DEAD MEN'S SHOES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23208, 30 November 1938, Page 7

DEAD MEN'S SHOES

By JOHN GOODWIN

CHAPTER CVIII A NIGHT EXPEDITION On tlic way home Scmia knitted her Torehead anxiously. The Cootc case liar! made an immense strido forward tonight. Hut — ' "It's going to be difficult," she said. J'jlt.ch more difficult than I thought." Passing through the yards behind King's Elm House she saw a light iti the 'Harness room. Tod West, stableman, this locking up for the night. Ho had littks to do these days; Bannister Coote would never ride again. "West/' said Sonia. "what's become of tiho brown cob that Mr. Coote rodo the night of his death?" Tod, turning round, saluted respectfully. "Out at grass, ma'am. Do you want him!?" , "No. I'm afraid I have no time for riding just now. Had ho all his shoes on when ho camo back?" < Ho hadn't, ma'am. Near foro shoo Was gono." "Was ho at all lame?" „

"Not on that leg. Near hind fetlock bleeding from a cut and sinew a bit strained. I .had fhe other shoe off same day and turned him out into the park." » "You're suro he'd all his shoes before he was taken out?" "Dead sure of that."

"Thank you, West. You'vo a good memory; forget all that now till I ask you to remember it again—will you? Good-night!" Ho touched his cap, looking puzzled. Sonia siriiled at him. She liked Tod, and he, with the rest of the King's Elm staff, adored her. They were all on her side. Sho went indoors. In the morning room she came upon Grant, tall and quiet and respectful. He was waiting for her. Though she • had not 'seen him, he knew she had returned and had gone out again, alone. He looked at her a little reproachfully. "I'm glad you're back, ma'am —from London," he* said anxiously under his breath./ "I suppose I oughtn't to ask but is there any news? Anything "good?" . plenty of it. But it s got to bo a lot better before it -will satisfy me,'l' said Sonia. "Grant, I've a job for. you. Will you come out with mo to-night, Grant, on a little expedition —juist the two of us?" "I'd go from hero to hell and back for yourma'am!" said Grant suddenly. "I—l mean —" "I don't think it'll be so exciting," smiled Sonia. "A simple job—but wet and dark. Start in an hour from now. Get me a torch, meanwhile —I don't think I have one." "Torch?" said Grant blankly. Ho seemed less bright than usual. "Pocket torch, with a good battery; and isan you rake up a coil of rope from somewhere —light but tough. And test ' it. If it'll bear your weight, mine won't '"X-break it." "Hope,'ma'am!" "You know what rope is, surely. Tho istuff they hang people with." "Oh —rope! I'll get it!" "lie waiting for me, eight o'clock, at the west bridle gate in the park ■wall, over by the railway. Oh, and ask the cook to get me some food at once. Hot coffee and buttered eggs will do, as long as there's plenty of it —-I'm $ starving!" ; . 0 .It a quarter to eight 0 clock, Soma, /wanned and refreshed, set out across the park, clad in a raincoat and the ■'rubber kneeboots which she had worn "during dirty weather on the Kyntyre Castle. The rain had ceased, but tho night was thick and cloudy. She found Grant; a dim, black, oil-skinned figure, waiting inside the locked bridle gate. _ "I know one has to keep dry," said Sonia. "but I wish everyone round hero wouldn't wear black tarpaulin raincoats, Grant—it's getting on my nerves. Rop© all complete? And torch —give me that." Sho unlocked the gate, and they passed through. "We've got to cross the railway and get over toward the mine. I wonder," she added, "if that nuisance will bo anywhere around. "What nuisance?" asked Grant. "Nothing. Night patrolman, with a bad cold. Nobody's going to stop me, Grant; this is going to be a perfectly simple job. Half an hour at the outaide, and all X want you to do is to carry out my orders without any questions, • for I'm going to have my own jray.l Step out, -now."

