DEAD MEN'S SHOES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23221, 15 December 1938, Page 8

DEAD MEN'S SHOES

By JOHN GOODWIN

CHAPTER CXL. FATAL EVIDENCE Grant entered the room again; no longer radiant and excited, but like a man who lias had a shock; lie looked pale and unhappy. "I'm afraid, ma'am, it's not so good. All the rest of the evidence went dead against the master, and the jury looking black as night. It beat Granger. But he didn't " "Tell it quickly, Grant. I've got all I can stand! What evidence?" "Sliowin' that whatever time Coote died, it was Mr. Chalmers who sent him to his death when he slung him down 011 to the line over 30f't. ot cliff. Then having done that, knowing Coote was dead and that be was for it, be I cleared out. leavin' a murdered man lying there. He kept it dark, never owned °"They couldn't prove all that!" exclaimed Sonia. ' "I'm not sure, ma'am, "hev d got a witness from the hotel Mr. Chalmers stopped at in London —night porter who let him in at 5 in the mornin,' and noticed there was limey soil sticking to his shoes. When 110 went upstairs to his room it marked the carpet., Guthrie found that chap; the only place where there's limestone, says Guthrie, is the Stannary Hill and the railway cutting. It. was awful sitting tlicre listening to it!" Grant gulped, and a couple of tears ran down his cheeks. He knew that Brian Chalmers was finished. For a second or two Sonia could not find her voice. "That was the end? Anything more?" , , "Yes, ma'am. There was the telephone girl. Guthrie dug her out, too she was the final witness, anywav. "What d'vou mean—what girl? Sonia demanded hoarsely. "One of the 'phone girls from the exchange. She'd put a trunk call through from the Ring o' Bells Inn to the number of Mr. Chalmers' hotel in London —it was the morning Coote s body was found, of course. She heard what was said." "It was vour call, ma'am—telling Mr. Chalmers that the police were after somebody else —Selby. In a word, warnin' the guv'nor that you'd fixed his alibi for him O.K.—his best chance was to come home quick and stand to it. Sliowin' that you knew he'd done the job, and you helped him to cover it up!" Sonia turned white. That fatal alibi! She had always distrusted it. Now it came back at her, fraught, with destruction for them both—the evidence was unanswerable. "Staniforth was all over it. 'Members of the jurv,' he said, 'that is the case for the prosecution.' That finished it. The judge rose, an' the court cleared.' Grant sighed. "I'm sorry not to bring better news, ma'am," lie said, as ho turned away. "But they haven't heard Granger's side yet. He opens his defence in the mornin.' " Sonia. left alone, sat staring before her in silence. It was her blackest hour. There was a sleepless night before her. No message from Jude. Nor did it come in the morning. In any case, it was too late. CHAPTER CXLI. THE LAST HOPE "Abel," said Granger, "we're done! Bad news for that little woman, and lucky if they don't get her, too. There isn't a dog's chance left for Chalmers." "There never was," said Mr. Abel Griffiths briefly. "Come on —they're waiting for you." The hour had struck. Granger and his colleague were having their last consultation in the ante-rooin of the Assize Court. In the great hall across the passage the jury were already filing into their places; the clerk of arraigns had taken his seat. There was a knock at the door, and Sonia appeared. "No use telling me to keep out of it to-day," she said. "The last round is beginning, isn't it ? Mr. Granger, is there any hope?" "Do you mean of an acquittal? Mrs. Chalmers, it would be no kindness to pretend there is," said Granger gravely. "There's none. There remains the man whom we thought was our chief standby—Hugo McGinness. The prosecution didn't call this crooked lawyer, but left him to me. I'll sprcadeaglo Hugo for all he's worth!" "You think that's going to help?" said Sonia. There was another rap on the door. The man who appeared in the doorway was Griffiths' clerk, and he was deeply disturbed.

"What is it, Meeker?" said Griffiths irritably. "Bad news about one of your witnesses, sir—thought I'd best let you know at once," said the clerk. "McGinness —he's dead." Sonia gave a little gasp. She turned white and dropped into a chair. "They only found him half an hour ago," said Meeker. Ho told them as much as lie knew. When Hugo McGinness' daily servant had gone to his house she found his bedroom had not been occupied; his study door was locked 011 the inside. She could get no answer, and rang up the police. "They broke open the door. Found McGinness lying in an armchair. Revolver beside him. Done himself in," said Meeker. "Hadn't been dead an hour—lot of burned papers in the grate. That's as much as is known, sir. I had it from the polico, and I came right along with it. ' "Get along back —find out anything more you can!" said Griffiths. He turned to Granger, for the first time showing signs of excitement, as the clerk went out.

"Another point in Chalmers' favour. John —better than having the scoundrel himself in the witness-box! He didn't dare face it."

Granger's face was very grim. Ho shook his head.

"I'd give a thousand'to have him alive again. He was mv witness. He was terrified to face the Court, because ho knew if his dealings with Coote and with Selby came out in full lie was for it. And I think be was still more scared of —someone else than ho was of us. Just how much he had to fear wo shall never know. Or the truth about tlie Barton woman's murder. His mouth is shut. But he had a cast-iron alibi for the tiino of Bannister Coote's murder. "Mrs. Chalmers," said Granger, answering the question in her eyes, "there's no power now that can save Chalmers from the consequences and the penalty for what be did do. "The great safeguard for an accused and innocent man is the witness-box. But once there, silence on any point is impossible, and lying absolutely fatal. It is the deadliest trap ever devised for a man who has anything to conceal.

"If I don't call your husband it is because I dare not. The Court will put its own construction 011 that. But it's the only road that's open to us. 1 can so cloud the case with doubt that his penalty will be as light as the law allows—win all the sympathy for him that I can —do my utmost for him." Sonia drew a deep breath and stood up, as if she was facing some unknown peril. "Mr. Granger, if all of it's useless and our backs are against the wall, why not try my way? I put it to you a month ago. Are you afraid of tlio risk? Even if it fails it can't be so much more than this. And it won't foil—even if I haven't the proofs." Griffiths shook his head. Granger was silent.

She saw the hesitation in Granger's eyes. "It might break him completely," he

/ coprniGnr) *

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

said. "It's a terrific risk to take. If the prosecution calls my hand and beats me Chalmers is done for. It's staking everything on one throw." "Why not —if it wins?" said Sonia. "I'm only asking justice for Brian. And ] don't carc what happens to me. I don't know anything about law; this is a question of fact—truth—isn't it?" said Sonia. "1 say it can't fail I" Griffiths broke in. "The Court may turn down your plea. The prosecution refuse to accept your challenge," he said. "They can, you know." "Hut if they do that, surely you'll win," said Sonia. "That's true —she's right there!" returned Granger. "If 1 put it, up to them and they refused—why, in ten minutes I'd have that jury throwing tho whole case down and sending Chalmers back to his wife—not guilty! But Staniforth knows that; he wouldn't refuse —he holds every card "but one, and he'd call my hand. If ho beat me on that, then Heaven liolp Chalmers, for he'd be past any aid from us." Granger strode to the window and back, thinking quickly, the pupils of his eyes contracted to two black pinpoints. "I'll try it!" he said suddenly. A bell rang in the corridor outside. "Then you'll win!" said Sonia. She gave him both her hands, then turned and darted out of the room. "Judge is here an' Court sitting, sir,'' said the clerk anxiously, appearing in the doorway. "They're waiting for you." "All or nothing," said Granger to his colleague. "Come on, Abel —we're in for it now!" (To bo continued daily.)