Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 6, 1923 — page 86: what you’re looking at

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

868 “Merely perfunctory ones. The permis- sion of the next of kin must be given. AI- though in the case of doubt as to how death actually resulted, this permission must be given.” “Miss Cavendish and her aunt are in the Fulton private office.” “Ah, have they been summoned? I tried to get the house, but no one an- swered.” Discretion made Nancy answer merely: “They are here.” Dr. Bainbridge stepped toward the offices where Dorothy Cavendish and Miss Green- wood were held. Instead of going back to Mlle. Mignonne, Nancy entered the adjoining room where the matron had been searching Margaret Seavers. “T don’t know whether it means any- thing or not,” began the matron. “ But this was tucked away in her blouse.” She held a little handkerchief toward Nancy. As the girl took it she saw a few spots of blood on one corner. “She says,’’ the matron went on, “ that she cut her finger this morning when shar- pening a pencil. The first finger of her left hand is cut and bound with a little strip of surgeon’s plaster.” “ Let me see the cut,” suggested Nancy. CHAPTER XIII. STALKING SHADOWS. NDER the strip of binding tape a small cutaneous cut appeared. Nancy’s microscopic examination told her that the wound was of recent ori- gin—that is, it might easily have been made that morning. “ With what were you sharpenfng your pencil?” “A small penknife of my own. Mr. Cunningham is somewhat old-fashioned. The offices are without a modern, automatic pencil sharpener.” Abstractedly Nancy stood for a moment. Then: ‘ Where is this knife?” “Tt is in the top right drawer of my desk.” From her little leather folio Nancy ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. brought out a notebook with perforated pages and a fountain pen. She hurriedly scrawled a few lines and signed her name. She handed the note to the matron imme- diately. “‘ Take this permit to the officer guarding the Cunningham & Winters’s offices. It will admit you. Bring back Miss Seavers’s penknife.” Without comment Nancy waited. The multiplicity of momentary new develop- ments seemed to be crowding down upon her from everywhere. Mlle. Mignonne still waited in the next room. Obviously, Nancy must see that the wit- nesses left the building as soon as they were searched and she was satisfied with the re- sult and her questions for the present. The dismissal of the suspects until further ex- amination would preclude any possibility of guilty evidence being returned to them surreptitiously from any accomplice on the settles. Were any two people there working together it would be, indeed, a simple mat- ter to evade justice by returning to the searched person any evidence temporarily hidden for the occasion of the personal search. Any one might cleverly see at once an opportunity for concealment in the clothes of the person already searched, and, therefore, free from further personal inves- tigation. Dr. Bainbridge returned. As soon as Nancy answered his knock, he said, “‘ Permission has been given at once. They didn’t even protest. But, Dr. Dayland, what’s the bluecoat doing in there?”’ In a few words Nancy appraised him of the facts. “Tt’s a bad business,” he observed so- berly. “I’m sorry thev are here under such circumstances.” ‘“* Let me know the moment you are ready to report on the result of your post-mortem, Dr. Bainbridge. I feel that it is going to be important.” ‘“* So do I,” prophesied the doctor. ‘ VII advise you at once. Then there will be other things I wish to discuss with you also.” He hastened away to his gruesome task. COMmiclboo (©