Evening star., 1941-08-11
UP TO KILLEa
EXG bv Kelley Roos NSEa
CHAPTER IS.
by Kelley RooS-

CHAPTER IS.
At the corner of Fifty-fourth and
Lexington jeff stopped. What do
you think the chances are of Bowers
being in his Office now?"
Fair"
Then we'll 20 see him first
First? Does that mean you're
going detecting?"
Without even smiling modestly, he
nodded and we headed for the office
in silence. We met Philip Ashley
in front of the Colony Theater and
the three of us turned down the alley
together.
Inside. the stuffy elevator I rum
mayed through my purse for my
compact and lipstick. I would be
stopping to powder my nose before
venturing into a producers Office,
I told myself ruefully, when I was
80. A producers Office is producers
Office and it doesn't matter that
you've got the job and played the
part and it's over and done with.
I snapped shut the enameled box
and dropped it in my purse.
Its fairly Grass of me-" Philip
Ashley was saying, ''to barge in on
Clint at a time like this, suppose,
and to demand just what is what.
But I thought it possible that he
might want to close the show"
quite possible" jeff said shortly.
Philip loosened the gay-colored
scarf that muffled his throat. That's
what I thought. Nevertheless, l
have to know definitely in order to
make my plans. don't mind tell
ing you that Hollywood's been after
me for some time now. You know"
he added warningly to me, "this
isn't going to do any of us any good.
Bad publicity. Very bad"
We stepped into the reception hall
that fronted the Office. 1t was empty,
Phoebe's desk unopened and 1.-The
door marked Clinton Bowers Pri-
vate," closed. I put my hand on the
knob, but I didn't turn it, In the
Office some one was speaking and
there was something in her tone
that made us stop abruptly and
look at each other.
Green Apples" Ends.
please, please, Mr. Bowers" Alice
Mcdonald was saying. She might
have been reading for part and
overacting badly. Let me try 1t.
Just let me try it! You must know
what it would mean to me! On,
you've got to let me, you've got to
give me this chance!"
I'm sorry, Alice" Clinton Bowers
voice was very patient and very
weary. II have decided definitely
to close the play at once. There Will
not be another performance OF
Green Apples That is final"
Any one but the stage-crazed,
thwarted girl that Alice was could
have told he meant it. She said,
But, /"
This play is closing. No one is
going to follow in the part that Eve
North created here"
Created" Her voice exploded
loud and scornfully. Created! II
you call mangling one of the most
beautiful parts ever written Great
ing! If you call babbling through
it with a lot of tricks and phony
mannerisms creating! No ones 60
ing to follow in her part, you'll see
to that, won't you? Yes. you'll see
to it all right and I know why, Mr..
Clinton Bowers! Because any de-
cent actress who followed in the
part would show Eve North up too
badly, wouldn't she? Shed show
what stinking, sloppy mess she
made of it! Shed show that your
great Eve North was nothing but
a ham, she $"
"Alice!" His voice wasn't patient
now; it was cold and threatening.
Get out of my Office. Alice. Get
out"
His door swung open and we tried
to look as though We were vending
an uninterrupted way to the office,
but I don't think Alice even saw us,
She dashed straight into the ele-
vator and the door Slid quickly past
her pale, furious face
This Murder.
Bowers hadn't risen from his desk.
He sat hunched over the disorderly
mass of papers, his head bowed in
his hands. When he lifted his face
to us, I was shocked at its gray
haggardness, Philip coughed a
forced, stacy cough.
I'VE we couldn't help over
hearing, Clint. Green Aples' is clos
ing then"
Bowers nodded. Yes. Definitely"
Then suppose 1t will be all
right for me to accept any offer that
might come my way? I'm consid-