Henderson daily dispatch., 1938-03-09
CHAPTER At

"THE FIRST on the murder
scene is Mr.. Norris, because 'e's
got nothink to delay 'im," ex-
planned Sergeant Beef. "Then up
comes DR.. Thurston, calling out
'er name, and Mr.. Williams and
Mr.. Townsend and start breaking
the door in. Wot's 'appened TO
the others you may we'll ask. Two
of them's got something TO .loe
before they puts their noses out OF
their doors. There's Mr.. Strlck-
land, with the diamond pendant
wot Mrs. Thurston 'ad Civ i'm be-
fore dinner, lying on is dressing
table as bold as brass. f as 10
conceal that before e dareS open
lis door. And there's Stall with
two 'undred of the best in is
room, e can't come running down
before they're away. Then there
was the chauffeur. Well, don't
forget e 'ad been sent for to Mrs.
Thurston's room that evening. l
shouldn't be surprised if ed been
on is way down the stairs when
e 'eard those screams, and got a
narsty turn, and run back to is
own room for a minute. Some
think of that, anyway.
"Then you breaks the panels of
the door, and look in. 'Ullo,' you
saw, murdered, is she?' For there
she lies in a pool of blood, you
think. And DR.. Thurston, e walks
across to 'eE and examines 'er,
and says she's dead. And you
start searching the room like mad,
thinking that someone's been in
there a-murdering of 'er, just as
YOU was meant to think. And all
the while the poor lady's smiling
to 'erself, thinking she's 'aving
rare joke on you. So she was, up
to then.
$50 you looks Ugh and low, up
the chimney, out of the winder,
and under the carpet, not know
ing as you know now, that no one
'adn't been in there since Stall was
there, and i'm only for a couple of
minutes. But at last you've fin
ished, and leave the lady alone.
Mr.. Townsend and Mr.. Strickland
and Mr.. Norris go out in the gar
dens, while the chauffeur comes
for me.
"Then, with no one else there,
and an alibi established, it amt
no trouble to slip back in the
room, murder the poor lady, and
drop the knife out of the window
in time for Mr.. Townsend to find
it on the ground. See? told
you it was simple. 'Ardly worth
telling. But you seemed to want
to know 'ow it was DONE"
"But good heavens, Beef" I
said, really appalled, by the story
which sounded uncomfortably
true, what proof have you got ?''
"Proof?" repeated Beef. IT got
plenty of proof. D'you know 'ow
I got onto this? Why, examining
those bloodstains you was all so
sarcastic about. You see, in that
sort of way I've got bit Of an
advantage over these gentlemen.
I mean, I can't work out theories
like what they can, only wish I
could. Only we're taught things
in the police, see? And one Of the
first jobs in a case like this is to
ave a good look at the blood
stains. Well, I done that, and
found something funny about 'em.
It was a clean pillow slip, or 'ad
been before the blood was on it.
And the stains on the pillow slip
was blood, real blood. But when
I came to look at the pillow itself
inside, what d'you think I found ?
Not only blood, but red ink! That
taught me a thing or two. Oh, I
says, so that was it, was it? Act
ing dead, was she? And the pill
low slip with the inkstains on been
took away after the real murder,
was it? Only there wasn't q
chance to take the 'ole pillow,
wasn't there? I see. That's low
I come to discover it. Of course,
I got the pillow and the pillow
slip. Exhibits A and B, them
That's proof enough, isn't it? And
not circumstantial, wot's more"
So at last we knew who was