The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1951-03-30


would attempt anything further
until he found out whether Anne
Delahay's death would pass for an
accident or not.
''In any event, I couldn't have
prevented what happened to Fay
Thorndyke-it was murder, not
suicide, as you know. I didn't get
back here until late Friday night.
/ expected to present my evidence
at the inquest Saturday and obtain
an order fer Carols arrest. But
Fay's death made it necessary to
postpone the inquest.
THAT fake suicide and confess
sion didn't take me in for a min
ute. 1t was simply impossible. She
couldn't have been the woman at
The Silver Sipper-which wasn't
mentioned in the note, by the way
or the woman who was seen in the
road the day Anne Delahay died.
Remember that woman was de-
scribed as rather under medium
height-about Miss Dorinda's size.
Nobody could possibly describe Fay
as anything but tall or mistake her,
even though her face was hidden,
for Miss LaCroix. And she had an
ironclad alibi for the second MUIR
der.
"The note was entirely typewrit-
ten, even the signature. It was
typed on Fay's typewriter but any
one could have written it. I fancied,
and found out later I was right,
that there'd been 4 switch In the
mild sedative tablets Miss Thorn
dyke was accustomed to taking.
Morphine tablets had been subSti-
tuted, we know now, which were
again changed for the harmless
ones when the note was planted.
Fay had to die because she
knew of the irnpersonation. It's
barely possible Edward could have
persuaded her to keep quiet if he
had married her. But she certainly
would have told everything she
knew once she discovered his al
lance with Carol. Her death that
night, coming as it did so soon
after Dorinda's escape, served a
double purpose. 1t got Fay out Of
the way and created a scrapegoat,
we were supposed to accept what
the note said and forget the whole
thing. But by now, the strain was
telling on Carol; her set-up for Fay
wasn't as careful as the others had
BEEN"
But about that attempt on me-"
Dorinda broke in. Fay was dead
then-Carol couldn't have thought
she'd get away with that. And how
did you happen to be there just
at the right time?"
Poole rubbed his hand over his
chin without meeting Dorinda' S
eyes. THAT wasn't just a happen
stance. You see, I felt sure she'd
make another immediate attack on
you before you could tell things she
didn't want told. I'll wager she
found out you'd kept quiet about
this Dorinda LaCroix stuff, didn't
she?"
Dorinda nodded.
II thought so. We didn't know
what she planned to do but what
ever it was we wanted to catch her
in the act. That suicide note Of Miss
Thorndyke's complicated things. In
spite Of hell and high water, good
defending attorney might make a
jury accept it. We arranged to give
her a little rope and sure enough
she tangled herself up in it."
He dded hastily, ''Cleve's
bawled me out for this. He didn't
know until after we were hidden in
the house what it was all about.
But you weren't in danger for q
minute. You remember the man
on the motorcycle? He was one Of
our men and he was watching at
your end Of the line. And at Thorn
dyke House Poole paused to
chuckle. We'll, Harriet Thorn
dyke was keeping an eye on Carol.
Really, ought to make that wom-
an deputy. She telephoned us the
minute the nurse left the house
and Hawley, Cleve. myself and a
man from the District Attorneys
office were concealed in the store
room before you two got there.
Fay was intended to be blamed
for your death. too. We would have
found q box of aspirin tablets i'm
pregnated with cyanide in your
handbag which Carol would have
conveniently remembered Miss
Thorndyke giving you. You know.
Of course, that Carol dropped the
poison in your glass while you were
getting the ice cubes.
'And now, that's about all there
is to tell. isn't it,"
Carol Planned Suicide