Henderson daily dispatch., 1938-02-18
CHAPTER 81

CHAR EN- Oh
WHEN MGR. SMITH had gone
up to bed, I faced Williams. 1
had sympathized deeply with him
in his necessary defense of Mary
Thurstons good name. Look
here, old man." said, las between
you and me, have you got any sus-
picions ?"
He shook his head. I saw now,
standing close to him. that he
looked ill and tired.
"Once or twice it has seemed to
me that you and I and Thurston
are the only three who have kept
sane through all this. They've
all seemed a bit hysterical to-
night, haven't they?"
1T was pretty grueling. I'm
glad we didn't have to go through
it. But these detective fellows
seem to be pretty confident.
"Oh, they'll get the right man,
Of course. They never fail"
mo. Not if there is a right
man"
"Why, what on earth do you
mean?"
well, Townsend, I've told you
before. I'm the last man to start
tinkering with the supernatural.
But when reason ends, what are
you to do? With my own eyes I
saw Mary Thurston lying MUIR
dered on her bed. With my own
eyes I searched the room while
you stood in the doorway. I
looked out Of the window within
30 seconds of that last scream.
And there was no one. I tell you,
however you may laugh at me, I
don't, I cannot believe that we're
dealing with a human murderer.
Or if we are, he has a means of
moving which is as yet unknown
to science"
If Williams had said all this
last night it might have dis
turbed me more. But now I
thought Of little Mgr. Smith.
And I knew that what I called in
his talk mystic" he would call
"matter-of-fact". And knew,
somehow, that superstition could
not live in his presence, that
whatever else he did he would dis
solve the uncharacteristic nom
sense that Williams was talking.
Come along" I said, Tets get
some Sleep"
spent a very bad night.
Looking back on the whole grue-
some business, I think that the
worst part Of it was this period
In which I, who was neither in
vestigator nor suspect, was left in
an unpleasant state of doubt, not
knowing whom to suspect. I'm
less one is naturally malicious it
Is horrible to think of the people
round one as potential murderers.
l woke before dawn, and after
tossing about miserably for some
hours, dressed, and got down.
stairs to find the fires only Just
lit, and = having that cheerless
Smokiness which makes even a DO
sition in front of them unencour-
aging. But looking out of the
long windows I saw that it was
a glorious morning-warm and
still. as though autumn had
turned back regretfully for a day.
decided at once to walk down
to the hotel. and see Lord Simon.
he, L felt, could put my mind at
rest. He had admitted that he
had suspicious, and his suspicious.
mad reason to know, were as
good as other peoples certainties,
Stall was in the hall. and said
good morning much as though this
were normal weekend, and ]
an ordinary guest. I knew for
certain that Stall was at anv rate
a blackmailer, if he was nothino
worse. so that it need be no mere
suspicion in his case. I scarcely
nodded in reply. and said that
should not be in to breakfast.
1t was pleasant walking down
the familiar village street in the
clear morning air. and nv spirits
revived little. This evening al
all events, would put an end r.
our mistrust. and we would hf
able to return to our normal lives