The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-08-04
CHAPTER FORTY


Rosemary was meant to be muir
dered," repeated Pat slowly, as if
the words were in language she
didn't understand.
"But Queen" protested Brad
ford.
az know, I know" sighed Ellery.
cit raises tremendous difficulties
and objections. But with Nora
eliminated as the intended victim,
it's the only logical explanation for
the crime. So we've got to accept it
rs our new premise. Rosemary was
meant to be murdered. Immediately
I asked myself: Did the three let,
ters have anything TO do with Rose
mary's death?
"Superfcially, no. The letters
referred to the death Of Jim's
wife"
"And Rosemary was Jim's SIS
ter" said Pat with a frown.
ayes, and besides, Rosemary had
shown no signs of the illnesses pre-
dicted for Thanksgiving Day and
Christmas Day. Moreover, since
the three letters can now be inter-
preted as two or three years old
or more, they no longer appear nee
essarily criminal. They can mere
" refer to the natural death Of q
previous wife Of Jim's-not Nora,
but a first ,oite phom Jim married
IN Nep York and who died there
some New Years Day between the
time Jim ran out on Nora and the
time he came back to marry Nora.
"But Jim never said anything
about a first wife," objected Pat.
"That wouldn't prove ne hadn't
had one" said Cart. -,
"No," nodded Ellery. $50 1t all
might have been perfectly innocent.
Except for two highly significant
and suspicious factors: first, that
the letters were written but never
mailed, as if no death had occurred
in New York; and second, that q
woman did actually die in Wrights-
Vile on New Years Day Of 194l, as
written by Jim in his third and last
letter q long time before it hap
pened. Coincidence?
mo, I saw that there must be
some connection between Rose
mary's death and the three letters
Jim wrote"
Ellery paused second or two be
fore posing this problem: what
connection is possible between Rose
mary Haight's death and the three
letters Jim Haight wrote long, long
before?
"And with this question, we come
10 the heart Of the problem. Fol
with Rosemary the intended victim
all along, the use Of the three letters
can be interpreted as a blind, {
clever deception, . psychological
smoke-screen TO conceal the trutl
from the authorities! Isn't tina
what happened!
Didn't you and Chief Dakin
Bradford, instantly dismiss Rose
mary's death as factor and con
eentrate on Nora as the intended
victim! But that was just wha
Rosemary's murderer would wan
you To do! You ignored the actua
victim TO look for murder motive
against the ostensible victim. An,
30 you built your case around Jim
who was the only person who coul,
possibly have poisoned Nora, an
never for an instant sought the rea
eriminal--the person Nth the mo
tive ard opportunity TO poison Rose
wary"
Pat was by now so bewildered tina
she gave herself up wholly TO listen
ing. But Carter Bradford was fol
lowing with q savage fntentnesi
hunched over the table and neve
taking his eyes from Ellery's fac
GO onl" he said. "Go on"
"Let's 20 back" said Mr.. Queer
lighting . cigaret- 1--WE now kno'
Jim's three letters referred 10 a bic
den, q aforementioned first wifi,
II this woman died on New Year
Day two or three years ago, VIII
Si1nt Jim mail TIE letters Ia h