Part 42 (1/2)
”He didn't,” said the boy, simply.
It was soon after that, that Hughes came to Pellbrook to report progress.
”That Charlie Young,” he said, ”he's a queer d.i.c.k.”
”Will he talk?” asked Stone.
”Talk? Nothing but! He tells the most astonis.h.i.+ng things. He vows he's in cahoots with Winston Bannard.”
”That isn't true!” Iris cried out ”Win isn't guilty himself, of course, but he isn't mixed up with a man like Charlie Young, either!”
”Young says,” Hughes went on, ”that the note asking for the pin is in Bannard's disguised writing. He says that Bannard put him up to kidnapping Miss Clyde and getting the pin from her so they two could get the jewels and----”
”What utter rubbis.h.!.+” Iris said, disdainfully. ”Do you mean that Mr.
Bannard wanted to get the jewels away from me? And have both his share and my own? Ridiculous!”
”It seems, Miss Clyde,” Hughes stated, ”that Young has part of some directions or something like that, as to where to find the jewels; and he made it up with Bannard to get the pin, which he claims is a key to their hiding-place, and the two men were to share the loot.”
”I never heard such absurdity!” Iris' eyes blazed with anger. ”Mr.
Stone, won't you go and interview this Young, and tell him he lies?”
”I'll a.s.suredly interview him, Miss Clyde, but suppose Mr. Bannard did have that paper--that receipt----”
”He didn't! Why, if he had, why would he confer with that bad man? Why not by means of his paper, which is, you know, lawfully his, and my pin, which was bequeathed to me, why not, those two things are all that is necessary, find the jewels by their aid?”
”That's the point,” Stone said. ”It does seem as if Young possesses some information of importance.”
”Well,” Iris went on, angrily, ”now they've got the two of them there, why can't you confront Winston with Young and let them tell the truth?”
”Perhaps they won't,” Hughes put in, ”you know, Miss Clyde, we didn't arrest Mr. Bannard without thinking there was enough evidence against him to warrant it.”
”You did! That's just what you did! There wasn't any evidence--that is, none of importance! Mr. Stone, you don't think Win guilty, do you?”
Here Iris broke down, and shaking with convulsive sobs she let Lucille lead her from the room.
”Of course she's upset,” Hughes said, with sympathy in his hard voice.
”But she's got trouble ahead. I think she's in love with Winston Bannard----”
”Oh, _do_ you!” chirped Fibsy, unable to control his sarcasm. ”Why, what perspicaciousness you have got! And you are quite right, Mr. Hughes, Miss Clyde is so much in love with that suspect of yours that she can't think straight. Now, looky here, Mr. Bannard didn't kill his aunt.”
”Is that so, Bub? Well, as Mr. Dooley says, your opinion is interestin'
but not convincin'.”
”All right, go ahead in your own blunderin' way! But how did Mr. Bannard get out of the locked room?”
”Always fall back on that, son! It's a fine climax where you don't know what to say next! I'll answer, as I always do, how did any other murderer get out of the room?”
”He didn't,” said Fibsy.