The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-11-01
. SERIAL STORY
NEW YORK JUNGLE
BY WRAY WADE SEVERN

tor. You needn't worry, If you're
telling the truth" Brentwood tried
to ease the chauffeur's terror. He
knew that Pat would corroborate
Barkes' story of teh medicine,
knew that she had burned Adams
supply of drugs, and that he would
attempt to get more. There was
little more to say, as the trooper
led Barkes away.
"Any new evidence2" He turned
back" to Captain Plowman.
plenty" the officer replied I'VE
found the money, hidden in the
garage. Found a gun, too, but it
had been cleaned. Then this friend,
whom Barkes claims to have talekd
to in town, this fellow Brabant, has
a record. He has green sedan,
too"
'Brabant may have been just
a casual acquaintance" Sidney
argued, There are hundreds of
green sedans. Barkes didn't rec
ognize the driver. He wouldn't
offer Brabant as an alibi if he
knew he wasn't in the village
Plowman ignored his arguments.
THE way l see it, Mr.. Brentwood,
is that Barkes cashed the check
all right, brought the money here,
gave it to Langdon, then stole it
again and hid it in the Jungle,
He knew as soon as Langdon went
upstairs he'd miss it and call po-
lice. He was after Mrs. Langdon'S
pearls, too"
Naturally" Sidney agreed.
Suppose he had confederate
in the Jungle. Soy the valet. The
bad blood between them may have
been faxed. The confederate puts
out the light so that Barkes could
escape through the chimney, while
the entire company think they
have been locked in from the out
side, so that the thief could loot
upstairs"
81 don't agree, but it could be
true" Sidney commented.
You all saw Barkes drive off
and he had a witness who had
seen him in the village. He adj
mits he came back. He says, be-
fore he drove to the village. 1t
couldn't have been after.
Suppose he did get back before
you came downstairs for coffee
instead of after. 1t needs no
stretch of the imagination to figure
that he was in the Jungle with
the plan to go up through the flue
into Langdon's room for the pearls
when you all came in, so he hid.
He could get up through the flue
without anyone hearing him. But
when you surprised him by COM
ing down for coffee so soon, he
was in a JAM"
you are making out a case,
Plowman, but I still don't agree"
Wait until I have finished"
Plowman half smiled. "Barkes
short circuited the lights in the
smaller room while Togi turned
them off in the larger room. Togi
locked the door. When Togi was
on the ladder he saw Barkes hid
ing and they signaled each other.
In the darkness Barkes was to
make the f1ue.
Then came the lightning. Lang
don saw Barkes sneaking toward
the passage. He aimed, but Barkes
shot first. In the thunder that
followed, no one heard him. He
was frightened by what he had
done and gave up going after the
pearls, especially as he knew you
men were on the way upstairs.
He went out the drawing room
window. That accounts for there
being no wet prints on the parlor
carpet. He was leaving, not enter
ing.
well reasoned, if you can prove
it," Sidney admitted.
Maybe I can and maybe now
I can't, Mr.. Brentwood" Plowman
said, in a tone that left Sidney
in doubt.
The clock in the hall had emit
ted solitary tinkle when Sidney
knocked on Patricia Langdon's bed
room door. Her face expressed sur
prise at the lateness of his visit, but
he saw that she was fully dressed.
She had been examining some
legal-looking papers, probbaly some
she had found in Adams desk.
Sorry to disturb you at such
an ungodly hour, Mrs. Langdon, u
the lawyer said, with a touch of
WEAKNESS, "but Plowman has Just
made an arrest and ] thought
you'd want to know it,"
An arrest!" Pat gasped. HE
can't have fastened the murder on
Craig?"
Her dark eyes narrowed and her
face lost color.
mo, not Gundrum. He's ar
rested your chauffeur, Henry
Barkes."
"Oh, Barkes," Pats relief was
evident. What can he have
learned about that poor, simple
man?"
He believes, or says he does,
that Barkes worked with con-
federate, fellow hem ct at the
hotel. He thinks the confederate,
Brabant, he called him, came UP
here sometime before dinner to