Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-12-14
THEAMERICAN
:: AMEEKkY

venee" said lovely red-hared Norma Hale
To me i'm my home in rural Kenmore where
l lived with my young daughter, Dawn
Riding over on horseback from nearby Fail
lowfield. her home. she asked me for sleep
ing pills. After saying she was 10 be married
next week she told me that some time ago she
and her best friend Libby Brompton had done
something terrible involving others and now
she was relentlessly pursued by with
twisted lip driving a yellow New York taxi
and dared not tell the police or her family.
Terrified she could not sleep. She showed me
a clipping of the death Of Libby who she
convinced had been murdered Though skepti-
cal about parts Of her weird story gave her
a prescription. AS she left l yellow car
in the dusk and was further worried when later
the pharmacy called TO say my prescription
had been crudely raised from six to twenty-six
tablets / ordered Norma to receive only
six and wondered if she had a suicide attempt
in mind.
Then saw on my floor a letter she had
dropped Written by Libby from Bar Harbor
the day before she was found dead some
months back ii told how the taxi driver, sud
denly appearing had threatened her, saying
ne would settle with Norma and Toni next l
didn't know who Toni was but l figured the
taxi driver must have been involved in Norma's
crime Taking Dawn. / went at once to see
Norma On the Fallowhed driveway I met
Persis her divorced mother now the wife of
David Rowley and Mrs. Rowleys sister, Grace
dour and silent wife of Judge Salter. They
were helping string Christmas lights on the
trees Mrs. Rowley introduced David. l went
TO the house with the sisters and Judge Salter
came in, an elderly with sad eyes.
Dawn who had volunteered to help David
trim tree then appeared and dragged me off
to see the result. On the way greeted red
haired girl whom / mistook for Norma. With
her was Oliver Church, Norma's fance. Dawn
took him along with her and asked the girl
why she had stepped UP my prescriptions She
stared cily and informed me she was Karen
Hale. Norma's twin ! parried her questions
on Norma's call on and we started for the
house Then we heard galloping hoofs.
There was a scarcely human scream and
Norma topped backwards. We rushed to the
scene. Oliver ran up and David helped me
carry her to the house. l could see she was
badly injured At the front door looked
back and saw at the end of the drive the
thing that suddenly changed that cruel trag-
edy into something with sinister overtones. 1t
slid away, yellow like New York taxi.
land Now Go on With the Story)
iii
- UT had no time to puzzle about the mys-
- FERROUS taxi just then. Every instinct
- told me that my patient was in -extreIaisv
Very gently we lowered Norma onto a
couch in the living room. / was conscious of
the others standing around helplessly; OF
David Rowley. bewildered and anxious. his
arm around his wife who looked her full age
now Judge Salter there too, handsome
silent and UNNECESSARILY sad Only Mrs. Sal
ter looked the same, her face like mask.
You had better go, please all of you l
said as / felt in vain for Norma's pulse. They
moved toward the door, all except Karen.
please. you, too If l want anything
I'll call you"
turned back to the couch. did not have
my stethoscope. but my ear pressed against
her heart confirmed my worst fears. There
was no sound pulled out my watch and held
ii rather unsteadily before the girls pale lips.
The glass remained unclouded
Norma Hale was dead
Accustomed as | am TO seeing death in all
its manifestations this fact came to me as a
real shock And there a certain sense of
personal responsibility involved. Less than
two hours ago Norma had come TO me for
help. frightened that her life was in danger.
And now she was dead
OF course, her death had all the appearance
Of an accident And yet there was Libby
Brompton's letter and the sinister coincidence
of the yellow car too strong, surely, to be
ignored
Could perhaps have done something that
would have prevented the accident? Could |
have acted more promptly. shown myself more
sympathetic, more ready 10 help2
While these questions flashed through my
mind my fingers were probing exploring
There was "A head confusion and scratches on
arms and shoulders and now as I examined the
neck I found prominent bulise stretching
long and regular across the white skin. felt
the back Of her neck my hand sliding under
the soft hair ! was pretty sure then Of the
actual cause of Norma's death.
was still examining that strangely
marked brulse when the door opened and
Karen came in carrying my medical bag
oliver just got back with your bag.
How p" She broke of she saw my face
and gasped almost inaudby Norma
Your sister broke her neck when she fen"
said gently she must have died instan-
taneously No pain
Karen moved 90 the couch and bent over
her twin sisters body AS I those two
young faces close together | was struck
afresh by the remarkable likeness II was "A
-