"The Murders At Kennett Hail."

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 58, 10 March 1938, Page 5

"The Murders At Kennett Hail."

Serial Story

(By

ELLIOTT O’DONNELL) i

! Young Shirley has been murdered,” the Superintendent replied curtly. After a brief interval, during which the Superintendent heard, or fancied he heard, and exclamation that sounded like ‘Good God," the voice went on, “Haye you any idea by whom?’’ “An idea, perhaps, but certainly I shouldn’t tell you who the murderer is, if I knew.’’ Don t be too sure it’s a woman,” the voice retorted, with again a suspicion of mockery. “The murderer may be a man masquerading as a woman. Is Miss Shirley unharmed?” I “So far as lam aware, yes.” I “1 hanks, that’s all I wanted to j know,’’ and the ’phone rang off. “If that doesn’t take the biscuit,’’ the Superintendent ejaculated aloud, “1 don’t know what does. ,‘That’s all I wanted to know’ indeed! I can’t think who the deuce it is that 'phones in that impertinent way, and, yet, I* seem to know the voice' It must be someone at Kennett Hall, or in very close touch with it, but who? If it were the murderer, he, or she, vvouldn t have told me to hasten to Merton Hoad to prevent a crime. Was he right, I wonder, in suggesting that the murderer might be a man masquerading as a girl? By Jove I Now I come to think of it, that tall blonde we saw leaving the house was something like Hocking in build. He’s tall find slio-hf nn/l __n.. «_.•

walk. What agoif I could prove i that fallow no dandified ass but a i master criminal, a super Jack the ; Bipper, laughing up his sleeve at us, I all the time. Well, I shall learn something soon, I hope, from Tapp.” 1 He rang up the local police, waited j till they arrived, told them all he considered necessary with regard to this new’ murder, and then, leaving the body in their charge, made his way to the Peacock. Tony Danby was alone In the lounge, and the Superintendent, sitting down beside him, told him what had happened. And all the while he was speakling, he was watching him closely, and wondering if, by any chance, he was the mysterious person who had twice rung him up, and each time in connection with, but prior to, a most momentous occasion. The voices certainly bore some resemblance to each other, and, of course, Danby had at one time been suspected of murdering Lord Templebury and Cyril Harding. Were those suspicions justifiable, and was Danby the terrible killer? If so, he was certainly a marvellous actor, for he appeared to be greatly distressed on hearing of the murder. “How long had you been here before I arrived?” the Superintendent asked him.' “Some considerable time,” he replied, "I got here soon after Mr Shirley had gone out, rather sooner, J Imagine, than he expected me.” “Did you come straight here, sir?” “No, I had some lunch and did a little shopping in the town.” “So I see,” the Superintendent said, eyeing the parcels on the floor by Tony’s chair. “I suppose you will now* return to Kennett Hall. Please break the news as gently as you can to Miss Shirley.” “You may trust me to do that.” Tony said, as he stopped to gather up the parcels, “but I shall be glad when it is over.” He then shook hands with the Superintendent, and left the house. He had barely done so before Sergeant Tapp. looking very red and crestfallen, entered.

“I am sorry, sir,” he said, “but I haven't found out where she is. I trailed her to Boxley, and there I lost sight of her, owing to an accident. A bus collided with a lorry, just in front of me. I was held up, of course, and when I did got past, which, you may be sure, was as soon as ever I could, she was nowhere to be seen. I’m real sorry, sir.” “So am I,” the Superintendent responded. Then in more hopeful tones, “but you haven't failed altogether. You trailed her to Boxley, and Boxley, let me remind you. is only a few miles from Kennett Hall.” CHAPTER XXXIII. Are Pretty Girls Killers? As the Bandover murders were believed to be, to some extent at least, associated with those at Kennett Hall, it was thought advisable that Superintendent Boss, who was in charge of the Kennett Hall cases, should be entrusted with the Bandover cases, too. The Chief Constable of the County had complete confidence in Ross, for the, latter had been su successful in former cases that no application for assistance had as yet been made by him, the Chief Constable, to Scotland Yard, a fact, which the Scotland Yard officials duly appreciated, as, owing to an increase of crime in the Metropolis, they had been and still were abnormally busy. For reasons of his own, perhaps, in addition to that of not wishing to be robbed of the chance of promotion, and almost, if not quite, Immortal fame by running this supercriminal to eartii, so to speak off his own bat, Superintendent Ross was most anxious to handle these particular cases alone, that is to say without calling In the aid of Scotland Yard. If he could solve this crime and spot Its perpetrator alone and unaided all England would be singing his praises, and with kudos and cash, for. no doubt, monetary rewards would be showered upon him. What might he not do? Why. he might get to the top of the tree at any moment. Scotland Yard, he argued, were always In the limelight; it was high time the Provinces had a look in, too. Doubts and diftlcpltles, however, would keep cropping up, and the following morning, as he got ready to motor to Kennett Hall, ho felt decidedly less sanguine of success and even a bit apprehensive of failure. Il only Sergeant Tapp hadn’t b°en such an ass as to lose sight of that girl! The blue car she had driven off in, which had been found abandoned just' outside Boxley, not on Hie Kennett Hall side of the town, but on the oilier, was proved to be a stolen one; so that hadn’t helped much, and up' to now, though a description of her had been broadcast, no tidings as to her whereabouts had been received. Univ this much was known; a girl, calling herself Miss Temple, and answering tu his description of the

