Henderson daily dispatch., 1938-02-28
|ACASE EQRE!8l:}g DETECTIVES

dIC0G uG l1dA "a ORPO0 IL OA41 He L
don't think that those actions
were possible But even If they
were. how was it the murderer
left no footprints on that soft bed
which came out six feet from the
wall? And how did he get in
again, and upstairs to us in the
time? And how did his accom-
plice haul in the rope and come
downstairs as quickly as that?
No. I don't believe it's possible.
In fact" I added on a sudden in
spiration, I'm not sure that the
ropes were not a Blind"
Lord Simon smiled. "You are
right about the first two things"
he admitted; there wouldn't have
been time for anyone to have gone
up or down the rope"
well, them"
"It didn't occur to you perhaps
that there are other directions in
which it is possible to travel"
what do you mean?"
"He MEANS" put in Mgr. Smith
suddenly from his armchair, that
a rope is not only used to let q
man climb, but also to make .
man swing"
Exactly" said Lord Simon;
Swing is the word I want here
and hereafter. Strickland knew
that he might not have time to
climb rope, or drop down a rope,
and establish that unimpeachable
alibi which was necessary to him.
But he would have time to swing
on rope, as comfortably as you
please, from outside Mary Thurs
toms window to outside his own.
All he had to do was to have
rope hung beforehand from the
window that was over his own.
with the end of it caught and
hooked at Mrs. Thurston's and
his fire escape, or escape from
justice if you like, was ready, An
accomplice was only necessary to
haul the rope in afterwards.
gasped. Of course! Why
hadn't I thought of that? And
there were Williams and talking
QOOuC IAC 0uHCA AdCu4 al.
But Strickland was no fool"
continued Lord Simon. He was
judge enough of character to
know that Fellowes would not
come in on that. For one thing,
Fellowes would not have enough
to gain by it. There was the will
made out to the servants-but
Strickland didn't feel that it
would be enough inducement to q
man to bring him into a murder
plot. I think he was right there.
Fellowes was not quite such bad
hat as all that. No, Strickland
went about it far more cleverly.
What he was going to do, he said,
was to pinch Mrs. Thurston's
jewelry.
Nov that, as you can see, was
right in the chauffeur's line Of
country. He, or Ends brother,
knew just where to plant it after
wards. And Strickland's plan was
ingenious. What they had to do,
he said, was to make sure that no
one inside the house could be sus-
pected. The door must be left
bolted and an escape made via the
window. That was where FeS>
loves was to come in. It was at
that point that Strickland pre-
tended to think of snag.
Mrs. Thurston's jewelry was
valuable, and safe had been let
into her bedroom wall for it, and
only she and the doctor knew the
combination. So Strickland did a
bit of his deep thinkin' stuff.
Tell you what he said, I'LL stick
a bally mask on, wear an old
overcoat, and be waiting for her
when she comes up to bed. I'll
waggle a revolver in her face, and
make her open the safe. Then, if
you have the rope ready, I can
escape by the window, and it
will never occur to her that it was
anyone in the house. And it won't
occur to the police, either, when
they come to investigate = it.
They'll think that anyone who
gets out of the window. got in by
the window, and if we make it
clear to everyone that we were
inside a few minutes before, and
inside a few minutes after, she
was held up. we're clear
Ito Be Continued)