XV + 

IтАЩve Killed Him + 

Sheriff Feeney, fat, florid, and with a lot of brown mustache, and district attorney Vernon, sharp-featured, aggressive, and hungry for fame, came over from the county seat. They listened to our stories, looked the ground over, and agreed with Rolly that Gabrielle Collinson had killed her husband. When Marshal Dick CottonтБатАФa pompous, unintelligent man in his fortiesтБатАФreturned from San Francisco, he added his vote to the others. The coroner and his jury came to the same opinion, though officially they limited themselves to the usual тАЬperson or persons unknown,тАЭ with recommendations involving the girl. + 

The time of CollinsonтАЩs death was placed between eight and nine oтАЩclock Friday night. No marks not apparently caused by his fall had been found on him. The pistol found in his room had been identified as his. No fingerprints were on it. I had an idea that some of the county officials half suspected me of having seen to that, though nobody said anything of that sort. Mary Nunez stuck to her story of being kept home by chills. She had a flock of Mexican witnesses to back it up. I couldnтАЩt find any to knock holes in it. We found no further trace of the man Whidden had seen. I tried the Bakers again, by myself, with no luck. The marshalтАЩs wife, a frail youngish woman with a weak pretty face and nice shy manners, who worked in the telegraph office, said Collinson had sent off his wire to me early Friday morning. He was pale and shaky, she said, with dark-rimmed, bloodshot eyes. She had supposed he was drunk, though she hadnтАЩt smelled alcohol on his breath. + 

CollinsonтАЩs father and brother came down from San Francisco. Hubert Collinson, the father, was a big calm man who looked capable of taking as many more millions out of Pacific Coast lumber as he wanted. Laurence Collinson was a year or two older than his dead brother, and much like him in appearance. Both Collinsons were careful to say nothing that could be interpreted as suggesting they thought Gabrielle had been responsible for EricтАЩs death, but there was little doubt that they did think so. + 

Hubert Collinson said quietly to me, тАЬGo ahead; get to the bottom of it;тАЭ and thus became the fourth client for whom the agency had been concerned with GabrielleтАЩs affairs. + 

Madison Andrews came down from San Francisco. He and I talked in my hotel room. He sat on a chair by the window, cut a cube of tobacco from a yellowish plug, put it in his mouth, and decided that Collinson had committed suicide. + 

I sat on the side of the bed, set fire to a Fatima, and contradicted him: + 

тАЬHe wouldnтАЩt have torn up the bush if heтАЩd gone over willingly.тАЭ + 

тАЬThen it was an accident. That was a dangerous road to be walked in the dark.тАЭ + 

тАЬIтАЩve stopped believing in accidents,тАЭ I said. тАЬAnd he had sent me an SOS. And there was the gun that had been fired in his room.тАЭ + 

He leaned forward in his chair. His eyes were hard and watchful. He was a lawyer cross-examining a witness. + 

тАЬYou think Gabrielle was responsible?тАЭ + 

I wouldnтАЩt go that far. I said: + 

тАЬHe was murdered. He was murdered byтБатАФI told you two weeks ago that we werenтАЩt through with that damned curse, and that the only way to get through with it was to have the Temple business sifted to the bottom.тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, I remember,тАЭ he said without quite sneering. тАЬYou advanced the theory that there was some connecting link between her parentsтАЩ deaths and the trouble she had at the HaldornsтАЩ; but, as I recall it, you had no idea what the link might be. DonтАЩt you think that deficiency has a tendency to make your theory a littleтБатАФsayтБатАФvaporous?тАЭ + 

тАЬDoes it? Her father, stepmother, physician, and husband have been killed, one after the other, in less than two months; and her maid jailed for murder. All the people closest to her. DoesnтАЩt that look like a program? AndтАЭтБатАФI grinned at himтБатАФтАЬare you sure itтАЩs not going further? And if it does, arenтАЩt you the next closest person to her?тАЭ + 

тАЬPreposterous!тАЭ He was very much annoyed now. тАЬWe know about her parentsтАЩ deaths, and about RieseтАЩs, and that there was no link between them. We know that those responsible for RieseтАЩs murder are now either dead or in prison. ThereтАЩs no getting around that. ItтАЩs simply preposterous to say there are links between one and another of these crimes when we know thereтАЩs none.тАЭ + 

