THE LAUGHING GIRL MYSTERY

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXIV, Issue 11922, 14 January 1936, Page 4

THE LAUGHING GIRL MYSTERY

Synopsis of Preceding Instalments; Sheridan Dinard, chief aide to Or. Coe, on Egyptologist who lias a private museum ill Now York, is hurrying up the stairs to tlie studio apartment of Adelaide Sayre, his fiancee, when he hears a girlish hurst of laughter cut off short. He remarks to Oswold. the coloured janitor, that the girl must he a blonde with lavender eyes and a short upper lip- Hater he laughingly says to Adelaide and Lester Wilcox, also connected with the museum, that it is easy for an archaeologist to reconstruct a girl from her laugh- A gtr answering this .description is found dead from a slab wound in the apartment of Mr and Mrs Coggs who are at their conntry place. An Egyptian statuette, taken from -Dlnard-s desk, had been ustd as a door knocker to hide a newly bored peephole in the Coggses’ hall door Higgins wants to arrest Dinard hut Assistant District Attorney Alby holds him hack. A Florentine dagged used by the murdered is missed from the museum, ami Marlin, the English caretaker, disappears. Dr. Coe. supposed to be at Ins country place, appears at the museum in a daze. Adelaide destroys a cerise bagg„.,e cheek which shows up mysteriously ciMier desk.' A trunk with such a cheek is delivered to a man registered at the Hotel Astrakau as Dennis Swift. He takes a packet of letters from it ami disappears. ,1 oev Tlmmolt. 10-year-old hell hoy, says Swift is two inches shorter than Dinard. From photographs found in the trunk the slain girl is identified as Daisy Satterly. a ballet dancer, whom Dinard recalls seeing When they were children in England. Alhy tells Coggs that somebody is masquerading as him. “What!” Coggs set down his glass of beer and his hands grasped the corners of his chair. “Me!” “Him!” exclaimed Mrs Coggs, with a sudden hiccough. “However, it wasn't a good enough take-off to be convincing.” Alhy continued. The Coggs were silent a moment, indignation and amazement on their faces. Mrs Coggs hiccoughed again. “There now. Mamma, what’d I tell you. you’ve eaten too much cheese.” “I have not. It was the idea that somebody’s been masquerading as you, did it. What I need is another swallow of beer.” “You’ll keep me up all night, getting hot water bags and soda,” grumbled Mr Coggs. Alhy filled Mrs Coggs’ glass. She drank It defiantly, almost at one gulp. “Who’s been masquerading as me?” demanded Mr Coggs menacingly “If I got my hands on him ” Alhy shrugged. “Whoever it was tried last night to kill Mr Dinard.” “No!” Mrs Coggs stared, her heavy-lipped mouth almost wide open. "Well!” she exclaimed at last, “it wasn’t papa. He never left this house —” “Quite true. The policeman on duty hero provides him with an alibi.” “But just how—” Mr Coggs seemed at a loss for words. His fingers s’trummed a nervous rhythm now against the rungs, now against the bottom of the seat of his chair. Alhy did not help him out. Merely waited. Mrs Coggs hiccoughed again. At last Mr Coggs said, "Who saw this attack? Are you sure Dinard didn’t make it up?” “One of our men saw it. But the man got away.” “How did he look like me, did your man say?” “My man didn’t say. He wasn’t near enough to see. It was Dinard who noticed the resemblance.” Coggs burst into a loud laugh. ‘‘He said it was me!” “He didn’t. In fact, he was sure it wasn’t you. The fist of the man who attached him had hairs growing above the knuckles. Your hand is almost as smooth as a woman’s.” Mrs Coggs hiccoughed again. "Nonsense!” she exclaimed. “Well!” Coggs looked at his hands almost with pride. “Real estate don’t get your nails dirty.” “Real estate business!” Mrs Coggs barked at him. ‘‘Just going round looking at places and not buying them! He calls that real estate business!” “Well, I bought two houses, didn’t I? And our place in the country! ” “Have you always been in the real estate business?” Alby asked in a soothing tone. “No. Only since 1 been in New York, 1 had a souvenir store for tourists in San Francisco. “And a real nice business It was, too.” Mrs Coggs would not be pacified. “Money coming in every day. I always said we should never have come to New York. But he said California wouldn’t be good for tourists any more.” “We’re straying rather far from our murder, aren't we?” Alby suggested. “And that reminds me,” said Mrs Coggs. “Aren't you going to arrest Mr Dinard? He might get away.” “No danger. He's safe upstairs at this moment.” “He’s not really going to sleep there!” Mrs Coggs was shocked. “We don’t want this building to get a bad name!” “They're quite respectably chaperoned by a police matron, Mrs Coggs. You needn’t worry.” “But a N murderer —Well, I only hope you're not making a mistake,” Mrs Coggs sighed, “with the man who pretended to be Mr Coggs getting away and your Mr Marlin. By the way, what was it you told us a while back that his landlady’s daughter said about him?” “I didn’t tell you. But if you care to know—” “Well, a person’s likely to be curious when a murder’s been done on their own rug.” “Well, the girl had only good things to say about him. But then—here, Jet me fill your glass—she was In love with him.” “You don’t -say!” “And apparently he was with her.” “That’s what she cays,” Mr Coggs spoke with a worldly air. “And him going off and not leaving an address! Women imagine things.” “Women! Women!” >Jrs Coggs was quarrelsome again. “Women imagine things. For all you know he did make love to her. Men"—a hiccough rather spoiled the grand air

