The Wilmington morning star., 1940-05-02
THREE

st, Clair opened n 1rOnt doof,
admitting four men, three obviously
policemen in plain clothes, n the
fourth a young fellow I'd met in the
office of The Morning Eagle.
The short and chunky leader of
the police trio announced, I'm Cap
tain Clyde Mcdonald" The cigar ne
was chewing rolled from nj side OF
his mouth to the other. Murder
eh?' His gray eyes swept the mem
bers and guests, then snapped pack
to the club president.
I'm afraid So" st. Clair salo'
'"The body's in the rear court" lie
started to usher them across the
clubroom.
"Never mind. Has it been dis
turbed?"
ooh, no. We thought st. Clair
handed him the key to the glass
DOORS.
Right. O'Brien and ORourke.
you look around. Make sure noth-
ing is touched until the coroner
comes"
DESPITE his brusqueness n cap
tain was ill at ease among the for
mally attired guests. He
remembered to take off his hat, n
put it on the piano.
he asked, turning to st. Clair again.
"Alfred Markham, wasn't it? jew
eler?"
st. Clair nodded. Il didn't see the
1,,+ IL 1roC nhV1O11S from
the blood. But why fire all
these questions at me? You cant
think that / =.
LAS far as I'm concerned" Cap
tain Mcdonald told him drylE,
"everyone is suspected. Coroner Sill
Yer nav have different ideas. Well
see. Ny duty is to make sure that
no one leaves this place until mes
through questioning YOU
The reporter pulled out a pad OF
note paper and mumbled as though
to himself: Item number one. TO
lice encircle joint
st. Clair flushed.
Headlights flashed across the
window as another automoblie
swung around the drive.
I expected the coroner to be a
funeral old person, but the nan
who came through the door was
younc, tall and handsome, and
faultlessly attired in evening
clothes. I disliked him Immediately
for the way he drew off his drlTlns
gloves and greeted us with a smile.
Lovely night" he said.
Some think so-and some dot,
the reporter observed without lex
inc I'D from the notebook on When
he was scribbling.
The coroner was followed by a
press photographer, loaded down
with camera and armload of flash
bulbs.
"Where's the body?" the pho
tographer asked.
Now that they were all mere the
CAPTAIN. prom and news HOUNDS
moved through the rear doors n
out into the court. One of the Oil
GERS remained on guard.
1t was a lovely summer night
Coroner Silver was right about that
but it was too warm. My collar
was uncomfortable. I shifted from
foot to foot.
The others seemed to be uneasy.
Mabel Mercer lighted a clgaret and
threw it into the fireplace after one
puff. Helen Whalen was putting on
lipstick and doing a bad job of it.
Il don't like the attitude of that
reporter" st. Clair remarked.
He acted as though he had a
personal peeve against you," Frank
observed. when did you and he
ever collide before?"
st. Clair grimaced. Il had him
thrown out of the clubhouse one
night several months ago. He's a
snooper!"
Newspaper people can come II
handy as friends" Jack Berry sug
gested quietly.
Good grief" exclaimed Marge
Winch. "Why should you have any
one thrown out? There's nothing to
hide-or is there?"
Unexpectedly the court outside
flashed white. I saw the silhouette
of the cameraman as he took hi!
picture, and the faces of the coro
Bella ~LANAN-COURT F