тАЬWe donтАЩt know anything of the kind,тАЭ I insisted. тАЬAll we know is that we havenтАЩt found the links. Who profitsтБатАФor could hope to profitтБатАФby what has happened?тАЭ + 

тАЬNot a single person so far as I know.тАЭ + 

тАЬSuppose she died? WhoтАЩd get the estate?тАЭ + 

тАЬI donтАЩt know. There are distant relations in England or France, I dare say.тАЭ + 

тАЬThat doesnтАЩt get us very far,тАЭ I growled. тАЬAnyway, nobodyтАЩs tried to kill her. ItтАЩs her friends who get the knockoff.тАЭ + 

The lawyer reminded me sourly that we couldnтАЩt say that nobody had tried to kill herтБатАФor had succeededтБатАФuntil we found her. I couldnтАЩt argue with him about that. Her trail still ended where the eucalyptus tree had stopped the Chrysler. + 

I gave him a piece of advice before he left: + 

тАЬWhatever you believe, thereтАЩs no sense in your taking unnecessary chances: remember that there might be a program, and you might be next on it. It wonтАЩt hurt to be careful.тАЭ + 

He didnтАЩt thank me. He suggested, unpleasantly, that doubtless I thought he should hire private detectives to guard him. + 

Madison Andrews had offered a thousand-dollar reward for information leading to discovery of the girlтАЩs whereabouts. Hubert Collinson had offered another thousand, with an additional twenty-five hundred for the arrest and conviction of his sonтАЩs murderer. Half the population of the county had turned bloodhound. Anywhere you went you found men walking, or even crawling, around, searching fields, paths, hills, and valleys for clues, and in the woods you were likely to find more amateur gumshoes than trees. + 

Her photographs had been distributed and published widely. The newspapers, from San Diego to Vancouver, gave us a tremendous play, whooping it up in all the colored ink they had. All the San Francisco and Los Angeles Continental operatives who could be pulled off other jobs were checking QuesadaтАЩs exits, hunting, questioning, finding nothing. Radio broadcasters helped. The police everywhere, all the agencyтАЩs branches, were stirred up. + 

And by Monday all this hubbub had brought us exactly nothing. + 

Monday afternoon I went back to San Francisco and told all my troubles to the Old Man. He listened politely, as if to some moderately interesting story that didnтАЩt concern him personally, smiled his meaningless smile, and, instead of any assistance, gave me his pleasantly expressed opinion that IтАЩd eventually succeed in working it all out to a satisfactory conclusion. + 

Then he told me that Fitzstephan had phoned, trying to get in touch with me. тАЬIt may be important. He would have gone down to Quesada to find you if I hadnтАЩt told him I expected you.тАЭ + 

I called FitzstephanтАЩs number. + 

тАЬCome up,тАЭ he said. тАЬIтАЩve got something. I donтАЩt know whether itтАЩs a fresh puzzle, or the key to a puzzle; but itтАЩs something.тАЭ + 

I rode up Nob Hill on a cable car and was in his apartment within fifteen minutes. + 

тАЬAll right, spring it,тАЭ I said as we sat down in his paper-, magazine-, and book-littered living room. + 

тАЬAny trace of Gabrielle yet?тАЭ he asked. + 

тАЬNo. But spring the puzzle. DonтАЩt be literary with me, building up to climaxes and the like. IтАЩm too crude for thatтБатАФitтАЩd only give me a bellyache. Just spread it out for me.тАЭ + 

тАЬYouтАЩll always be what you are,тАЭ he said, trying to seem disappointed and disgusted, but not succeeding because he wasтБатАФinwardlyтБатАФtoo excited over something. тАЬSomebodyтБатАФa manтБатАФcalled me up early Saturday morningтБатАФhalf-past oneтБатАФon the phone. He asked: тАШIs this Fitzstephan?тАЩ I said: тАШYes;тАЩ and then the voice said: тАШWell, IтАЩve killed him.тАЩ He said it just like that. IтАЩm sure of those exact words, though they werenтАЩt very clear. There was a lot of noise on the line, and the voice seemed distant. + 

