The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-03-01
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1 in Spain - dull details, Philip thought. What the devil were they fighting about, anyway A Holly wood divorce - he read that one through.
 On page two, more details about San FranciSco's latest crime sen- sation. He read that through, also. Crime was always interesting on a rainy evening. Apparently he had arrived in town too late for the beginning of this one; it was a.Ic-dy two days old. The police had made no arrest, but there were suspects.
 Philip considered the suspects In his mind, he convicted the guilty party with very little reflec- tion. Reading down the column he was pleased to notice that MT Burton, of the district attorneys $ office, agreed with him.
 T feel convinced" MT. Burton was alleged to have said, that the crime was combination of mur- der and robbery. There is nc doubt of it. The case is parallel almost detail for detail, to the fa- nous Barrett case of decade ago ."
 Philip sat up.
 The famous Barrett case.
 He read down tn e column quickly, to find a further refer ence. There was none, however.
 A moment later, he picked ur the telephone again.
 Get me the office of the Even- ing Times, will you sister,"
 He tapped the edge of the tele- 1 phone table nervously as he waited for the connection. This was get ting exciting!
 He spoke to two or three people at the Times office before he was fin ally referred to the papers ''morgue," its library.
 Have you anything in your files on the Barret case" Philip asked About 10 years ago?"
 "What?" exclaimed the morgue assistant, answering the call.
 Philip repeated his question.
 "Say!" The voice was suspicious Are you trying to kid me, fel- low?"
 Philip was a little taken back. Certainly not" he said with dig nity. T saw reference to the case in this evenings Times. thought you might know something of 1t ."
 Wait a minute!" The voice Where were you 10 years ago?"
 Tn the East. In New York, as a matter of fact :"
 "Oh-h-h. That's it. We'll, let me tell you, buddy, for six months the Times carried practically nothing else but the Barrett case. That was sensation, that was I don't know how you never heard of it in New York"
 Philip rubbed his knee with sat- isfaction. Boy, if this was the right track, would Sybil eat 1t up!
 Say, will it be possible" he asked the voice at the other end flor me to come down and look through those back issues?"
 Sure. Come ahead. Come down any time tomorrow ."
 There's no chance of seeing them tonight?"
 %. K. It's your funeral if you want to come out on night like this Ask for OReilly. That! me-"
 Thanks, oReilly. I'll be right down."
 He hung up the phone and sal there, ready to cheer for him. self. Was he getting somewhere We'll, he guessed, Sybil knew what she was about when she sent him out on this job!
 Half an hour later, he was in the morgue of the Times, going through a stack of newspapers which the obliging O'Reilly kept piling higher and higher.
 Whoa, therew Philip protested finally. "This tsp lenty for tonight. I don't want to write a book on the case"
 O'Reilly shrugged. Most of 'em | do that come in here. What do you want to know about 1t for?"
 Philip lowered his voice confi- dentially. T don't want it to get around, but I'm here on special investigation into this Cummings affair I noticed in the Times tonight that Burton of the D. As. office thought it the same kind of a case as the Barrett case. So-''
 O'Reilly raised his eyebrows.
 Sure. You wanted to work along the same lines as they did to get Barrett. see. You're a detective, eh?"
 Philip nodded. Not exactly a detective" he said with dignity More on the order of special investigator