Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1943-10-29
CHAPTER VIII

THANK you, Dwight. And you,
Margaret?"
mot guilty, Hunt" Margaret said
with smile.
Rogers paused as if debating the
propriety of his next question. "You
told me once, didn't you, Marga-
ret, that you too might be said to
have a motive?"
Eyes," answered Margaret frank
ly. 81 was Jealous of Kitty; she
was out to take Dwight away from
me-
Don't be absurd, DEAR" Dwight
Nichols interrupted.
"I'm not, darling
II had motive" said Elsa i'm
pulsively, recklessly. 81 hated her.
I'd hated her all my life"
Sam Chatfield looked thoughtfully
at his daughter and was about to
speak when Berta, her white teeth
flashing, her eyes moving almost
roguishly, declared:
Il had motive too, and Sam;
the sister was inhospitable, insult
ing to us. Such a scene! 1t made
something" pressed her plump,
beautiful hands to her bosom
"something inside very-very mad.
With both of u.s."
In this curious haste to confess
motives, Rogers face was full of
interest; faint smile played about
his lips, his mild blue eyes shifted
swiftly from one to the other of
the group as each one spoke. After
Berta had spoken silence fell upon
US. Rogers remarked:
Cali these things, of course, I've
known. There remains only Reed
Barton's motive" He glanced at
Reed, who sat stiffly in his leather
pantaloons, as if to ask permission
for what he was about to say. Reed
has said that Katherine Chatfeld
can be blamed for his fathers sui
cide-it was over a matter of some
mortgaged property which could
have been saved by little leniency
upon the part of the deceased.
tNow, then"-he paused, as if I'M
certain where to go from this point
-"according to the estimate of the
coroner's office, Katherine Chatfield
died some time before midnight; dis
covery of the body was not made
until about seven the following
morning. Everyone here has a mo-
tive of some sort-perhaps even
Chesebro has a motive. 1t would
be odd if he were the only person
lacking one. Until he can be ques-
toned in this connection we'll not
know definitely. Moreover, whether
or not he was there that night-had
opportunity"
eff it's Chesebro you're talking
about, Hunt, he was there" came
the husky voice of George Rumble.
There? That night we're speak
ing of? l must be certain"
Sure he was there. I saw him
come away"
"How about his going in? Did you
see that?"
mo, I didn't. I'd walked down
the street after I got thrown out,
and when l came back by there,
chesebro was coming out. Perhaps
you've noticed how he's treated me,
Hunt-like yellow dog-from the
first time l contacted him. Well, l
think that's the reason~for it. He's
acted like he was afraid of me, or
that I might tell on him.
That's interesting" said Rogers,
rubbing the side of his large nose
thoughtfully with forefnger. "Our
circle widens."
81 saw plenty of other things that
night too. But they never meant
anything to me until now, because
always thought the dame commit
ted suicide. You put a different
light on things, Hunt"
Whom else did you see?"
81 saw Reed Barton,' and he
turned a meaningful glance upon
Reed. HE was coming out just as
I was trying to get in to hand her
the bill for my work"
But Katherine Chatfield was alive
when you got in to see herr"
''1'n say she was alive; she was
clickin' on all sixteen cylinders when
I saw her."
'But you didn't leave the vicinity
OF her home after you-got thrown
out? Is that it?"
Fright"
"Did you enter the house second
time?"
"No."
"How long did you stay around
Whereabouts? And why?"
81 stayed because I was mad.
George l kept talking to myself,
you got to cool down before you
60 in again When l get to talking
to myself you know something is
burning me. And that dame sure
did. My apologies to you, Chat
field; she was your sister,"
Don't mention it," Sam Chatfield,
absorbed in the conversation, reused
to reply to Rumble. 81 am aware
that Kitty was a peculiar woman"
"How long did you hang about?"
Rogers persisted.