Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 91: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE Peabody Smith in these few seconds had - much upon which to moralize, but the strangest part of it was that he should have been so unexpectedly injected into a tragedy in which all concerned should be so well known to him, either by fact or reputation. While he was thinking he was aroused by the sound of Barry Caldwell’s voice. “T’ll try to tell what happened as briefly as possible,” the dramatist was saying. “I had an engagement here this evening to read a new play to Miss Kayne. While we were engaged Harper came in without invitation. He had met her once or twice at one of the studios, and he presumed on that slight ac- quaintance to push himself where he wasn’t wanted. He was drunk and offensive. -We became engaged in a quarrel, and he pulled a pistol on me. It was his life or mine, and I shot him. It was a case of self-defense. That’s all there is to it. I sent for you in hope that we might spare Miss Kayne. She was not involved. The officer here was good enough to wait until you arrived. I want you to vouch for my honesty and to tell him that it is not necessary to do anything with her. I’m ready to surrender and to an- swer for the consequences.” This casual and offhand method of dis- posing of a ghastly murder was disconcert- ing, even to the usually imperturbable Pea- body Smith. He turned to Barry Caldwell curiously. “ Tf—if there has been a murder there must have been a weapon.” “Oh, yes,” replied the dramatist readily, and putting his hand in his hip pocket he pulled out a revolver and passed it to the detective. “I think,” he said, “ you will find that one of the cartridges has been dis- charged.” Peabody looked at the shining thing and slipped it into his pocket. He glanced around the apartment, and then turned to the policeman. “ Has anything been disturbed here?”’ ‘““ No,” barked the other with evident irri- tation, “and if youse people are through with your talkfest I'll take this man to the station house. I don’t know why I waited for any private detective, anyhow.” “There is nothing like getting at the facts,” suggested Peabody gently. 6A ADVENTURES OF PEABODY SMITH, 561 “ Facts!” snorted the other, shoving his cap back on his head and getting a firmer grip on his club. “ What do ye mean by facts. Ain’t he confessed? What more do you want?” ‘* Officer,” interposed Barry Caldwell, “your logic is unimpeachable. You see you have them flabbergasted.” The patrolman stared at the young man as if he imagined he had gone out of his mind. Then he took him by the arm and they left the room together. Miss Kayne, with the tears streaming down her face, started to follow them, but Caldwell waved her back in an authoritative manner. “You'll only make it worse, Mary,” he said. “ Take my advice, and be guided by what I say.” “ But,” she protested, “I am the one at fault. I—” He laughed. ‘““ Just because it happened in your room? Nonsense. Peabody Smith there has the story. He can take care of you, and we'll demonstrate that Howard Harper is better dead than alive. In the meantime you go about your work, mind your own business and let other people do the talking.” The next half hour was a busy one. What with the commitment of Barry Caldwell, the arrival of the coroner, the removal of the body and the pacifying of Miss Kayne, Pea- body Smith was an exceedingly busy man. The shrewd detective began to understand that Caldwell had really sent for him to guard the little movie star. She was all alone under distressing circumstances. At the moment she was even without the tradi- tional stage mother. She wept almost con- stantly, and the keen investigator realized that her grief was not for the dead man, but for the dramatist who accepted his posi- tion in such a debonair fashion. So the sea- soned detective assumed the réle of both father and mother to the girl, and long be- fore the case came to a conclusion he real- ized that she was both good and unspoiled, and worthy of the love of Barry Caldwell. In the meantime he made a careful survey of the apartment which was furnished with exquisite taste. There was a living room, a bedroom and a bath. All communicated, and the only entrance was from the door COMMMICWOOKS.CON