The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1946-01-25
CHAPTER v

smell on one of the pillowslips in
Little Bear. Oh, I'm sure Of it."
"Wfo were they?" Cumberland
asked.
81 don't know" Bee confessed.
earl Priddy took them to the cab
in. They came late Friday night
and left very early. I didn't see
them at all. But I'm positive about
the SMELL"
There seemed no more to say.
They moved out Of doors again, and
Cumberland asked heavily: what
did they do to him, Doc? How'd
they kill him?"
Doctor Medford said unsteadily:
81 can stand most things all right;
but this gets me-"
And he continued, without prompt
ing: ''It was more or less luck that
hit it so soon. I didn't find any
wounds, knife, bullet, nothing like
that; so I went into the abdomen,
thinking of poison. found the an
swer there"
He hesitated and Cumberland
urged: Go ahead, Doc"
The Doctor said grimly: Gan
right. It's hard to believe; but this
man died of peritonitis, from a rup-
tured appendix. Rupture resulted
from a gangrenous condition pro-
duced by a crease in the omentus
that bent a fold In an artery, the
way you do hose, and shut off the
blood-supply. That's how he died!"
For a moment no one spoke, till
Cumberland muttered:
"Then it's not murder, Tope!"
The Inspector said impatiently:
"They tied him up, gagged him, left
him half-smothered with blanket
around his head when he was rum
ming a temperature and pretty sick
and needing doctor quick. If that
wasn't murder, it was the next thing
70 i'll"
''Manslaughter, maybe" Cumber-
land admitted.
''Well," Tope suggested, suppose
it was you that had fetched this man
TO PARKWAY and left him there to
die. Wouldn't you be worried for
fear some one had spotted your"
1T was dark" Cumberland re-
dected. ''I'd have kept my hat
pulled down, my collar turned up"
"How about the car? Wouldn't you
be afraid Priddy might remember
the carr" Then, putting himself in
the other mans place, Tope went
on: "Of course, maybe I'd steal
car to do the job. Mat, have you
had any reports Of car being sto-
Ten around here?"
81 wouldn't know about that"
Cumberland confessed. Med Quill
would, though. The State police get
all those bulletins"
''Where is her"
'Asleep inside. He was up all
night"
'Well, send him out" Tope di-
rected. The District Attorney went
into the house, and after a moment
Ned Quill appeared, deliberately rub
bing his eyes.
Tope spoke to him. "Get any rest,
did you?"
"Surel" the trooper told him
eheerfully. "A good three hours!"
Tope nodded. "Quill, have the
State police had any reports Of
car being stolen around here, the
last few days?"
'Sure, cars are stolen all the
time"
'You go find out whether any cars
have been reported stolen within fif-
ty miles Of here since Friday" Tope
directed. ''Or since Thursday, for
that matter"
Quill assented. He started away;
but Tope detained him. ''Wait a
minute" he said. Something else.
You know the country around
here?"
''Lived here all my life-up to now.
Yes, / guess do"
'Wen them" Tope asked, "sup-
pose you had car on your hands
that you had to get rid of, some
where around here, where would you
put it?"
The trooper considered. '.I'd run
It into the woods" he decided.
''There are a lot of old roads that
nobody uses except to park in, on
moonlight nights; and nobody would
Aotice one more car among SO
many
Tope shook his head. "That's not
good enoughl Some one might spot
It the first day. Is there any place
where car could be sunk in deep
Water?"
"Well, there are some old lime
stone quarries, above Ridgcomb. I
haven't been up there since ] was a
hid; but there's always water in the
auarries, and it's gray with lime,
% you can't see down into it,
''Any other place that would do
ahe trick2'' vsv
MARY a one that ] know Of"
Tope nodded. "All right" he
agreed. s'Now you 60 find out