Evening Star Newspaper, January 25, 1942, Page 94

THE NIGHT “That’s awful,’® he said. “Poor Mark!” lot of that picture. And besides, he used to have three or four enlarged snapshots of the two of them fishing and swimming and things like that, - here between the windows. They’re gone, too."” “So what? I’'m not worrying about pictures and snapshots. What I want to know is, who killed him?” “Iguessyou’reright, at that,” sighed the sheriff, sitting down opposite Gil. “We better get our facts together. Let's see —* He fished out a soiled envelope and a stubby pencil. ‘“When you was phoning I heard the streamliner whis- tlin’."* H For just an instant, Gil froze with fear; then he remembered that the streamliner went by his place, too. But a little thing like a train whistle, overheard on the phone, could have put him in the chair! “] was so rattled by your call I didn’t think to look at my watch. Just what time does she go by your place, Mr. Logan?”’ “Ten twelve,”” Gil said promptly. “I almost always glance at my watch, just to see if she’s on time. She always is, within a minute or so, anyway.”” “And how long before you called me was it, would you say, that you were talking to Mr. Talbott? I want to fix the time of the murder, if [ can.”’ Gil frowned, pretending to concen- trate. ““Well, when I heard his shout, and the crash, I listened for — oh, maybe half a minute. Then the phone was hung up, and I dialed his number again, twice, I'd say that I was talk- ing to you within three minutes, four at the most, after it happened.” “That would makce it eight or nine minutes after ten. Now that we've got that much settled, we'll have to fish around for the reason.” “Haven’t you already established the motive? Didn’t you say he was robbed ?"’ j ‘“He was robbed right enough,” Beldon said thoughtfully. “Only — that diamond ring of his was plain as the nose on your face, the way he was laying, and I'd say it was worth a lot more than all the money he was likely to have on him. Seems to me I would have taken that, too — if I was so hard up I'd kill a man for his cash.” “Probably the murderer was rat- tled, and didn’t notice the ring.” “Maybe s0.”" The sheriff glanced up’ sharply. g “Have you any idea why Mrs. Tal- bott didn’t come up here this year?'’ ““Why no. Just what Mark told me: that she had other plans.”’ “l see. They were getting along all right? No trouble between them, I mean?"’ “l really couldn’t say; after all, that’s the sort of thing a man doesn’t talk about much.” What was the old fool driving at? Gil was beginning to feel uneasy — caught and bound in an invisible snare. Bm rose wearily. ‘‘I never was much good beatin’ around the bush. Look here, Mr. Logan, Mr. Talbott’s wife doesn’t come with him this year. He takes down every picture of her, like he doesn’t want to even be re- minded of her — yet he was always plain crazy about her, and jealous of every little thing. And I’ve seen the two of you makin’' eyes when you thought no one was lookin’ — you and Mrs. Talbott. It seems to me —'* *Just what sort of ridiculous story are you trying to cook up?”’ Gil sprang out of his chair and almost stumbled, for his legs had suddenly lost their strength. “If you're trying to say that —'’ “Sit down, Logan, sit down.” The sheriff’s voice was calm, but cold as ice, and his eyes had a snaky look. “All that's just guesswork, although it can be checked, later on, to establish a motive, as you was sayin'-a few minutes ago. “But there’s one thing that ain’t guesswork, Logan; that train whistle. You didn’t call me from your place — you called from right here in this very room!”’ “You're crazy!” snapped Gil, feel- ing himself go sick and helpless inside. “Sure you heard the train whistle; it always whistles for the crossing right back of my place, a couple of hun- dred yards.” “Sure; I know. For the crossing. But she wasn’t whistling for a crossing when I heard her; she was whistling for the drawbridge, and there’s no bridge on the line nearer to your camp than the one over the river right out there! “Different whistle signals mean dif- ferent things to a railroader, Logan, and I rode the crummy for quite a few years. ““And don’t look so wild and mad, because it ain’t goin’ to do any good. Your number’s up!" Gil nodded weakly. He hadn't real- ized he was looking wild or mad, as the old man put it. He didn't feel that way. He didn’'t feel anything at all .. . Just numb all over. . .. The End Page Twenty-one 0 | 3 Ty ! e Texcel Transparent Cellophane T MENDS your torn snapshots, your torn lamp or window shades SEALS packages and bulky envelopes STICKS at a touch New, handy, different with all the important improvements you'd expect from the largest company in the world devoted exclusively to the manufacture of tape INDUSTRIAL TAPE CORP., NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. TEXCELS CELLOPHANE TAPE @ E .Saves money soothing action ith Bros. Cough ‘Two kinds: Black or Meathol—5¢, o mucous membranes of nose and throat to cold infections, when lack of resist- aace is due to Vitamin A deficiency.