Evening star., 1941-08-29
CHAPTER NXXIII.

you understood, Steve" jeff
went on, that Morris had never
heard the name before. Yes, that's
his story and he has stuck to it
through everything"
"Why. Jef?"
"That's one of the things I want
Morris to tell us" Then jeff went
on muSingly. You know the funny
thing bout all this Lee Gray buSi-
ness is that tie police were on the
right track from the very beginning
only they didn't stay on it long
enough. Their theory was that Lee
Gray was some one in the Green
Apples company, some one who had
signed an assumed name to that
note, thinking that Carol would
understand it. 1t would have been
difficult for an outsider to have got
into the theater, up to Carols
dressing. room and out again with
out being seen by any one But a
very simple thing for a person in
the company. They followed their
theory for a little while. They
checked that note with the hand
writing of everybody in the cast,
even the mems, although the writing
was obviously feminine. But they
missed checking one person. ;"
"Who?" Carol breathed.
He looked at her quietly. You"
Her hand went clutchingly to her
throat. II? But, jeff, it was E.
the note was ="
Steve wheeled on Jeff. his face
dark and stormy What are YOU
talking about. JEFF? That note was
sent to Carol Why should they
check her handwriting?'
Carol Admits Note.
That's what we all thought.
That's where We made our first mis-
take. Just because the note was
found in her purse we assumed that
she had been the recipient. We
weren't bright enough to realize the
truth. The truth was that Carol
wrote the note herself and it was
found before she had a chance to
send it
I laughed and the sound fell like
q dull clatter in the tense silence
of the room. But, jeff, it's silly.
Its E.
Look at Carol
Her eyes were fastened on Jeff's
face, held there as if hypnotized.
Her lips parted and trembled, but
there was no denial on them.
jeff continued You wrote that
note, didn't you, Carol?"
Yes 1t was hardly more than
a whisper.
And you left it in your purse
where the police found it. I'm not
positive to whom it was written but
if had three guesses, all of them
would be Greeley Morris. Right?"
She nodded duly. Yes. 1t was
to Greeley Morris"
Steve said, Carol" and put his
hand softly on her arm. She
brushed it off with a gentle move
ment, her eyes still clinging to jeff.
and she didn't seem to know that
1t was Steve who spoke or Steve who
touched her.
And the thing YOU had to see
him about, that thing which was
so important, was to ask him not
TO tell anyone that you were Lee
Gray"
She said, her voice a monotone.
eyes. How did you know, Jeff?"
The Right Clue.
"I guess I'm getting to be detec-
tive. Haila told me that the reason
you had such tough time getting
start on the stage was because
you were such a bad first reader,
that you had to work into a part
before YOU could do anything with
1t. Then yesterday Clint Bowers re-
marked about your wonderful first
reading for him, that after he heard
you Alice Mcdonald didn't have a
chance for the part Of Dina. I
should have got it then.
But I had to be re-cued and
Tommy Nelson did it for me. He
was in Bowers office, he said, the
first time you walked in, and that
you didn't give reading, you gave
9 performance. And it daWned on
me at last that for being bad