“THE UNLATCHED DOOR”

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 February 1941, Page 10

“THE UNLATCHED DOOR”

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT. COPYRIGHT.

By

FRANK PRICE.

(Author of "Behind the Curtains,” etc.)

CHAPTER XIV.

(Continufcu). ‘•I’ll do that myself. She was really with Mr. and Mrs. Winterton. Mr. Winterton is a bank manager at Streatham—his private address is,” referring i to his note book, ”17 Charters Road, ! Streatham. 1 don’t know if it means ; anything, but there were fresh traces ! on Borden's blotting paper of his hav- | ing something he was writing. This . was all 1 found.” Inspector Kenway ! turned to another page of the note ■ book and showed his superior what lie , had copied from the blotter: non. Road. atham." I "Looks like an address on an en- ■ velope," said the superintendent. "Yes. There was no sign of a letter ; having been blotted. Of course it may !be of no importance. On the other I hand if he had written to Mr. Winter- ; ton the letter may tell us something if only by its length. We know when he left the Boldovina: if we have to allow for his writing a longish letter after he got home that may upset my idea about his being killed a few min- ! utes after." , "I’m glad you see that." “I try not to miss anything,’ said Kenway, shutting his note book "1 was thinking of seeing Mr. Winterton at his home tomorrow evening after he has finished at the bank. Then perhaps I can have a word with his wife and the girl who is staying with them without seeming to make too much of a point of it. She may talk more free- ; ly than if she thought I had gone specially to see her." "Don’t neglect the other girl." "I'm going round to see her now. 1 thought there was something fishy about her and her men friends last night. She seemed very ready to talk, but was watching her step all the time, wondering how much it would be safe to say. Knows a lot more about Borden that she lets on, or I'm mistaken. The caretaker at the Mansions hinted the same. He thinks Borden paid her rent, and believed he paid for everything else she had. but the caretaker has his doubts. She had other men visitors. If they were like the two I saw last night they were a shady lot! Revelstone looks a hard case; I wouldn’t put anything past him! And Lander, the young one. was almost too j drunk to be true." I "They sound worth inquirying into." J "It’s a pity they've had a clear day. if they are in it. They have had time to arrange a story together and can swear alibis for each other. But, of course, I knew nothing of what happened al the Boldovina when I saw them come into the Mansions. Mr. and what happened at the Boldovina when I saw them last night and couldn't check what they said. I do know that nobody I have spoken to saw or heard the income into the Mansions. Mr. and Mrs. Parkes, who gave the alarm, didn't till -two-live, and the fourth flat on that landing is unoccupied." "Was it locked up?" "Yes. It's let to a gentleman who expected to move in today and had the keys. But it was locked, all right." Kenway rose. "I think that's all I have to report." he said picking up his papers. "There's plenty of routine work to be done —inquiries about Border. Hemersley, the Carlake girl and her boy friend, and Mr. and Mrs. Winlerton. and their lady friend. The row al the Boldovina began between Mrs. i Winterton and him, Hemersley declares there was nothing in that. His idea is that Borden was trying to get I her to interfere in his favour with her I husband over this bank business. He may be right, but it'll bear looking into." | "It might be as well to check up on ' those two taxis." said the superinten-; dent, "the one that Mr. and Mrs. Wintertun tool; from the Boldovina and the i inker Henn-1 i. y and the girl t 0,,!; lat<-r." "I will. But on pros.-nt information! I can't see that Winterton had an atom I of motive for doing it Hena-rsk-y had! and here is the proof—conilrmation of; a lot of what he told me. u,,,. Did you i ever see a plainer invitation to a crook ; to feather his own nest than that?" He hold out the time worn document ; to which h<- referred during his inter- j view with Roy. Su]?ej intendent Moran i took it anti lead what was on it. hi- ! eyebrows rising higher and higher a- i he gathered its full purport. When h< : had reached the signature at tin- end j he looked Up. ' Is that si:;na:iirv -a iiuim "" h<- ;.-k. i cd. ' 1 think Di. 1 ieiin r ,!< y told me l!m-- j den tricked his father mt.< giving a i 1 1.•.- er of attoriiey .oi widi that he v. a . partm r. hm. and g<-t awas wilh them I "Was he mad when !;<■ <i e. I dnml; ' ' 'Neither Sti!’.<-rmg fr. m a m-rvom, breakd, v. n 'Kna! Un- ~v. , ci; e f..r indm-mg him "I suppose that aecoimts for the ' y.n ’.hov.ed th.-,! to Ha;!;,- he wmiid ! tel! you enough to till a liooi; abmit > whut the formation of letter m<;i. ! . can-- " Tii,. --m.i-rmti-ndei!: referred t, the c!m-f of the hamlwi itmg |<h ■ He hand, d the f ,;.j <•: I'm m’. • t:.’-p: that vom-.g H<-m-rsl<-v felt!' '.’/J’ •?.’, ‘ rd a tncF ■ • > H ’.airV.-.'HU *■> do th:- a»id tb.Dt L : '

