The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1939-05-11

Here's my notion, Inspector.
Mrs. Leaford was about the most
harmless person on Kenesaw Hill.
She hadn't hurt anyone; she didn't
want her own way about anything;
she didn't have any money; she
didn't have thing that would make
anyone want to kill her. But some
one did kill her; and whoever did it
had a deep, hidden reason for doing
it. And we don't know what that
reason was.
'All right. Now if we--if you, In
spector-pretend you don't suspect
anything, whoever did it will get
bold. He or she will do something
else. That's what you're waiting
for, isn't it," Inspector Heale nod
ded an emphatic agreement, and
Tope said fatty: "You know what
that something will be? Someone
else will be killed, up there!"
Inspector Heale stared at him.
"Why?" he demanded. "What
makes you figure that?"
Because there wasn't any rea-
son for killing Mrs. Leaford alone"
Tope insisted. killing her is bound
to have been a part of a bigger
scheme. If you let things slide,
you'll have another murder on your
hands"
Clint, listening to the old man
whose wisdom he knew, felt himself
cold with fear for June, who dwelt
in that suffered house where death
had been a visitor. But Inspector
Heale said with a slow, fretful vio-
lence: "WeI, Inspector, I'm glad to
have your advice, any time, of
course. But have to make the de-
cisions. You'll have to let me work
this out my own way"
And they could not move him. On
the way back to town, Clint saw
Inspector Tope irritated for the first
time in his experience. 81 hate a
FOOL" the old man said fretfully.
"And Heale's fool. I tell you.
Clint, there's death loose in those
old houses"
For the rest of the drive the old
man sat silent, absorbed in his own
reflections, till they came home to
the little house in Longwood, where
Miss Moss had dinner waiting. They
sat long at table, going over and
over the things they knew, seeking
to read their implications. And Miss
Moss was a guess ahead of the In
spector tonight. Tope had reported
that Heale was trying to locate Jim
Glovere.
Hes gone" the Inspector point
ed out. $50 Heale thinks he's run
away. Heale's like one of these
whippets. He'll chase anything that
runs"
Miss Moss smiled family. ST may
be responsible for that" she con-
fessed. "You remember suggest
ed to HeaIe that he try to find Kitty
Leaford's husband"
And the two men stared at her;
and Clint, whose thoughts now
turned always in one direction,
cried: "You think this man is Junes
father?"
Miss Moss nodded.
"What makes you think that?"
"Why else did he live so near, ex-
cept to see June?" Miss Moss sug-
gested. "And-why did they let him
live there, unless he had some such
hold on them?"
Clint asked: "Do you think June
knows who he is?"
Miss Moss shook her head; and
Tope said refectively: eff it's true,
if that's who Glovere is, and Heale
finds it out, he'll figure that Lea
ford wanted to marry someone else,
and poisoned Mrs. Leaford to be
free"
81 haven't seen the man." Miss
Moss confessed. .'Do you think he
might have done it? Remember, the
front door of the house was open.
Someone went in from outside"
Tope sat very still. "No, Glow
ere, or Leaford, or whatever his
name is, didn't do it," he decided.
"But Mrs. Tope, if Mrs. Leaford' s
glass of milk that night was poi
soned, why would anyone have to
go into the house from outside?
She'd drunk the milk and gone to
sleep before the door downstairs
was ever locked"
Someone might have stayed in
the house, left the door unbolted
when he went out"
'But why?" Tope insisted. eft
Kitty Leaford was already as good
as dead, why?" He said half to him.
self: maybe they forgot to lock
the door, that night. I'm going to
see Mr.. Hurder myself. See what
he has to say"
And he added: ST want to figure
some way to meet Justus Tame too,
and his sons. See what they're like.
I've met Asa, but not the other
one"
Miss Moss suggested an expedi.
ent to this end; so during the next
few days Clint, in his capacity as
head of the Jervies Trust, pretend.
ed to revive that old project of buy.
ing some of the woodlands belong.
ing to the Kenesaw farm and cut.
ting them up into house lots. The
office of Bowdon and Tame con.
trolled the land; and Clint made
an appointment to see Rab, and
took Tope with him.
Rab met them in friendly fash.
ion, discussed the project and made
shrewd comments; at TOPICS sug.
gestion he led them into his fathers
office, and he and Clint shouted the
details of Clint's proposal into the
ears of Justus Taine, and that man
sat stolid and silent, his eyes blank,
watching Tope while che heard, OF
did not hear, what they had to say.
Himself spoke at last half dozen
words of dissent, and so dismissed