CHAPTER CIX j .1 SONIA HAS A THEORY Forty minutes later they arrived back it- the level crossing gates ori the railway, Grant with a coil of wet rope tover his arm, breathing heavily. "That's great," said Soma. All quiet c—no hitches. Now I'm going up to the tillage. You can get home, Grant, and take the rope with you. You're the ideal strong, silent man, Grant; you ve f ttone well. Now go on being snent. Sonia inade straight for tho village along; the permanent Way, paying no regard to tho .railway company is rule against trespassers. "Have I all I want?" she said. Pso! Not ;yet, and I can't risk failure. 1 v«3 got to have a certainty 1" Twenty minutes later she rapped on Sergeant Howe's door. , The door swung open quickly. Howe s big figure stood framed against the lamplight and the glow of tho fire, tie " was no longer in plain clothes, but wore uniform; rather untidy and at ease, his tunic unbottoned at the nccis. He stared at Sonia. in grim silence. She felt tongue-tied and embarrassed as she met Howe's eyes. ."May I come in?" she said. I know •—I oughtn't to bo here." "Come in, Mrs. Chalmers, if you want to," said Howe drily. He clicked the lock of the door, and walked across to the hearthrug. His eyes scanned her rain-cloak and rubber boots. Then they dwelled on her face, and .Howe's grim mouth softened. "I'm,sorry for you," ho said quietly. "Everything crashed. A pretty, mess, isn't it? Mr. Chalmers down and out. So am I—not that that matters.", f'You? Why?" • "Switched ,V said Howe, and sot a chair for her. "Shelved —shunted. A bigger man's got my place; a hustler WflQ never makes a mistake —jumps right in an' gets tlio job done. I carr stand it. My trouble's nothing to yonra." Soma flushed. "I T hat was my faulty" she said. "I should have told you on the first, day—ond didn't. I lot you down!" » , "liut me down? Not you, Mrs. Chalmers! 1 lot myself down." He dropped into tho chair opposite her. ; ' , . "I'm not blaming you, ma'am. How I'know what I'd have done in your Placo—or his? Too late to blame yourI'll tell you something." Ho stretched his big arm across the table, forward. "I never believed Mr. vhahners killed Bannister Coote. I wouldn't have believed it if he'd •pd me he did! I knew better. Day by v > going round with him and you the jj'G did, all tho strings in my hands, •■ Checked up that case for what it was — co ' ( 1 murder. I 1 knew I could fix on Mr. Chalmers. g X , P"t him inside any time I chose. * uldii't want him. Fryth agreed with • ® ,e> . 'Vhat I .played for, right, from the artj Avas to pull in those that did do er t^lc,n under the rope." 1 that's it 1" said Sonia, "But don't „ <t at that. You knewl What's the Who did it£ How did he do it? j

(COPYRIGHT)

Author of "Sealed Orders,** "Paid In Full,** "The Shadow Man," etc. A story of a crime that was beyond solution until a loving girl followed her intuition.

Sonia sat up. "Do you know of such a man?"

And where is he? You were wonderful; thero wasn't a thing escaped you. I couldn't see any way through it all—but you did." "Did I?" said Howe. "I thought 1 did. I thought I'd got it taped. Fivesixth of it was right; the other wasn't. Just one tiling on the last day brought mo down again like a stalled 'plane. My theory crashed." "Has *t?" said Sonia. "Then hear mine!" Howe stared at her. "Oh, I'll hear it," he said listlessly, "if you think there's anything I've missed. But it's no good, you know." "You shall bo the judge," said Sonia. "Listen to me." She leaned her elbows 011 the table and spoke. Before she had said ten words Hwo's listlessness fell away from him. He sat bolt upright arid stared. What Sonia had to say did not take her more than a minute. CHAPTER CX. WIIEHE IS THE MISSING MONEY Howe did not interrupt hec. Within 20 seconds lie was out of his chair, blazing excitement in his eyes, striding up and down the room. As she finished lie halted in front of her. "Good Cod!" said Howe. For a moment or two he was dumb, reflecting rapidly. "What a notion. You couldn't prove it? Not in 20 years!" "There's one way," said Sonia, "to prove it, right or wrong, in 20 hours." Ho wo nodded.

"Yes. But if you were Wrong, Mr. Chalmers would be done in. You'vo got to have your proof first. And who's to get it? You'd get no help from Guthrie or tho police—they'd laugh at it." "Quite. And I've no time to waste being laughed at." "You could never put that up to tho lawyers who'll defend Mr. Chalmers. They wouldn't dare touch it."

"Not until I've got a certainty. Howe, I've got to get the .proof—the final proof—and there's only one way. Now, tell me —where did they look for James Selby?"

