone ?"
"Well, that's what it seems like.
Though I don't see how any Of
them could have done it, really"
What about that stepson ?"
"Oh yes" I returned ingenious
ly, II was forgetting that. Well,
there again, there are several pos
sibilities. I thought at first it was
Strickland. But I'm not so sure
now. Why shouldn't it be Nor
iris? Or Fellowes? Or Mi1es?"
"Or even you," said Lord Simon
quietly.
well. it doesn't happen to be
me-" returned. not caring much
for the remark, "but I see what
you mean, Of course"
"At any rate, you find it all
|pretty puZzlin', what 2"
"Of course T do. Don't you? ?"
II have my. moments Of lucid