The Wilmington morning star., 1940-06-20

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
I made no telephone call. While
the police officer I had heard ir
the adjoining booth still was talk
ing, I was running out the front
door of the courthouse, hailing a
taxicab. 49,.
Laurel street, and step on it,"
I told the driver. .
1 estimated my chance OF beat
ing a police a to my roomlng
house. l had to get that box Of
knives out of there before the OH
GERS arrived!
The city had a radio patrol car
system, but of course the message
which was being telephoned IN to
headquarters had to be broadcast
That would require a few more
seconds, and the taxicab had only
half a dozen blocks to go. l be-
lieved I'd make it.
I tried to analyze Belzer's mo-
tive in tipping me off to the police.
He had stolen the knives origi-
nally. There was no other word Tor
it. He had taken them from Jerry's
room in order to have the evidence
for another exclusive" story.
had taken them from Belzer's
room in order to protect Jerry
from a story that l knew would
be unjust. Perhaps Belzer's motive
was revenge. Perhaps, on the
other hand, I as a person was I'M
important to him, and he W a S
thinking entirely in terms of news
paper story interest. I was in an
embarrassing position if those
knives were found in my room,
and that would be another lex
clusive'' for The Morning Eagle.
My fare was ready in my hand.
/ gave it to the driver as he slid to
a stop at my address and, jump
ing out, l a up the stairs.
The box of knives was not under
the bed My heart almost stopped.
Had the police beaten me to it?
That seemed impossible.
A frantic search revealed the
box in the clothes closet, hidden at
the back of the top shelf, although
/ knew I had left it under the bed.
Belzer had been there He had
made sure 1 had the knives, then
he had hidden them in such a way
that the officers who found them
would be all the more suspicious
OF me.
With the box of knives under
one arm l started down the stairs.
Someone was knocking on the front
door. The police had arrived
1 stopped on the bottom step,
frozen by the horror of my predic-
ament. They were going to catch
me making off with the evidence,
which would be even worse than
merely finding it hidden in my
room.
The landlady stepped out of her
rooms in front of me and went
across the hall to answer tn e
knocking. 1 ducked through the
door she left open behind her.
I'd only been in her apartment
once-the day l rented my studio
from her-but I knew there must
be a tradesmen's entrance at the
rear. I explored back through her
dining room into the kitchen as I
heard her arguing with the Off
GERS. This is my house." she was
informing them. Show me a
search warrant, or 80"
l was at the back door and out.
An alley led me to Oak street. 1
hailed another cab, because the
box under my arm was too con-
spicuous to carry in broad day.
light, and also because I was in a
hurry to be rid Of it.
l gave the driver Jerry Mont
calm's address. Ten minutes later,
because I was a close enough
friend to invade Jerry's quarters,
even when he vas not home, the
box once more safely reposed IN
his closet from which Belzer had
taken it. Jerry would never know
it ever had been touched. As I re-
turned to my cab and rode away
I was grinning to myself. Belzer
would have some explaining to do
to the police
At a safe distance from Jerry's
place I alighted from the cab and
bought an afternoon paper. The
boys were crying Extra and 1
thought it was about Jerry's re-
lease from the murder charge.
The big black headlines report
ed an incendiary fire at a nearby
insane asylum. There was a small
item-only one paragraph-at the