"Where didn't they look for him!" said Howe. "From end to end of England —everywhere but whero they should. Guthrie thinks he's dead."

' But tell me, did anyone ever call at Middleford Post Office for the £2O in cuireney notes that his wife was to havo sent him —in answer to the S.O.S. letter that you captured?"

"No," said Howe. "She sent it, and it's waiting there now, addressed to 'Joe Matthews.' The police are waiting, too—unless Guthrie got tired and called them off. 'Joe' never turned up. To tell the truth, I didn't much expect he would " "Why?"

"Suspected there was a trap waiting for him. And yet it seemed to me at the time Selby had to have money. He'd be helpless without it." "But if I'm right all this goes to prove my case, doesn't it?" said Sonia. "He could do without the money! after all. What about the two hundred pounds that was missing when Coote's body was found on the line, and that everybody seemed to think Barber had taken? Is there any news of that?"

"You'vo put yofir finger on the spot, Mrs. Chalmers," said Howe. "That two hundred is the key to the job. I thought so at the time—that if Selby got his hands 011-the two hundred, whether on the night of the sth or later, he'd have all the money he needed. But he'd he mighty reluctant to use it. He'd think twice, and then again. "It would be a terrible risk to try to change notes taken from a murdered man's body. Yet there's a way of doing it. What would I do? If Fm a crook that knows the ropes, I'll unload that wad all right-—l'll pass it to a 'fence.' He never asks questions, and never answers them. He'll slip those notes out to the States or the Argentine.* It'll be years before they drift home after passing through a hundred hands. I'll get fifty pounds for them, take it or leave it. I take it, of course. Well —that's what happened. I'll bet a year's pay on it."

"There's one in Hull. Intensely respectable; nothing of the underworld about him, 011 tho face of it. He runs a servants' agency for cooks and butlers —and clears two thousand a year on tho side. We've never been able to bring it home to him. And there, so far as he is concerned, the trail stops." "And the -letters stop!" said Sonia. "He's got what he wants. Doesn't it fit my case —doesn't it bear out everything I've said?" "By heavens, it does!" said Howe. "I worked it like this. Solliy's got what he wants —his letters have done tho job; he's warned Mrs. Selby, he's switched tho police hunt on to Mr. Chalmers. Ho believes Himself safe; he shuts up and lies low. "Guthrie wouldn't agree that he's a murderer, of course. Guthrie believes ho's dead. And I know that ho is living," said Sonia. "How's that to be proved? There's only one way. Find him,! He's got to be found. But how to find him?" "It Would be folly to think I can do that myself. I've got to have help. Now. do you agree with this, Howe —-that, if ho's a bio to hide so successfully from the searchers and is evidently very confident that he won't be spotted, he'd stick to that neighbourhood and not leave it—unless by night. Safer for him than keeping on the move —for he never knows what ho may run into."

CHAPTER CXI. THE VISITOR Howe nodded. "Yes, that's sound. Most 'wanted men are tight sitters. If they find a crib that suits them they stick to it like glue." "I'm so glad you agree. You re experienced in these things and I'm not. Have you an ordinance map?" - Howe spread on tho table a largescale map of the north-eastern counties. ''Where are these three towns? Dunsford, Middleford. Cray Ferry." .said Sonia; "and Hull—l think we'll add Hull. They make a sort of square, with tho sides about- 80 miles long. There seems to bo only 0110 big town inside the square —" "York," said Howe. "And that's just about tho middle. Tho railway goes to York from all of them. Hero's another town south of York —Selbv! I didn't know there was a town called Selby. Funny coincidence, isn't it, but of course, it's nothing more —— ~ , ... "Howe, assuming that a man like that is in hiding, where d'you think he'd hide—town or Country?" "Town,"'said Howe. "Safer. In tho countrv everybody's inquisitive about a newcomer, from tho villago constable downwards." Sonia rellected. ''l hate to differ, bocauso you know, arid I don't. But I think—country. I've reasons for thinking it. "Now about those letters. What about the ink—the invisible ink? Is there any help from that ? I suppose not. It was something quite ordinary—-turnip-juice, I think you said. Is that ri£ "No. I sent that letter to headquarters to get the ink Analysed. Tho answer came back tlje day Guthrie pitched me out; It's mighty small detail, but it wasn't turnip—sugar-beet. "What!" Sonia exclaimed. (To bo continued daily.)]