The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-08-30
@Mrs. Talbert told me that-the

Mrs. Talbert told me that-the last time she came to consult me-"
 80 she came to you for advice -the night before her death - and the best you could do was to let her get herself murdered without any warning and you supposed to be the slickest medium in the country!"
 Chandra,s hands moved in a ges- ture of defeat which, even to Christine's unsympathetic eyes seemed starkly sincere.
 Mrs. Talbert," he said, twas a woman of several fixed ideas One, which grew on her as she got older and more eccentric, wal the belief that, single-handed, she could outwit the world and the devil"
 That's a weakness that seem: to run in the family" The inspec- tor glanced toward Christine.
 Perhaps" - Chandra's smile wa! enigmatic-"you are more right than you guess, Inspector Another of her peculiarities wa: that she thought police are all set of clumsy bunglers l an setting forth Mrs. Talbert's view point, of course, not my own Otherwise, shouldn't be advising MT. Jaspar to tell you what he'' told me-"
 well" the inspectors tone wa! uncompromising. I'm listening He'd better make it good"
 He glanced around at the others
 "You might as well sit down since you're all in this from thu ankles up."
 So they did sit down - MT. Will met, obviously seething with curl osity and afraid that the inspector might change his mind, stumbling over a stool in his effort to fine chair without making himsel conspicuous. And Jaspar begar his story all over again.
 When he came to the part abou leaving the bonds in Christine room, the inspector turned towArt Christine and then toward Jaspal with frowning attention, and Chris tine recalled uncomfortably hi words of that morning: Perhaps i was even someone who counted oi your keeping them safely for him."
 A little later he interrupted, T Mrs. Talbert had let the police g ahead when that young man wa kidnapped, she might have go something for her money beside a heartache and a crop of mislead ing and conflicting clews. First tn boy was supposed to have beei carried off and drugged in his owl car; later 1t looked as if he hat been decoyed into the swamp ant drowned in a quicksand. I can recall all the stories; but there one thing certain: someone wh' knew the family well was back O that By the way, you wer' employed by Mrs. Talbert then too, weren't you, Jaspar?"
 "Yes, sir" Jaspar's eyes me the inspectors with the calm o! desperation.
 But there's one rumor you may nto have heard, Inspector" Chan. dra said quietly, that Earl Tal- bert was not really Kidnapped al all; but that he engineered the whole affair himself, and collected the ransom. I happen to know that there have been a number of checks forged on Mrs. Talbert'. account that have never been TUT to their source. have informa' tion that Earl Talbert, under an other name, spent several years 1T a California prison; and hav' had a feeling, from time to time that Mrs. Talbert, herself, wal sure that he was still alive"
 After a musing silence, the inspec. tor asked, Just how old was thi boy when he disappeared?"
 "He was in his first year at col lege." Jaspar hesitated and ther went on, 1T have been told tha he was about to be expelled A - a matter of forged check sir"
 "A young man of that age coule have changed - perhaps beyond recognition - in 12 years," the in. spector said effectively Chris tine wondered if she only imag' ined that he glanced toward Bill Well, go on, Jaspar."