Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

a As he s set the chair back against the wall he yanked the door of the booth open, stepped inside and drew a deep breath. For fully five minutes he stood perfectly ‘still, filling his lungs rapidly with deep in- halations. _ “Too late,” he s snapped, a shade of dis- appointment in his voice. Drawing the instrument to him he tock down the receiver. ‘I dislike to trouble you,” he explained when central answered, “ but I wonder if you can tell me how long this line has been out of order during the evening.” Central had listened in when Deston called for Dr, Forbes and added it was an emergency and so she was partly awate of what had happened at Brookmeadow. — “TI didn’t know that the line had been out of order,” she answered, her curiosity making her only too willing to talk. “ The receivers were both off the hooks,” he explained. ~ “ Could you look up your - records and see when you called this num- _ ber last or when you had a call from here?” “There doesn’t seem to have been any call since six,” came the answer after a few minutes. “ At six there was a long distance call for Mr. Deston, but he wasn’t there. At nine thirty-five there was a-call for Mr, Sands; you know Mr. Deston’s phone has a different number from Mr. Sands’s. That call came from Needham’s grocery store in Stonebrook. I rang a number of times, but no one answered, although they did take down the hook. The next was when Mr. Deston called Dr. Forbes.” “1 think that covers what I wanted to know,” said Craton. ‘“‘ Thank you very much. PH send some one up to get those figures exactly.” © All right, sir, but you know having - the receivers off the hooks isn’t anything strange. Mr. Sands takes *em off lots of _ times when he don’t want to be bothered. Our orders are just to tell who ever calls the lines won’t answer when the receivers are off.” ‘““T see,” agreed Craton, and hung up. He rejoined Marsh and Deston with an apologetic smile. ~ “ Have to excuse me for running off like = that, but I forget things sometimes I should ARGOSY-ALLST ORY WEEKLY, fee Jooked up. Ne ow, Mr. Deston. you said, I think, that you ‘keep a list of all callers. Will you give me the names and addresses of every one who was here yes- = terday and to-day? While you are making that out I'll step upstairs a minute.” Craton returned before Deston had quite finished, and the detective sank into a chair to contemplate a cigar he had just drawn from his pocket. — “ Thanks,” he smiled, glancing over the paper Deston finally handed him. ‘“‘ Now, Marsh, put any information you can against each one of these men.” He passed the list — to the lawyer. ‘I notice,” turning to Des- ton, “you had no callers this afternoon.” : Mr. Sands and I were both away. Mr. ‘Sands went to the city to see a Mr. Gregg at the Biltmore and took me with him.” “ A social call?” “It was on business. Mr. Gregg wired he would be in New York for just_an hour, and asked Mr. Sands to meet him if pos- sible and to bring a trustworthy stenog- rapher along. That is why I happened to go.” | 3 ‘‘ Would you feel you could tell-me the matter Mr, Gregg—it is the Mr. Grege who is interested in a certain large mail order house in Chicago, is it not?—could you tell me what was talked over at this inter- view?” A faint smile coach! 1 Deston’s face; an amused little twinkle came into his eyes. “Guess we can settle that quickly, as there was no interview; Mr. Gregg failed to put in an appearance.” —— Craton blew a cloud of smoke “and laughed. “Up a blind trail, eh?” he nodded. “ Well, let’s see; what time did you get back from town?” “Half past eight. Mr. Buckwell was waiting. Mr. Sands went right into the library with him. I came in here.” “Sands pleasant during the drive?” “He was very quiet. At the time I thought nothing of it, for he is often moody. Now, I suppose, he had already made up his mind to discharge me, and so didn’t care to have much to Say.” “ Tidn’t Mr. Sands use his desk phone as soon as he got back?” yt (E©) Comicbooks