Tangled Trails: A Western Detective StoryRaine, William MacLeod
General
Tangled Trails: A Western Detective Story
Raine, William MacLeod
Detective and mystery stories; Western stories
"Wouldn't take you long to run over on the interurban." The lawyer
began to gather toward him the papers upon which he had been working
when the client was shown in. He added casually: "I found it quite
amusing to look over the marriage licenses of the last month or two.
Found the names there of some of our prominent citizens. Well, I'll
call you up as soon as I know about the bond."
Lane was not entirely satisfied with what he had been told, but he knew
that Foster had said all he meant to say. One thing stuck in his mind
as the gist of the hint. The attorney was advising him to go to the
court-house and check up the marriage licenses.
He walked across to the Equitable Building and dropped in on his cousin
James. Cunningham rose to meet him a bit stiffly. The cattleman knew
that Jack had already been in to see him or had got him on the wire.
Kirby brushed through any embarrassment there might be and told frankly
why he had come.
"I've had a sort of row with Jack. Under the circumstances I don't
feel that I ought to let you stay on my bond. It might create
ill-feelin' between you an' him. So I'm arrangin' to have some Wyoming
friends put up whatever's required. You'll understand I haven't any
bad feeling against you, or against him for that matter. You've been
bully all through this thing, an' I'm certainly in your debt."
"What's the trouble between you about?" asked James.
"I've found out that he an' Miss Harriman were in Uncle James's rooms
the night he was killed. I want them to come through an' tell what
they know."
"How did you find that out?"
The eyes of the oil broker were hard as jade. They looked straight
into those of his cousin.
"I can't tell you that exactly. Put two an' two together."
"You mean you _guess_ they were there. You don't _know_ it."
A warm, friendly smile lit the brown face of the rough rider. He
wanted to remain on good terms with James if he could. "I don't know
it in a legal sense. Morally, I'm convinced of it."
"Even though they deny it."
"Practically they admitted rather than denied."
"Do you think it was quite straight, Kirby, to go to Miss Harriman with
such a trumped-up charge? I don't. I confess I'm surprised at you."
In voice and expression James showed his disappointment.
"It isn't a trumped-up charge. I wanted to know the truth from her."
"Why didn't you go to Jack, then?"'
"I didn't know at that time Jack was the man with her."
"You don't know it now. You don't know she was there. In point of
fact the idea is ridiculous. You surely don't think for a moment that
she had anything to do with Uncle James's death."
"No; not in the sense that she helped bring it about. But she knows
somethin' she's hidin'."
"That's absurd. Your imagination is too active, Kirby."
"Can't agree with you." Lane met him eye to eye.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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