The Wilmington morning star., 1946-05-26

suspect at au!" he asked IN
credulously.
The inspectors face clouded.
"Suspects!" he said with an an
noyed shrug. Sure I have sus-
poets. Jane there knows one
and thinks she has guessed the Sec
ond. But what good does it do?'
Then he held out his hand to me.
well, thanks for trying to refresh
MI. Leighton's memory, Jane, and
let's 60"
But Leighton had no desire to
leave.
eff you don't mind, I'd like to
stay a while longer, Inspector" he
said quietly. Miss Applebee was
the last, and probably best, friend
Brenda had and-if she doesn't
object to talking about her with
me, I'd greatly appreciate it."
l didn't. And so Inspector Bar
ry left without Leighton, Claire
retired into the guest room after
seeing him to the door, and
Brenda's husband and l sat down
on the sofa before the fireplace.
Once we were alone, though, he
plainly didn't know how to begin
his talk about Brenda, and I had
to help him out by saying: Shall
1 start with her last days-or at
the beginning?"
He looked grateful and relieved.
"Anywhere you please he told
me, a little h~oarsely. Il just want
to hear more about her. Her life,
her friends if any-everything. AND
there's one thing I'd like to find
out particularly: What made you
like her, even after you'd learned
she'd sneaked her way into your
sisters house,"
mot even. Only after I'd
learned it," 1 corrected. ITO be
honest, she irritated me that first
night. 1 resented her-well-her
lack of humor in handling what
considered a minor misadventure.
1 began to like her after I'd found
out Elmpoint had been her home
and she'd wanted to see it so much
that any way of getting into it was
all right with her"
Leighton looked puzzled. But
that's the queer part of it.
Brenda didn't like Elmpoint. I
can't understand why she should
have wanted so much to see 1t
again"
"She may not have liked Elm
point, but she liked her rooms.
The furniture in them had been
specially designed for her, hadn't
it," I reminded him. I'm not
Just guessing. She told me she
came back for a look at her things.
But that she was glad they were
gone, as it kept her from doing
you another wrong Any idea
what she meant?"
He shook his head. mo. 1t
makes it more of a puzzle. The
whole thing Seems too carefully
planned and full Of expert lying
for Brenda. She couldn't lie. When
she did, it was written all over
her face"
Then you think her visit to Elm
point was planned for her-by her
murderer" I asked.
"By him or someone else. But
why? What can be the connection
between that crazy stunt and the
first two murders?"
1 couldn't answer the question.
It had stumped me for two inter-
minable, horrible weeks. And SO
said, 81 don't know" and changed
the subject by delving into an &C
count of Brenda's last days: her
Joy when she'd heard he was on
his way to her, her confidence
that his arrival would solve the
murders and end all her troubles
besides.
IF only I could have made her
tell me the name" l mourned at
the end of my story. But she in
sisted it would mean another
wrong to you, and-I just couldn't
bulge her"
Il know" Leighton agreed I'M
happily. The man must have
threatened her with heaven knows
what, until it became an obsession
with her, this-doing me a wrong"
1t certainly had been an obses-
sion. A wrong she had done her
husband. "A wrong she was glad
she couldn't do him. "A wrong
she wouldn't do him
And still, it would all have end
ed we'll if she'd lived-if that
friend hadn't been so horribly
clever" l thought out loud.
"You mean we'd have remar
RED" Leighton interpreted my re-
mark correctly. You're right, we