Nothing More Than Murder

Rufe laughed and muttered something under his breath, and Web gave him an angry look.

'Rufe thinks I'm playing the fool,' he said. 'But I'm running this office, and I've got to do what I think is best. I wouldn't have had you come down here, Joe, if I hadn't figured I had to.'

'So?' I said.

'Well, I just wanted to know, Joe-I wondered if you thought, perhaps-'

Rufe Waters laughed again.

'I'll tell you, Joe. He thinks it wasn't Mrs. Wilmot that got killed in the fire.'

28

I tried to keep from jumping. Then I remembered that I should, that anyone would be startled by a statement of that kind; and I gave a good healthy start. I leaned forward, frowning, interested.

'Web must have some reason for thinking that,' I said. 'What is it, Web?'

He wiped his face, relieved that I wasn't sore. 'Has Appleton said anything to you about a woman he was looking for? A woman that came out here on the day of the fire and disappeared?'

'Why, yes,' I said, 'I believe he did make some mention of it.'

'Well, that's it. He prowled the town from one end to the other looking for her, and then he called us in and we checked with everyone that hires household help. Everyone but you, and, of course, Elizabeth.'

'Yes,' I said. 'Go on, Web.'

'Well, Joe, we figure-Appleton and I figure-that that woman must have gone to your place.'

'She didn't,' I said. 'Elizabeth didn't say anything about hiring anyone.'

'But that doesn't mean she didn't do it!' Web laughed apologetically. 'No offense. I just mean she wouldn't have been a Barclay if she hadn't been a wee bit highhanded. All the Barclays were.'

'You're right about that,' I said. 'But-'

'You were in the city, Joe. You didn't go home after you left in the morning. So the woman could have been there, and you wouldn't have known a thing about it.'

I shook my head, stalling; waiting to be convinced. I could see where the conversation was leading, but there wasn't anything to do but follow it. It was a crazy way for things to turn out, to be tripped up by a dame that didn't belong in the plot at all. But there it was.

And I couldn't help Carol. All I could do was save myself.

'I don't think Elizabeth would have done that,' I said. 'But give me the rest of it.'

'Here's the way we see it,' said Web. 'Mrs. Wilmot put an ad in one of the city papers and hired this woman. She hired her, and the Farmer girl didn't know about it until Mrs. Wilmot picked her up that night in Wheat City. Probably Elizabeth was a little bit curt, and Carol got sore. You couldn't blame her much. Here she was coming back from a vacation, with all her money spent more'n likely, and she finds herself out of a job.

'It's thirty miles from here to Wheat City. We figure that somewhere between here and there, Elizabeth was killed and her body hid. We figure that Carol drove on home by herself, killed the other woman to keep from giving her play away, and then put her in the garage and set it on fire.'

'I-I can't believe that Carol would do anything like that, Web.'

'Oh, she could have.' Rufe Waters spoke up. 'All them Farmers are a dead-hard lot. I wouldn't put a killin' or two past any member of that family. But the rest of it's all bunk. I mean about this other woman, and all.'

Web glared at him. 'What's bunk about it? It all fits in, don't it?'

'I ain't going to argue,' said Rule. 'I'll go along with you so far as to say that the girl might have had an argument with Mrs. Wilmot and killed her, but that's as far as I will go.'

'I can't believe it,' I said again. 'Carol and Elizabeth got along fine-at least, while I was around.'

'Well,' drawled Web, 'what getting-along is to a man isn't the same as it is to a woman. A man doesn't really know when womenfolks are at outs and when they're not.'

'But if Elizabeth hadn't wanted her around-'

'-she'd have fired her,' said Web. 'And I'm claiming that's just what she did do! She went right ahead without asking or telling anyone and canned her.'

Rufe scratched his head thoughtfully. Web had made a point with him.

'It's a little too pat,' I said. 'Carol had been with us for almost a year. If Elizabeth had wanted to fire her, it looks like she'd have done it long ago.'

'Maybe the trouble just came up lately. Maybe Elizabeth couldn't find anyone to take her place. Maybe she was waiting until Carol was out of town. That's common sense, isn't it?'

'Well,' I hesitated, 'it sounds reasonable.'

'I tell you, Joe; it just had to be something like that. The more you think about, the more you see I'm right. I'm not saying that the girl just hauled off and deliberately started killing. Probably it was kind of an accident to begin with. She was mad. She flung out at Elizabeth and killed her before she knew what she was doing. Then she had to go on and do the rest to protect herself.'

He stared at me, waiting, and I nodded my head a couple of times. 'I don't know, Web. The way you put it-''

'It's a cinch that fire didn't start itself,' said Rufe Waters.

'No, it didn't,' said Web. 'The girl had to do it, Joe. She was the only one that could have.'

I could have said, 'How can you be so damned sure that the woman stayed here? How do you know she's not in some other burg right now, throwing herself a whing-ding?'

But what I said was, 'Maybe you're right.'

'It's not just my idea,' Web went on. 'This insurance fellow, Appleton, really thought of it. Didn't he ask you anything about how things stood between Carol and Mrs. Wilmot?'

'Yes, he did.'

'Well, he-we hadn't really started putting two and two together, then. We thought it was just a matter of a little work to turn this missing woman up. When we couldn't find her he started putting two and two together, and we figured it like I just told you. He heard from his company tonight, and they think he's on the right track. They're willing to back him up in anything he does. That's why I got you down here.'

'I see,' I said.

'Appleton's going to ask that the bod- that the remains be exhumed and examined in the morning. He's going to demand a real post mortem. If it don't show it was Elizabeth that was killed in the fire, he's going to put a murder charge against Carol Farmer. I don't like to have him running things on me like that. I figure if there's any murders to be solved we people here in the county ought to solve 'em ourselves.'

'Especially with election coming up,' nodded Rufe.

'That's got nothing to do with it!' Web glared at him. 'Now, here's what I thought we'd better do, Joe. There's no use in Rufe or me trying to talk to that girl. She'd just freeze up on us, like the rest of that ornery Farmer gang. So I want you to talk to her. Tell her-'

'Me talk to her?' I said.

'Yes, you, Joe.'

'Well, gosh,' I said. 'I-'

'You know how to gentle people along, get on the best side of 'em. You can get her to talk when no one else could get to first base. You know. Sympathize with her, but show her she hasn't got a chance to beat the case. I know it's asking a lot, but-'

'I don't think it is.' I looked from Web to Rufe, jutting my jaw out. 'If things are like you think they are, it's my duty to help to get to the bottom of 'em!'

'I knew you'd see it that way, Joe.'

'The only reason I'd hesitate at all is because of the possibility that I might gum things up. If the girl is guilty, I want to be sure she pays the penalty. What'll I do if she tries to skip out, or…'

'Just a minute,' said Rufe.

He crossed the room, opened the connecting door to his offices, and went inside. He came back with a Colt automatic in his hand. He twirled it, caught it by the barrel, and handed it to me butt first.

'You take that, Joe.'

'Well,' I said, shying away. 'I don't know as that's necessary.'

'Take it, Joe,' said Web. 'That girl may have a gun herself for all you or we know. She might come at you with