The Wilmington morning star., 1940-05-01
CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO
I don't know how the averag'
man would react if he were &C
cused Of killt,.s a friend, but
went mentally numb. The faces int
which I looked became strang'
faces.
The premonition that something
terrible was going to happen, which
I had felt as 500 as I started dowr
the stairs with all eyes focused OF
me, had been realized too swift!
to be grasped. Apparently the whole
party had turned against me, con
victing me unheard.
"D-don't stand there s-staring,
I stammered. why don't some Of
you do something? Why - why
don't you bring him in?'
The men looked hesitantly to-
ward the glass doors, then back al
me. Faces paled at the suggestion,
Wed be destroying evidence"
said Jack Berry.
You fools!r' cried enc of the girls
Don't you see that Muriel has
tainted? Get water, someone"
1t wasn't necessary. Murleis
eyes fluttered open as soon as the
crowd moved apart and Jerry drop
ped to his knees to slip an arm
under his head.
She looked at me, then moaned,
and shut her eyes again. One hand
stole up and clutched Jerry's arm
for comfort. He patted it.
Bill was upstairs all the time"
Jerry told her, land I can prove
it, He turned toward me. weren't
you, Bil?'
1 nodded. A lump in my throat
kept me from speaking.
Jerry helped Muriel to her feet.
To the sobered merrymakers he
said: He went upstairs about ten
minutes ago. Just before that he'd
been talking with Al in the garden.
I looked out and saw AL standing
in the rose arbor looking at the
moon. Bill already was inside the
door when I saw AL standing in the
arbor. Don't you understand? Al
AL was still alive. But was inside
the clubhouse and didn't go out
again."
Jack Berry coughed to clear his
dry throat. Gould you prove that,
Jerry? Did you e AL clearly?"
TITS a moonlight night" Jerry re-
minded him. "A vas standing
tharo 1ookinc nm"
"At the moon?"
IT suppose So"
I interrupted nervously. lat the
stars. Jerry. He was facing north"
What difference does it make?'
snapped st. Clair, taking the cen
ter Of the stage again. Has any
one called the police?"
Apparently no n had.
St. Clair walked over to the
glass doors, closed and locked them
and put the key in his pocket. Wen
leave everything alone until the OF
ficers get here" he directed. I'll
call the police myself"
With the shutting Of the doors
as a barrier between Death and the
living, tension relaxed. Everyone
started to chatter. A dozen theories
came out Of thi nair. Jerry's argu'
ment on my behalf had been con
vincing.
"You must have thought US =;
bunch Of eggs, the way we've act
ed" Frank Miller a%pologized
REALLY, none of us could think 20,
did this, Bill. TIT was just to-
%unnerving, I guess"
ut hasn't unnerved you an!
more than it has me-" I assured
him. I dropped into the first con
venient chair in the clubroom.
felt sick. Until now I had BEEF
more or less numbed. Now that
had time to think, the horror o
what had happened was sinking in
Only yesterday Alfred MARKHAM
and I had lunched together a
Markey's and discussed one of Al
pet projects. He had wanted t
build a hospital.
my family's made a fortune i
the jewelry business" he told mt
"To make money merely for one
self seems so selfish, Bill. 1t woul
be different it I were married an
had a family. When I look aroun
and see all the suffering in tn:
world it makes me feel guilty. WI
are the riches Of this life divide
90 unevenly? Am I entitled to an