The midland journal., 1946-03-29

think I see the answer"
The fire had burned low. "I'll take
off this wet coat" he remarked, and
stood before them in flannel shirt,
vest, khaki trousers and light woods
shoes with rubber soles; a spare,
gray, small old man.
"It was Holdom," he began then.
II can see what was in his mind,
what he tried to do"
And he explained: "a week ago,
I would have been as mystified as
you, because I had always trusted
Holdom. But I know now that he
was thief and a rascal. learned
last Monday that he had been using
my collateral to trade in an account
under my name, to sell my own
stocks short. have already report
ed the matter to the Exchange au-
thorities."
He paused, but no one spoke. So
he went on:
"Holdom did not know, you under
stand, that there were two of us;
Christopher and I.
"Now gentlemen, Christopher was
sick. Being doctor, he of course
knew that he had bad appendix;
but he was devoted to me. For him
to 60 to a New York hospital would
have been to risk the discovery OF
our duality. He was willing to take
some risk to avoid that, so he de-
cided to come up to Holdom's home
here for the operation. Mrs. Kell
had been trained nurse. DR.. Ma
son would come from Boston to do
the operation, in the rooms above
Holdom's garage.
christopher himself, pretending
to be me, made all these arrange
ments with Holdom; so Holdom
would naturally suppose that l was
about to be incapacitated for week
or ten days. Perhaps he thought I
was likely to die. Perhaps he al
ready intended my death. At any
rate, before leaving New York-and
trading in my name-he sold my
stocks short"
He hesitated, then continued: $50
they left New York on Friday morn
ing, Christopher and Holdom, and
Kell driving. protested, but Chris
topher assured me the drive would
do him no harm. Before starting,
he took a sedative in order to sleep,
to escape the pain
Tope prompted him. Sand you
say you can figure what happened?"
81 can guess" Ledforge agreed.
"When Christopher fell asleep in the
car-Kell was Holdom's man, of
course-they laid Christopher on the
floor, and Holdom too got down out
of sight, so no one saw them as KeQ
drove past the house to the garage.
''Holdom was completely unscru-
pulous. He dressed Christopher in
that old gray sweater and overalls,
gagged him, swaddled his hands and
feet and head in pieces Of the dog
blanket so that he could make no
noise, and stuffed him into the rum
BILE of the coupe.
''He sent Kell away with orders
to meet him later at some agreed
spot; then Holdom put on pair of
Kell's shoes. Their prints would be
easily recognized because of the
heel-plates. He knew that when
Christopher's body was identified as
me, Vade-because of his threat
ening letters to me, and because he
lived there at the Mill-would be at
first suspected; but if Wade were
exonerated and Kell's footprints
found, then Kel would be the next
suspect.
$50 then Holdom and Mrs. Kell-
she was his mistress-drove to De-
wain's Mill, in the coupe, with
Christopher hidden in the rumble"
He looked at them all, challenging
ly. Doesn't that fit the facts?" he
demanded.
well, SO far" Tope agreed. "But
go onl"
"They took cabin for the night,
and Holdom hid Christopher where
you found him. But Mrs. Kell must
have protested at the inhumanity of
leaving him there alive, till Holdom,
in rage or desperation, strangled
her!"
He hesitated, and the color for
an instant left his cheeks as though
that word had shocked and fright
ened him. "It's sickening!" he ex-
claimed then, hurriedly. "But-aft-
er that, Holdom would 60 on to dis
pose of the car, and of Mrs. Kell's
body, and meet Kell, and make Kell
give him a rap on the head and leave
him to be found beside the road. AS
an alibil" And he said in a low
furious tone: "It is Incredible; and
vet something like that must be the
truth"
He finished, and Joe Dane started
to speak, but Adam touched his arm
and hushed him.
Tope raped his pipe on his heel,
chucked the ashes on the hearth.
"We showed KeI the dead man."
he remarked. 'He said it wasn't
you'll"
"Kell would lie, of course. To save
himself"