(By VIOLA PARADISE)

Mrs Coggs tried to a^ liev °’ ' were deceivers ever. That s a P '"Alby smiled. "Well, apparently he was quite frank with the He told her he couldn t mar . as long as his wife was a n e. it’s rather late for gossip. I« £ getting on. and letting you go back t 0 But Mrs Coggs didn’t want to leave her quarrel. “You’re as bad as Mr Coggs. Thinking it excuses a man to tell he’s got a Wife. What would a man be doing making love to another girl and him with a wife.” “His wife is in an insane asylum in London,” said Alby. “But let s forget her. I’m much obliged for your co-operation. Will you be good enough to keep a look-out on people who come into this building this week?” “We’ll watejh the folks that come to the house," said Mr Coggs. “Only we’d kind of like to go to the country Saturday.” “Let’s hope this whole matter will be cleared up by then,” said Alby. “And now, before I go, may I use your telephone? I think I'll take advantage of the extra' long wire,” he added, “and telephone from the bathroom —this is to be a confidential call.” As Alby closed the bathroom door, he heard Mrs Coggs say, “I did eat too much cheese. And I’m not sure I got the right medicine in the house —" Alby dialed police headquarters. As soon as he got his number; the Coggses stopped talking. “I'm knocking off for the night,” he said. “But I’ll take a room at the Brevoort. Wake me up there, if anything develops.” But if the Coggs were eavesdropping, the rest of his message did them little good. For he gave it in code. When Sheridan, Adelaide and the person called Mrs Galloway entered Adelaide’s apartment, Adelaide shivered. “One thing is certain,” she said to Sheridan. “We won’t live in this house after Saturday.” “The Coggses wouldn’t want us as tenants now,” Sherry attempted a light tone. “He’s convinced that I’m a murderer and you’re a forward hussy. “But there wasn’t much zest in Sherry's banter. “Don’t! Please!” Adelaide said wanly. “You’re right. It’s too grisly for this time of night.” “Besides I have a—a guest,” said Adelaide. “Two, in fact.” She tried to smile as she busied herself as hostess. “Take your bag into Aunt Emily’s room,” she said to Sherry. “And you, Mrs Galloway—” “Oh, me,” said Mrs Galloway, “I better do like Mr Alby said. That chaise longue he said I was to put in the little room between the two apartments. But might I look round first, to get the lay of the land?” “Of course.” Adelaide led the way into her aunt’s apartment. Mrs Galloway followed them about and looked out of windows and into closets. “Seems safe enough here,” she said. “Now if. I could see your part of the house, Miss.” After Mrs Galloway had inspected it to her own satisfaction —which seemed to Adelaide the satisfaction of prying inquisitiveness rather than chaperonage—she settled comfortably on the chaise longue which Cherry moved into the dining room, taking from her bag a gray knit shawl, a book of detective stories, arid a revolver. “These will keep me awake,” she explained in an old cracked voice. Adelaide and Sherry smiled at each other. But Adelaide said, “I don’t like the revolver. It makes things seem dangerous.” “Don’t worry, Miss. I’m a crack shot. There's .not a woman on the force can match me . And even most of the men—” She picked up the revolver almost affectionately. “Yes, yes. I’m willing to take your word for it,” said Adelaide, and Sherry followed her back to her own apartment. There they clung together in silence for a few moments. “You’re such a brick, darling,” he said. “Rather a tired brick,” she replied. “Sherry, will you sleep tonight? I have some medicine here the doctor gave me once for insomnia,” “I'll not need it,” he said. “My brain’s too tangled up to think. I’ll just switch it off and sleep like a log. And by morning all the kinks will be smoothed out.” “Darling, it’s not true what that horrid woman said, is it? That I want to marry you more than you want to marry me?” “Dear idiot, you know better than that!” “Yes, but I want to hear you say it.” "All right, listen. I want to marry you a thousand million times more than you want to marry me. There.” She laughed. “Yes, I; am an idiot. But let’s go to bed now.” "How about you? Will you need that sleeping medicine?” "Oh, no. I’m even too dead to take a bath. I'm going to peel off my clothes, brush a tooth and fall into bed.” “Good girl.” Adelaide was in bed -♦'itliio a few minutes. But she lacked Sherry’s gift of switching off her mind. Although she did fall asleep, it was a tortured, nightmare-ridden sleep. One nightmare kept repeating itself. “Pretty bad if the minutes drag before we’re married,” she was saying to Sherry, but instead-of Sherry, it was Mrs Coggs who r.eplied, “He doesn't want to marry her at all. Lost the license, did he? That’s good, good, that is.„.” And she would try in the dream ito prove it wasn’t true. But wordls wouldn't come. And Sherry sfood sthere, looking at the dead girl, Dai?y, with af-