тАЬI didnтАЩt know who it wasтБатАФwhat he was talking about. I asked: тАШKilled who? Who is this?тАЩ I couldnтАЩt understand any of his answer except the word тАШmoney.тАЩ He said something about money, repeating it several times, but I could understand only that one word. There were some people hereтБатАФthe Marquards, Laura Joines with some man sheтАЩd brought, Ted and Sue Van SlackтБатАФand we had been in the middle of a literary free-for-all. I had a wisecrack on my tongueтБатАФsomething about Cabell being a romanticist in the same sense that the wooden horse was TrojanтБатАФand didnтАЩt want to be robbed of my opportunity to deliver it by this drunken joker, or whoever he was, on the phone. I couldnтАЩt make heads or tails of what he was saying, so I hung up and went back to my guests. + 

тАЬIt never occurred to me that the phone conversation could have had any meaning until yesterday morning, when I read about CollinsonтАЩs death. I was at the ColemansтАЩ, up in Ross. I went up there Saturday morning, for the weekend, having finally run Ralph to earth.тАЭ He grinned. тАЬAnd I made him glad enough to see me leave this morning.тАЭ He became serious again. тАЬEven after hearing of CollinsonтАЩs death, I wasnтАЩt convinced that my phone call was of any importance, had any meaning. It was such a silly sort of thing. But of course I meant to tell you about it. But lookтБатАФthis was in my mail when I got home this morning.тАЭ + 

He took an envelope from his pocket and tossed it over to me. It was a cheap and shiny white envelope of the kind you can buy anywhere. Its corners were dark and curled, as if it had been carried in a pocket for some time. FitzstephanтАЩs name and address had been printed on it, with a hard pencil, by someone who was a rotten printer, or who wanted to be thought so. It was postmarked San Francisco, nine oтАЩclock Saturday morning. Inside was a soiled and crookedly torn piece of brown wrapping paper, with one sentenceтБатАФas poorly printed with pencil as the addressтБатАФon it: + 

Anybody that wants Mrs.┬аCarter can have same by paying $10,000тБатАУтБа + 

There was no date, no salutation, no signature. + 

тАЬShe was seen driving away alone as late as seven Saturday morning,тАЭ I said. тАЬThis was mailed here, eighty miles away, in time to be postmarked at nineтБатАФtaken from the box in the first morning collection, say. ThatтАЩs one to get wrinkles over. But even thatтАЩs not as funny as its coming to you instead of to Andrews, whoтАЩs in charge of her affairs, or her father-in-law, whoтАЩs got the most money.тАЭ + 

тАЬIt is funny and it isnтАЩt,тАЭ Fitzstephan replied. His lean face was eager. тАЬThere may be a point of light there. You know I recommended Quesada to Collinson, having spent a couple of months there last spring finishing The Wall of Ashdod, and gave him a card to a real estate dealer named RollyтБатАФthe deputy sheriffтАЩs fatherтБатАФthere, introducing him as Eric Carter. A native of Quesada might not know she was Gabrielle Collinson, n├йe Leggett. In that case he wouldnтАЩt know how to reach her people except through me, who had sent her and her husband there. So the letter is sent to me, but starts off тАШAnybody that,тАЩ to be passed on to the interested persons.тАЭ + 

тАЬA native might have done that,тАЭ I said slowly; тАЬor a kidnapper who wanted us to think he was a native, didnтАЩt want us to think he knew the Collinsons.тАЭ + 

тАЬExactly. And as far as I know none of the natives knew my address here.тАЭ + 

тАЬHow about Rolly?тАЭ + 

тАЬNot unless Collinson gave it to him. I simply scribbled the introduction on the back of a card.тАЭ + 

тАЬSaid anything to anybody else about the phone call and this letter?тАЭ I asked. + 

тАЬI mentioned the call to the people who were here Friday nightтБатАФwhen I thought it was a joke or a mistake. I havenтАЩt shown this to anybody else. In fact,тАЭ he said, тАЬI was a little doubtful about showing it at allтБатАФand still am. Is it going to make trouble for me?тАЭ + 

тАЬYeah, it will. But you oughtnтАЩt mind that. I thought you liked firsthand views of trouble. Better give me the names and addresses of your guests. If they and Coleman account for your whereabouts Friday night and over the weekend, nothing serious will happen to you; though youтАЩll have to go down to Quesada and let the county officials third-degree you.тАЭ + 

тАЬShall we go now?тАЭ + 

тАЬIтАЩm going back tonight. Meet me at the Sunset Hotel there in the morning. ThatтАЩll give me time to work on the officialsтБатАФso they wonтАЩt throw you in the dungeon on sight.тАЭ + 

