Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-08-24

DIR. Thorne glanced round at
the others. He looked very tired.
Perhaps you'd leave us, too.
All of you"
Elaine had sat up in the chair.
She wasn't crying any more.
Her face was white, utterly with
out expression, like a dolls.
Don went to her, pushing
roughly past Tim. He looked
down at her with kind OF fierce,
anxious protectiveness.
What is it Elaine? What is
he doing to you? II you want
me.
Elaine gave a little shiver. In
a voice cold as dry ice. she said:
Go away, Don. Don't talk TO
me-please."
He went, like a dog that had
been slapped. Simon had moved
to Terry and slipped her hand
into his. The two Of them fol-
lowed Don out of the room.
Kay, still at war with herself,
looked at Gilbert and Maud.
They were close together. Maud
standing by the wheel chair, her
hand on her husbands arm. Gil
bert looked at her and then at
Tim.
He said quickly: LAS Elaine's
father and potentially her
lawyer. 1 think l should stay and
hear what you have to say"
II shall stay. too" Maud's
voice was firm, final.
TIM glanced at both of them,
moistening his lips. Very well
If you feel that way. suppose
you have the right"
His gaze moved TO Kay then
She wasn't ready for it. She had
been standing, half in a daze,
watching like spectator from
outside. The sudden impact Of
his gaze was too much for her.
Turning sharply, she moved
away and up the cedar stairs.
When she reached her room.
she didn't turn on the lights. Her
head throbbing. she went TO her
bed and sank down on it,, stretch
ing out on the cool spread. She
felt bruised in her mind and
soul too.
You can bear just so much, she
thought And, as she thought it.
wave Of self-pity surged
through her. Would the scar of
this day ever fade, she wondered.
The scar OF discovering Alice's
body. that cruel physical shock.
The scar Of finding impossible
romance only TO lose ii when a
man turned out to be-a police
man. The scar of knowing that
one of the people she loved was a
double murderer.
Because that scar would come
too. She was sure of IL now. AS
she lay there on the bed in the
darkness. her thoughts were
steady, in the harness Of logic
again. and she knew what was
happening downstairs. Somehow
Tim had found the solution And
he had used the evidence against
Terry as a weapon 10 intimidate
Elaine who. during the last
twenty-four hours, had been
walking along some dark, ter
rible path Of lies.
The first seething furry OF her
anger against Terry had spent
itself now that she could be rea-
sonable and knew he had never
intended actually TO hand over
Terry's forgery confession TO the
Major If she had had the wit 20
realize II. he had made his point
clear TO her earlier--in the
library.
IVOR'S death was one thing.
] Alice's another. She remem-
bered his words
You don't want TO go on con-
doning murder indefinitely. do
you?
Tim was right, Of course. That
second corpse. lying huddled
there in the rain, had changed
everything. 1t had plunged them
back into reality, dispelled that
strange, mirage world where
right had been wrong. where the
police had been the Enemy and
where duty lay only with her
friends whether murderers or
not.
Yes. they had been living in a
mirage which had faded now.
However glad they may have
been that Ivor had died, life
could not be endurable for any
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