but it was instantly replaced by a welj coming smile, though he saw that her I eyes remained alert and watchful. "Oh. the inspector!" she exclaimed. ! "I was changing to go out, but I supi pose you want to see me and the law i mustn't be delayed, must it? Come I in '" i She led him into a charminglyI furnished room and motioned him to a i chair. i “Can I offer you anything? It’s cockI tail time and I'm supposed to be rather I good at them." ! "Nothing, thank you," he said, and in ' his turn indicated a scat opposite the one to which she had invited him. She was trying to appear perfectly at ease ; and succeeding tolerably well; but Kcnway had no doubt about the effort, as they sat facing each other. "I just Wanted <o check some of the particulars about your movements which you . gave me last night,” he said, and noted the tautening of her muscles beneath the dainty wrap. He took out his note-1 book and made a pretence of deliberately referring to its pages. "You told me that you and Mr. Revelstone arrived here and from the Boldovina about ■1.30 a.m." I "Did I?” Her forehead puckered t iinto a frown, but her eyes did not j waver from their watchful inspection 1 , i of his face. "You did." I "You did." ".And wasn't it true?" with a pretty air of girlish innocence. that he was quite untouched by her "Was it?" The inspector let her see ■ fascinations. Her lips were pouting bewitchingly. but his attention centred on her eyes, and. in them, he thought he could read what was passing in her mind: "How much does he know? What will it be safe for me to say?" He dropped his own eyes to his note book and appeared to be searching for another entry. She had to speak at last without having learned anything from him. "Well, we—didn't come straight from the Boldovina. We called somewhere else." "Do you mind telling me where?" "I'm afraid you'll be shocked if I do.” She bent her face coyly down towards the manicured hands folded in her Jap. I but she was still watching him through the long lashes veiling her eyes. "I'll risk it." he said grimly. "I —I didn’t want anybody to know, but we —we went to Tony Revelstone's rooms." "In Kennington?" " Ye-es.” "Little fool!" he thought." She had forgotten that I had his address." Aloud he said: “How did you go? Did you walk'.'" If she had given a famous reply to a similar question he would would not have been surprised. What she said was: "We took a taxi." "Taxi to Kennington West Road."! Kenway entered it slowly in his book! while she watched him uneasily. "You ' went to No. 729. Who let you in?” j "Nobody. Tony had his latchkey, j The people, of the house were in bed.” I "Nobodv saw vou go in. then?” "No.” "Or come out?" "No.” "How long wore you there?" "I don't know. 1 wasn't noticing the; time.” Her face was raised to give him I a meaning smile in which her eyes had I no part. Seeing how ineffective it was* she bent her head again and something, which might have been either a shiver i of a shrug of annoyance passed over, her. The frown was on her forehead < again as she seemed to ealeulate. "I 1 suppose it would bo about an hour,’ , she said. "That allows ample time for your be-j ing back here at 1.30." he said, contriv-i ing to convey that he agreed with the. result of her calculation "How did you' come? Another taxi?” "No. Her voice sounded very small 'I lu re was another interval of -.,!< j»-.- , th<_-ii ' hildn’t nd ~,.... ; i Iran: Kcnway made another entry in his book "That would be >omewhere between twelve and half-past j He glanced across t ■ a corner of t!u room When- a telephone Mood on ;U small table "Mav I use y< ur tele- i phone'.’ I'd like Mr. Revelstonv to confirm this—just as matter <-f form. ■>! j e.-urse— a.-.d thei-. s no linn- like :h< ' ' Y.,u can’t <lo that," she -aid "Ther< ' j isn't a telephone where he liv< ’ Th.-, note of satisfaction in her voice con- i vim-ed him mat she was -j caking the' truth, but did m-t disturb him a! all ! ■T--'- • Sim added. ’ beca ISO h< 1 ( f”r "''t: to I-.-e valualHc' < ' There -no hui rj.. he ' aid "I: ••-me time to find a taxi ’ ( )h‘ ’ She *i! U*i ‘ '• «, ~ : had thui :n ; <! i-ar-J iinuaia-n ‘.hr xaaJ fMI mterm-nt/n.;: v.-d" l‘t a ] •'‘l’’ <!i<! hot ir.ii’,-<- Ki-nw.iv at re-'; i ; -... j. .. t , . , , ■/’ I . ,1,.,. j , ( f