tall blonde, had rented 11, Pllnlng Road, furnished. She had had it about two months, but had seldom been seen there by any of the neighbours, and as she kept no servant and did a minimum of shopping, very little was known about her in the town. When she took the house, she had given the landlord no references but as she seemed to him a perfect lady and had paid the rent in advance, he had, he said, felt quite satisfied that she would prove in every way a desirable tenant. If. therefore, the girl who rented the house turned out to be the girl who had stolen the car, the landlord had bsen greatly deceived. As he drove along, the Superintendent asked himself many questions, relative to those two fresh cases of murder, that he was so anxious to elucidate. First he thought one thing, and then another, till his brain got hopelessly confused. Dot Temple, Enid Shirley, Daphne and Vera Perikop, Captain Hocking, Tony Danby and Dora Matthews, he wouldn’t trust any of them. Arriving at the Hall, he asked for an interview’ with Miss Shirley. It took place in the study. She looked very pale and ill, but was more composed, he thought, than she ought to have been, taking into consideration the loss she had just sustained. “Mr Danby and I were talking in the study, yesterday morning after breakfast,” she stated, “when the parlour-maid told me I was wanted on the ’phone. Picking up the receiver, I asked who it was, and a voice, which I fancied sounded a trifle familiar, said, “It is I, Julia Dunning. Will you have luncheon with me here to-day? I have something very important to tell you. Please do not bring anyone with you, as I want to see you alone.’ I told her I would start Immediately, which I did.” “Do you remember if anyone was in the Hall when you were speaking on the ’phone?” the Superintendent interrupted, “near enough to you to overhear what you were saying.” A startled expression came into her face, as she said, “I* didn’t see I anyone. Why do you ask?” “Oh, I merely wondered if anyone had happened to overhear you,” he said. Nothing more. Please continue.” Looking relieved, she went on. "A church clock struck one, as I arrived at her house. She answered th© door herself and expressed the greatest surprise at seeing me. She knew nothing about the telephone message. While we were in the drawing-room, there was a noise overhead. It sounded like something falling. She ran upstairs to see what it was, then, oh, It is too horrible,” and covering her face with her hands, as if to shut out some dreadful picture, she shuddered convulsively. Recovering, she went on, “I heard a kind of grasping cry, followed by a heavy thud and groans. I was too terrified at first to do anything, but at last I managed to pull myself together and summoning up my courage I went upstairs and saw my cousin lying on the floor of one of the bedrooms. I knew at once she had been murdered. The sight so appalled me that I was paralysed and ] stood for some time rooted to the ; spot. At last having recovered to i some extent, I was wondering what I I ought to do, when 1 fancied I heard i someone stealing down the stairs from ; the floor above the one I was on. I i rushed downstairs into the hall, with . the intention of escaping through the. front door, but hearing footsteps out- I side and dreading who it might be, I i ran into a room in the back of the i house and locked the door. Then I. climbed out of the window and drop- | ped into the garden beneath. Through] a door in the wall, at the foot of the ( garden, I got into a lane, and Ending ] my car In the road, at the foot of the ' lane, where I had left it, I Jumped in at once and drove back here.”

“Why didn't you inform the police?’’ the Superintendent said. “I was afraid they would think I had killed my cousin,” Enid faltered. “You know 1 have already been suspected of one murder.” “Then, why tell me now that you were there? If you had only got in touch with the local Police, or with me, at the time, that is to say directly you discovered this new murder, it might have helped matters.” “Fm sorry,” Enid said, “but I lost my head, I was so upset.” “I noticed your scent in the house,” the Superintendent remarked. Enid looked at him in amazement. “My scent!” she exclaimed. “I didn't have any on me when I visited my cousin yesterday. I was tn too great a hurry to go to her, to think of scent.” “You have some on you now,” the Superintendent said, sniffing the air, “and I smelt it all over Miss Dunning's house, and at number 11, Pilning Road, the house where we found your brother. Are you sure yuu didn’t go there?” “Quito sure,” Enid replied. “I had no idea he had gone to that house, or tliat he had seen Miss Temple.” “Did you know she was very like you in appearance?” Again astonishment was manifested in Enid’s face. “Like me!” she ejaculated. “No, I didn’t know that. My brother never told me what she was like. He didn't even mention her to me, more than once or twice.” “You never connected her with the murder of your cousin, Mr Harding?” “No.” “There is one thing I omitted to ask you, Miss Shirley,” he said. “Did you make any noise when you were in the house—shout or call for assistance?” “I believe I screamed,” Enid replied, “but !■ can’t be sure.” “11 must have been you I heard, then,” the Superintendent said. Deciding that he had questioned her enough for the present, he bade her good-morning and was on his way to the front door, undecided what to do next, when Daphne came out of one of the rooms and he inhaled a seen I. that again reminded him of the sweet intoxicating scent pervading the two houses in Bandover. He eyed her curiously. She was tall and slight, and had reddish coloured hair.

(To be continued.)