Midnight

man. There was a half quizzical light in the de

se like this, how much simpler things w

ical Leverage. "If he cou

gical conclusion, if he were not dead we wouldn't

is cut out for you, Carroll. You're dead sure about that ticket do

ompelled to have two tickets for yourself. That being so, it is plain that Warren there didn't intend making this trip to New York alone. If he had, he would have had the two tickets along with the drawing-room check. I am cer

man, of

t wo

r coat-the one who g

dation train after the New York train wa

ation. They are due

If we can find

oman, and when we find

oba

, and Sergeant

an' a reporter from eac

st," ordered Carroll. "L

t, sorr. They say they're holdin' up

ief Leverage says the st

hick-set man-entered a

e a cursory examination

roll. Meanwhile, I reckon you wa

d of an hour's leeway in phoning in the balance of the story. They were quivering with excitement over what promised to b

ed the story as he knew

or me. We want publicity on this case-all you can hand out big chunks of it. We want to know who that woman was. The way I figure it, this city is g

ion will be limited, but by eveni

h additional information to keep the city rooms bu

know anything of Warr

of the t

in fact. I've played golf

, isn

-not ostentatiously, but liberally. Pretty

is relations

ed and glanced guilt

rather

d it necessary. I've played clean with yo

under. Nothing coarse about him, but he never was

mixed up in

I don't suppose there could be anything in the gossip. You see, folks are always too eager to talk about a man in his position and whatev

s eng

y,

rl in th

y girl-Hazel Gresham. You've heard o

has this engagem

des; he's got money and so has she. She's

w o

m were pretty good friends. Warren was about thirty-three or thirty-four, you know. Gossip ha

s silent f

him you think migh

o-

he murderer, after

n the taxica

id he g

rew back his he

e dame killed him, all right; and when we find out how she did it, and

the identity of thi

ou tell me of the tickets-from the fact that she was going away with him, I sort of figure you mi

s mind, never swift to work, yet worked surel

rro

es

didn't have no objections to the marriage. I

orter f

er can be sure about things like t

just kept their traps closed because they didn't want any gossip? S'posin' they were tryi

er. "Suppose all of that

"we know this bird was going to elope with some skirt. All right! Now I ask this-why go all around the block, looking for so

seconds of it.

esham, y

t if I'm right in thinkin' that maybe her folks weren't as crazy about this guy Warren as they se

poss

's possib

r who had done most of the talking, "

say she di

the woman

e might as well start thinking close to home before we g

t, and Carroll sm

Eric-about M

aid Leverage. "It ju

you did it

e about it th

hey'll play it up, just the same; and it won't take us long either to con

always makin' these fine suggestions an' pullin' good stunts, an'

ke that, Eric, but they d

do I-pu

rose an

and I have a hunch that to-morrow I'm going to

ched for hi

ng things over isn't go

nig

ter that he was sleeping soundly. The following morning he waked "all

glare of ice. Leafless trees stretched their ice-covered tentacles into the cold, penetrating air; pedestrians and horse

ted with surprise. Then he reached for the newspapers on the

satisfaction. Just as he had anticipated, both reporters, hungry for some definite clue upon which to work, had seized upon the possibility of Hazel Gresham being the mysterious woman in the

breakfast served him by his maid, Freda. Before he finished, the d

lad

shru

but a girl, sir, Mr. Car

w he

hing-sixteen or seventeen years old, he judged-a fluffy, blond girl quivering with vivacity; the type of girl who is desperat

sh to s

this Mr. Carroll-t

vid Carr

d him with f

boy! I thought you were old and had

asantly surprised. W

u can do for me-it's

tha

ll about this terribl

to tell me

ingly. "You see, I know just