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By DOROTHY STALEY Copyright, 1946, NtA Serrfce, IntXVIIII felt very weary, “You boiler pull yourself together, Dru, and [go downstairs and take that teie-I phone over. This affair isn't going to be a secret \eiv long, and somebody will have to sit there and ! he patient and tactful. Besides, the district attorney wnnLs to see all of us at noon.She came and laid her cheek ion my hair. Sopy, Nana. I'll take over now.”I knew I coulc! depend on her, so 1 left and went to Miss Jenny's jioom. She was very white, but she and Bel*cy were sUlmg there jkmning veiy steadily. I thought ! of the knitting women in Fiance ; and shuddered. The Jaw was i:iy-jmg “Murder. Did that mean that someone of us . . .1 bi ushed the I thought angrily aside. There was [some logical explanation of Phil-ilipas death. Or did it lie in some-! tiling bUpemaUiral, as Dru had jsaid? Had we all, hating Phillipa,I wishing her out of our lives, cum-[dined fit a foice that had swept i her illogically toward the eitfiV edge and death? Something ha*to be done about Phillipa. Thailand began toleaning toward the theory that PhiJllpECB , , . ah . . Hecleared his throat, ‘That is that Phillipa was held up last night, either killed or rendered un conscious—we don't hove Dr. MacDonald's ‘report as yet—anil then dropped over the cliff in the rock gaideii. He shuffled some more papers and then looked around the semi-circle. He might have been a teacher, explaining the quantum theorem. We are try mg to trace her movements hast evening and as soon as wc can do iliat, we will be in a better position to find the person or persons responsible for her death. Now you can help us greatly by alt try mg to recall anything that would give us a lead as to where she might ha\e been/'Zern and Sliaub had come in fiom somewhere foi now Zorn's voire interrupted from behind ux. •'It would be a lot bet let, chief, 10 a.sk these people to try to recall where they were last mg lit.Jeffrey, I think, was about to remind Zern lie was m charge, bill. Zern walked up to the dekout. I was that surprised Vrt Betsy raised her dun and Zern’s eyes* ievelly. ’That, said, is quite true.”metshetheandAt that point the man at 1 e lop hone called S t r a u b,Dru took achantage of the interruption to say jn j. cool, even voice, T think you can leaxe .Mr, Fletcher Willson out of your calculations, Mr. Zern. He was with me last night.Zern said, lIs tins a confession, Miss Ell is?Dru can hold her lie ad up as proudly as Betsy, with just a hintof arrogance and a bit of con-OfI was the ihoughL uppermost in eiKhjm his hand,read from a paper 4L was suie sur-heart. Those who hadn't \Oieedprised. Mr. Zein, when young Mr.it had thought it. We each of us Field! hit her. Hit her so hard had murdei in our head*, jet \vejne knocked her up against Um weren't the kind of people who there desk. They were quarrelm*tome l hip.1 awlul, (he three of them. Mrs Fincher was goirV tomurdered.We were all assembled in the Ubraiy by three minutes of 12 when Jeffrey Hazleti lt;ame in with a young man stenographer and another man whom he stationed at our telephone. Mr. Willson hadhis Miss Eiks when Mi. Fie It h up with his arm . , J19 Zemlocked up and wrinkled hib forehead, More?Beis said hoarsely, II isn'thad the desk pulled into the con- true. Who said Unit? Shu sounded ter Of the floor for Jeffrey and]breath!ess and frightened, and I, we saL m a semi-circle in Iiont v*ho was sitting next Ui her, put of it. exactly like so many children (my hand over hers and squeezed in a school 100m. Zern and Btniubjil, and FleU’h, opposite hei. shook were not around. . I couldn't un-Uiis head. '■dersland that, and I think Jeffrey1 ^ern locked a! hei and wrinkled was a little puzzled too by their hiiS foiohcad agmn. “No? Is this? lateness. ['And there was Miss Betsy withHe began by shuffling papers!the heavy poket m her hand, around and sajihg, YVe ai e'screaming at Mrs. Fletcher to geltempi for creaLures like Zern.|what? she asked.But Zern had the last word, p,Muixle:—or an indiscretion.”“Dtu, Dm, 1 thought, *T can appreciate your wanting 10 shield Fletch, but you aren't making things any better. But Zern wasn't lluslenng Dru, Kenher, she answered Zern, in such a tone (hat he began to look uncomfortable, and lhen relieved when Straub enterrupted from the doorway of I he morning-room, You’ll ha\e to lay ’hlt;u hold-up theory (of }ouu on the table, chieiT He !smiled broadly at all of ut. The itar's been toiind.1SI num's voice had the triumphant note u\ it Unit comes only when you have proved yourself to be right, With an empty gas tank, but with the windows closed and the whole ear locked Jeffrey spoke qiueliv, Where are the keys?Straub shook Ids head, We got to find the kes yet. Piobubly m the rock garden somewhere. We1!3 have 1q tuake a more thorough search iheie yet.”Where was the cat?' Jeffrey asked.Siraub pulled hisbit Liom his luu, home. Oxer on Church Road, not a quarter mile Rom the old Barclay place.”Betsy's fingers closed conutl-sixelv around mine.I To Be Continued)IXchoicest lab-Tfrght nearFINDS YOUTH ASLEEPIN STOLEN MACHINE
Newspaper Details
Edwardsville Intelligencer
Edwardsville, Illinois, US
Wed, Mar 06, 1946
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Rick Z.
NA, 08 Feb 2024
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Madison County Courier
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