I went back to the agency and put in a Quesada call. I couldnтАЩt get hold of Vernon or the sheriff, but Cotton was reachable. I gave him the information I had got from Fitzstephan, promising to produce the novelist for questioning the next morning. + 

The marshal said the search for the girl was still going on without results. Reports had come in that she had been seenтБатАФpractically simultaneouslyтБатАФin Los Angeles, Eureka, Carson City, Denver, Portland, Tijuana, Ogden, San Jose, Vancouver, Porterville, and Hawaii. All except the most ridiculous reports were being run out. + 

The telephone company could tell me that Owen FitzstephanтАЩs Saturday morning phone-call had not been a long-distance call, and that nobody in Quesada had called a San Francisco number either Friday night or Saturday morning. + 

Before I left the agency I visited the Old Man again, asking him if he would try to persuade the district attorney to turn Aaronia Haldorn and Tom Fink loose on bail. + 

тАЬTheyтАЩre not doing us any good in jail,тАЭ I explained, тАЬand, loose, they might lead us somewhere if we shadowed them. He oughtnтАЩt to mind: he knows he hasnтАЩt a chance in the world of hanging murder-raps on them as things now stack up.тАЭ + 

The Old Man promised to do his best, and to put an operative behind each of our suspects if they were sprung. + 

I went over to Madison AndrewsтАЩ office. When I had told him about FitzstephanтАЩs messages, and had given him our explanation of them, the lawyer nodded his bony white-thatched head and said: + 

тАЬAnd whether thatтАЩs the true explanation or not, the county authorities will now have to give up their absurd theory that Gabrielle killed her husband.тАЭ + 

I shook my head sidewise. + 

тАЬWhat?тАЭ he asked explosively. + 

тАЬTheyтАЩre going to think the messages were cooked up to clear her,тАЭ I predicted. + 

тАЬIs that what you think?тАЭ His jaws got lumpy in front of his ears, and his tangled eyebrows came down over his eyes. + 

тАЬI hope they werenтАЩt,тАЭ I said; тАЬbecause if itтАЩs a trick itтАЩs a damned childish one.тАЭ + 

тАЬHow could it be?тАЭ he demanded loudly. тАЬDonтАЩt talk nonsense. None of us knew anything then. The body hadnтАЩt been found whenтБатАФтАЭ + 

тАЬYeah,тАЭ I agreed; тАЬand thatтАЩs why, if it turns out to have been a stunt, itтАЩll hang Gabrielle.тАЭ + 

тАЬI donтАЩt understand you,тАЭ he said disagreeably. тАЬOne minute youтАЩre talking about somebody persecuting the girl, and the next minute youтАЩre talking as if you thought she was the murderer. Just what do you think?тАЭ + 

тАЬBoth can be true,тАЭ I replied, no less disagreeably. тАЬAnd what difference does it make what I think? ItтАЩll be up to the jury when sheтАЩs found. The question now is: what are you going to do about the ten-thousand-dollar demandтБатАФif itтАЩs on the level?тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat IтАЩm going to do is increase the reward for her recovery, with an additional reward for the arrest of her abductor.тАЭ + 

тАЬThatтАЩs the wrong play,тАЭ I said. тАЬEnough reward money has been posted. The only way to handle a kidnapping is to come across. I donтАЩt like it any more than you do, but itтАЩs the only way. Uncertainty, nervousness, fear, disappointment, can turn even a mild kidnapper into a maniac. Buy the girl free, and then do your fighting. Pay whatтАЩs asked when itтАЩs asked.тАЭ + 

He tugged at his ragged mustache, his jaw set obstinately, his eyes worried. But the jaw won out. + 

тАЬIтАЩm damned if IтАЩll knuckle down,тАЭ he said. + 

тАЬThatтАЩs your business.тАЭ I got up and reached for my hat. тАЬMineтАЩs finding CollinsonтАЩs murderer, and having her killed is more likely to help me than not.тАЭ + 

He didnтАЩt say anything. + 

I went down to Hubert CollinsonтАЩs office. He wasnтАЩt in, but I told Laurence Collinson my story, winding up: + 

тАЬWill you urge your father to put up the money? And to have it ready to pass over as soon as the kidnapperтАЩs instructions come?тАЭ + 

тАЬIt wonтАЩt be necessary to urge him,тАЭ he said immediately. тАЬOf course we shall pay whatever is required to ensure her safety.тАЭ + 