fection in his eyes, forgetting her, Adelaide. She tore herself awake, but the horrid feeling of the dream piled itself upon the long misery of the hours since they had found, the girl with lavender eyes. Her head ached, her body was weary to the bone, and she could get no relief, awake or asleep. And then came ail aw r akening that was different. Almost before she knew she was awake, she ivas out of bed. . .Surely there as some one on the r00f... Her heart was hammering. The room rvas flooded with moonlight and shadows. . .Terrifying . . . Of course this fright was ridiculous! Not a sound on the roof. Well, now that she was up she'd take a hot bath, and some of that sleeping medicine. How absurd she had been to hesitate for fear of startling Mrs Galloway. She was probably awake. A hot bath would feel good. The room was chilly.... She would pull up the covers on her hed, so it would he nice and warm to get into. There. She started for the door. But suddenly something made her turn round and look at the bed. Funny the way the corner of the dresser cast a shadow on her pillow. Why, it looked as if she were still in the bed. Her heart started pounding again. How idiotic—And then she knew it wasn’t the shadow on the bed which was scaring her. A shadow had suddenly been cast upon herself. Instantly, without taking thought, she crouched to the floor, behind the cnafr on which lay her clothes. Her eyes were glued to the window. A foot had come down below the shade ■—a foot and then a leg. . .The foot was groping for the window sill. . . And now half the fig'ure of a man, blackly silhouetted against the outer moonlight. And now a head. ..a masked face. . .a gloved fist. . something that gleamed. . . She tried to scream. It must be part of a dream, for she could not scream... The first drew back and darted forward. . .There was a dull thud somewhere. . .The arm, the body, the foot vanished. . .And then a slipper‘fell swiftly across the vacant space of the window. . . Adelaide turned to the bed... Nightmare, that's what it was... That dark shadow in the bed was herself. . .But something was gleaming. Then it was true!. ..A dagger . . .Sticking up in the middle of the dark shadow that might have been her head.., And then Adelaide was U crumpled heap upon the floor. (To be continued.;.