“I didn’t,” she said. ‘Venard became friendly with me. He tried to force his attentions on me at first, so he could get a point of contact with Mr. Stapleton and what was going on in the office. Then, when he found he couldn’t do that, he kept right on. He was objectionable to pie, but he seemed madly infatuated. I had had some trouble with him before.
“That was why I just couldn’t stand and face the music. When I realized that Frank Venard had been shot in my apartment, and that the gun which had done the shooting lay on the floor by the body, with my fingerprints on it, I knew that I was trapped. You see, I’d threatened to shoot him if he didn’t leave me alone.”
Zoom stared at her thoughtfully.
“You should have notified the police,” he said. “Even if you had shot him, you would have been acquitted.”
“I know,” she said, “but think of the publicity and the scandal that would be attached to it. They’d hold me up in the newspapers for the public to stare at.”
Zoom regarded her steadily.
“That’s not it,” he said. “There’s some other reason. What is it?”
She lowered her eyes and sat staring at her clasped hands.
“I can’t tell you that,” she said.
“I can’t help you,” Sidney Zoom told her, “unless you do.”
“If I should tell you,” she asked, “could you help me?”
“Perhaps.”
“Well,” she said, slowly, “I didn’t dare to let them take my fingerprints. As soon as they took my fingerprints, they’d have known who I was.”
“And who,” he asked, “are you?”
“I ran away once before,” she told him.
“From what?”
“I ran away,” she said, “from an investigation. I did it to shield a man who was unfortunate — a man that I loved. He had been guilty of embezzlement; that is, I guess he had, looking back on it now. But at the time I didn’t believe he had. He told me that things went bad for him. He was in a tough place and they were going to send him to the penitentiary, so I took the blame for the embezzlement, and ran away. That shielded him. He was to join me afterwards, and we were to be married. But...”
“But he didn’t join you?” asked Sidney Zoom.
“Yes,” she said, in a low voice.
“And Stapleton knew this?”
“I think,” she said, slowly, “that he did.”
“How did he find it out?”
“He used to question me about my past,” she said slowly.
“Some things I told him too much about, and some things not enough. He started checking back on me and I think he found out.”
“And you think Stapleton is the one who killed Venard?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Have you any proof whatever?”
“None.”
“The gun,” said Sidney Zoom, “must have been tossed into the room after you went into the closet.”
“Yes, of course.”
“Then the window was open?”
“Yes.”
“The fire escape runs just outside of your window?”
“No, it runs down from the hallway, but it comes dose to the room.”
“In other words,” said Sidney Zoom, “you believe that Stapleton intended to murder Venard? He managed to get Venard drunk and inflamed with the idea of going to your apartment. Then Stapleton tricked you into leaving your fingerprints on a gun, sat out on the fire escape, killed Venard, and, when you had gone into the closet, tossed the gun into your apartment.”
“That’s right.”
“And he thought that you’d run away.”
“He knew,” she said slowly, “that I’d have to. Otherwise, it would mean prison on the other charge, even if I weren’t convicted of murder.”
“Perhaps,” said Zoom, “Stapleton left some of his fingerprints on that gun.”
“No, he’s too smart for that. He’d use gloves.”
“Where,” asked Zoom, “is your apartment?”
“In the Richmore Apartments — 35B.”
“Give me your key to the apartment,” Zoom said.
She hesitated a moment, then took a key from her purse and handed it to Sidney Zoom.
“Would it do any good,” said Sidney Zoom, slowly, “if I should tell you that I am inclined to believe your story?”
She shook her head.
“Not a bit,” she said. “I was a little fool. I let myself get talked into becoming a fugitive from justice. I’m all right as long as they don’t take my fingerprints. Whenever they take my fingerprints I’m finished. Then I made the mistake of letting Stapleton know about it. You don’t understand that man. He’s a fiend incarnate; one of those shrewd, scheming individuals who is so smart he’s always one jump ahead.”
“Do you think that he got the marked money that was given as a bribe?” Zoom asked.
“I’m certain of it.”
“Do you know where he hid it?”
“No, he concealed it some place in the house; some place where no one would ever think of looking.”
“They searched the house?”
“Yes, they had a warrant and they searched the house.”
“What did Stapleton do while they were searching the house?”
“He stood by and laughed at them; told them Venard had framed up something on the whole outfit; that if they had trusted Venard with ten thousand dollars, they were simply fools.”
“Did you,” asked Sidney Zoom, “search Venard’s pockets before you left?”
“No, of course not. I got in a panic and ran out of the door without thinking. I threw some things in a suitcase and went down to the depot. I intended to get out of town. Then I suddenly remembered that I was virtually broke. It’s two days to payday and I had spent all of my money.”
“You didn’t have any savings?” he asked.
“I had some,” she said, “They were in one of the banks that closed and didn’t open.”
The locomotive gave a long, shrill blast on the whistle. The coaches started to nimble as the brakes were applied, and the train slowed. Sidney Zoom placed his face against the cold glass of the window and peered out into the darkness. Then he got to his feet and nodded to the girl.
“Leave all of your baggage here,” he said. “Come with me.”
“What are we going to do?” she asked.
“We’re going back,” he told her.
“No,” she said, “I can’t face it — that’s all! They’ll put a murder charge against me and then they’ll hold me on that old embezzlement charge.”
“Can you prove what happened in that case?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “I was just impulsive and foolish and I let them make me the goat.”
Sidney Zoom took her arm and piloted her down the length of the swaying car.
“Well,” he said, “they’d arrest you before nine o’clock tomorrow morning if you tried to get away the way you’re doing now. You’re leaving too broad a back trail. The ticket fellow will remember you, and so will the man at the telegraph office. The first thing the police will do will be to check up on the persons who took the night trains out of town.”
“What are you going to do?”
“We’re going back by automobile and we’re going to see Stapleton.”
“See Stapleton?” she gasped.
Zoom nodded grimly.
Chapter III
Zoom Accuses
Sidney Zoom fitted the key to the spring lock of the apartment, pushed the door open, stepped inside and found the lights blazing down upon that which lay on the floor.
Hastily he kicked the door shut and stood staring about him at the apartment; at the sprawled shape which lay near the window, on the floor.
Slowly, bit by bit, he started reconstructing the crime. There could be no question that there had been a struggle. Chairs were overturned and a small vase had been broken. The window was open.