Browning chief., 1946-12-27

thing to do with the murder"
"But you did see someone that
night" began Bob.
She met his eyes straightly and
, said coolly, "Did II"
Megan drew deep breath and
said levelly, "You saw me, didn't
you, Miss Martha?"
Bob flung her startled glance,
but Laurence's mouth only frightened
a little.
Miss Martha looked straight at
Megan and then she sighed and nod
ded. eyes, saw you," she admit
ted.
Bob said quickly, 'Look here, Miss
MacTavish, you haven't told me
anything about being up there that
night"
"You didn't ask mel" Megan re-
minded him.
IT said that if you were in bed
and asleep, you couldn't have heard
a scream"
Megan nodded. "And I said, no,
couldn't-but you didn't ask me if I
had been in my bed asleep" she
reminded him again.
"Who was with you?" he asked
sternly. "Don't tell me you went
out alone at that time of night"
Megan said quietly, "No, wasn't
alone. I was when I left the house.
But when I reached the Ridge-Mr.
Fallon was there and we talked a
little while''
Bob asked abruptly, "Your father
was involved with Mrs. Stevenson,
wasn't he?"
Megan gasped as though he had
struck her, and Laurence said
sharply. eli, lay off, Bob. You have
no right to ask her such question. I"
Bob met his eyes squarely and
said coolly, Haven't II"
GAS her counsel" began Lau-
renee heatedly, but Bob's grin was
cool. amused, and it silenced him.
Bob lit a cigarette, first securing
permission from Megan.
And then he looked at Miss Mar
tina and said very gently, miss
Evans, just why did you kill Mrs.
Stevenson"
1t was so unexpected, and the tone
of his quiet, even voice was in such
contrast to the thing he said that
for a moment everybody in the room
went rigid; and outside the door, in
the shadowy hall, there was a
smothered gasp from the unseen,
but listening, Annie.
Miss Martha sat very quiet for a
moment, her body held upright by
her grip on the arms Of her chair.
Without raising her face she lifted
her eyes and looked straight at Bob.
He $ watching her quietly,
stear md in complete silence.
After a moment, Miss Martha
sagged back in her chair, limp and
beaten, all her defenses down.
"All right" she said, her voice a
mere thread of sound. ''I-did it,"
Megan caught her breath on a
strangled sob and swayed little.
And Laurence, without taking his
eyes off Miss Martha's white, raw
aged face, put his arm about Megan
and drew her close.
"Why, Miss Martha?" asked Bob,
very gently, with pity in his voice.
Miss Martha drew hard breath
and lifted her hands in a little ges-
ture of helplessness before she
gripped them once more about the
arms of her chair. "I-hated her
She was a wicked woman. She
made so much trouble for every
body. She had started spreading
lies and slander about Tom. was
afraid that Lefty might hear-in one
of her periods of lucidity. Tom told
me about the things she was saying.
He had been foolish enough to 60 to
her house one evening and face her
with a story she was spreading
about him and-Miss MacTavish-"
The tired voice died and she
opened her eyes and looked at Me-
gan and said family, "I'm-sorry,
but l might as well tell you the
whole story"
$50 Mrs. Stevenson was broad
casting the fact that Miss MacTav-
ish and Mr.. Fallon were friends,
and limiting that there was more to
it than that, and you decided to
have talk with her-WaS that it?"
Bob's gentle voice asked Miss Mar
tina.
She rubbed her hands together as
though the palms were damp and her
voice steadied little. Eyes, that
was it," she said evenly. "And Mrs.
Stevenson was curious about Letty's
illness and she came prying and
shopping. Tom and knew that If
the people here in Pleasant Grove
knew that Lefty was-of unsound
mind, they might be afraid of her,
for all that she was completely help
less, and that Tom might lose his
job, or worse still, that he might be
forced to-put Lefty away in an
| institution. We couldn't bear the
thought of that" Once more the
voice died away, and without
sound Annie materialized beside
Miss Martha's chair, offering her a
glass in which there was some pun