The Cases of Hildegarde Withers (18 page)

He
leaped
to
his
feet.
He
was
free!
It
would
take
a
minute
for
the
train
to
stop.
He
whirled
and
ran
back
along
the
platform
.
…

He
knocked
over
a
child,
kicked
a
dog
savagely
because
its
leash
almost
tripped
him,
and
flung
men
and
women
out
of
his
way.
The
train
was
stopping
with
a
hissing
of
air-brakes.
He
ran
the
faster
.
…

He
saw
his
way
cleared,
except
for
a
smallish
middle-aged
man
in
a
gray
suit
who
was
hurrying
down
the
stairs
—
a
man
who
blinked
stupidly
at
him.
Arthur
Reese
knocked
him
aside
and
was
then
very
deftly
flung
forward
in
a
double
somersault.
Deft
hands
caught
his
arm,
and
raised
it
to
the
back
of
his
neck,
excruciatingly.

“What’s
all
this?”
said
Inspector
Oscar
Pipe
r.
“What’s
your
blasted
hurry?”

Miss
Withers
came
to
life
to
find
a
porter
splashing
water
in
her
face,
and
red-haired
Miss
Kelly
praying
unashamed.
The
train
had
stopped.
“I’m
all
right,”
s
he
said.
“But
where
did
he
go—
he
got
away!”

They
came
out
on
the
platform
to
find
the
Inspector
sitting
on
his
captive.
“This
was
the
only
train
that
left
any
station
in
twenty
minutes,”
said
Piper.
“I
changed
my
mind
and
thought
I’d
better
rally
around.”

An
hour
or
so
later
Miss
Withers
sat
in
an
armchair,
surrounded
by
the
grim
exhibits
which
line
the
walls
of
the
Inspector’s
office
in
Center
Street.
She
still
felt
seedy,
but
not
too
seedy
to
outline
her
deductions
as
to
the
manner
in
which
Reese
had
committed
the
“suicide”
of
Margie
Thorens.
One
by
one
she
checked
off
the
points.
“I
knew
that
a
girl
who
had
a
fountain
pen
in
her
handbag
wouldn’t
use
a
pencil
to
write
something
unless
it
was
given
to
her,”
she
said.
“It
wasn’t
her
own,
because
it
was
too
long
to
fit
into
the
bag,
unless
it
miraculously
bent.
From
then
on
the
tr
uth
came
slowly
but
surely
…
”

“But
the
motive!”
insisted
Piper.
“We’ve
got
to
have
a
motive.
I’ve
got
Reese
detained
downstairs,
but
we
can’t
book
him
without
a
motive.”

Miss
Withers
nodded.
Then
—
“Did
a
woman
come
down
to
see
you,
a
Mrs.
Blenkinsop?”

The
Inspector
shook
his
head.
“No
—
wait
a
minute.
She
came
and
went
again.
But
she
left
a
package
for
you
with
the
desk
lieutenant
.
…
”

“Good
enough,”
said
Miss
Withers.
“If
you’ll
call
Reese
in
here
I’ll
produce
the
motive.”

Arthur
Reese,
strangely
enough,
came
quietly
and
pleasantly,
with
a
smile
on
his
face.

There
was
an
officer
on
either
side,
but
Pipe
r
had
them
go
outside
the
door.

“
I
’
m
sorry,
madam,”
said
Reese
when
he
saw
Miss
Withers.
“But
I
lost
my
head
when
you
said
those
terrible
things.
I
didn’t
know
what
I
was
doing.
If
I’d
realized
that
you
were
a
policewoman
.
…
”

“You’re
under
arrest
for
the
murder
of
Margie
Thorens,”
cut
in
Piper.
“Under
the
law,
you
may
make
a
confession
but
you
may
not
make
a
plea
of
guilty
to
a
charge
of
murder
.
…
”

“Guilty?
But
I’m
not
guilty!
This
woman
here
may
have
made
a
lot
of
wild
guesses
as
to
how
I
might
have
killed
Margie
Thorens,
but
man
alive
—
where’s
my
motive?
Just
because
I
made
love
to
her
months
ago
…
”

“And
took
her
to
Atlantic
City
—
before
she
was
eighteen,”
cut
in
Miss
Withers.
“That
gave
her
a
hold
over
you,
for
she
was
under
the
age
of
consent.
Being
an
ambitious
and
precocious
little
thing,
she
tried
desperately
to
blackmail
you
into
publishing
one
of
her
songs.
And
then
you
found
that
she
had
accidently
struck
a
masterpiece
of
popular
jingles
—
this
famous
May
Day
.
So
you
took
the
song,
and
made
it
your
own
property
by
removing
Margie.
She
wrote
May
Day
—
not
you!
That’s
your
motive!”

Reese
shook
his
head.
“You
haven’t
got
any
proof,”
he
said
confidently.
“Where’s
one
witness?
That’s
all
I
ask!
Just
one
—
”