Evening star., 1941-08-16
CHAPTER Xxx.

| out Ut tlle DullQlnB, away lTOIH INA
bleak place where Eve North hat
lived and where now a tired OLE
woman was putting Ewes house il
order.
The thought of facing the devas.
tation OF England's leading man o1
letters had left me weak Secretly
was praying that Mr.. Greeley
Morris was still not to be disturbed
The desk clerk squashed my hopes
however. After brief bit of phone.
play, he announced brightly that
Mr.. Morris would see us. I followed
jeff unwillingly into the elevator
But why do we have to see him
jeff? I don't want to-"
"Shhh! The operator may be in
his pay. Twelve, OPERATOR"
We stood outside the door num-
bered 1211-3 and I started to grope
nervously in my bag for a cigarette.
JEFF shook his head at me. The door
opened and Greeley Morris blinked
in our faces. He was still in his
pajamaS.
Good afternoon, Mr.. Morris!"
Jeff's accent on the good was ter
rife.
The playwright looked at us for
seconds while grew crimson and
small. When he had finally reduced
me to something that must have
looked like scarlet pygmy, he said,
smiling with just his lips: do come
yt'S Mi 70
jeff Apologies.
Trying to act as if I hadn't
noticed that he was in his pajamas,
which was a slightly difficult task.
I followed Morris into the room.
jeff said blithely, I'm sorry we
had TO intrude like this"
I'm sure that you had no al
tentative, Do you mind if clean my
teeth?' He disappeared into the
bathroom. I was about to bolt I
must have shown it, for jeff plunked
me into chair and stood over me.
This will be over before you
know it. l just want to find out
what kind of guy he really is"
He doesn't look like murderer
in his pajamas. JEFF, do you have
a pair like that?"
Where would I get a pair like
that? They probably cost nine
pounds, ten and half. With only
one pair of pants"
Are you going to be embarrassed
when Morris asks you what the devil
you want?"
Il want his autograph" jeff was
leafing through a large. fiat book
that he had found on corner table.
On the third page he began to roar.
"A scrapbook! And here's another
one! Haila, there must be seven OF
them. Greeley Morris, the world S
NO. sophisticate, keeps scrapbooks
They must go all the way back tc
a nursery rhyme he said in kinder
garten."
Jeff was still chuckling, but he
had managed to replace the books
and move away from the table be-
fore our host returned. His dressing
gown made me gasp; in fact. all
his clothes had me wishing that I
were a man.
After he had called room service
and ordered a pot of coffee. he lit
one of his long, peculiar-lookine
cigarettes and turned to jeff with
a question in his eyes. The tele-
phone buzzed. Morris answered it
and 1t was evidently an interview
His civility amazed me.
Morris Asks Why?
1t was over at last and Morris
poured his coffee. He seemed
vaguely surprised that Jeff and l
were still there. "Well?" He smiled
ironically. Why did I want to kill
Miss Blanton? Why did I stab Miss
North? It's only fair. you know,
that I be kept we'll informed"
JEFF thumbed through a sheaf OF
clippings. I could see they were re-
views of Green Apples" Morri,
crossed his legs. lit another cigarette
and waited. You could hear the
traffic screaming in the streets be-
low. accenting the stiffness of the
room. I closed my eyes and
plunged in.
It's too bad, Mr.. Morris, that
your first visit to New York should
turn out to be so unpleasant fol-
you" I said. You must hate our
fair city"
Your fair city hasn't aroused me
to any emotion. let alone the strenu-
Gus one of hate. And as for your
murders, we have them in London
too. However, in London we are
permitted to ignore them"
jeff tossed the clippings on the
table. Look, Morris, why do you
act so bored by this murder?"
Il am bored. Must I be intrigued
by the death and the attempted
murder of two American actresses
who are famous for nothing but
their death and attempted mur-
der?"
jeff looked disguised. "It doesn't
ring true. You're being detained
here by the police for this murder
You happen to be a suspect. Yor
should at least be mildly interested
Your boredom is little too elabo.
rate, like a character in one of youi
plays"
"A compliment, I assure you"
You are suspect. you know
1t was possible for you to have
poisoned Carol Blanton."
His Alibi Weak.
$50 I've gathered from Peterson
However, 1t wasn't possible for m,
to have stabbed your leading lady
since I wasn't at the theater las
night"
You mean you weren't seen q
the theater last night"
II wasn't seen?" Morris was puz
zled. Then he smiled. "Oh. yes. o
course! 1 had forgotten that In
able to turn myself into a pumpkin
at will Was a pumpkin seen a
the theater last night, Mr.. Troy?"
where were you between 9:3I
and 1890, Mr. Morris?"
After a very bad dinner which
was frightened only by the fac
that I was alone, I walked. I wake,
and walked. Probably from unit
midnight"
do you know where you wer
about 10 o'clock?"
4 ri