Page 35 - Demo

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One look from the window was enough for Tracy. Th e man himself lay face down, mutilated unrecognizably by the fall. But the impact had torn loose a white carnation from Lord's lapel. It
lay in a darkish stain alongside the body, shredded and no longer white. Tracy stayed inside, a little sorry he'd eaten so much for dinner.
When Fitz climbed in again his hands we re smudged with recording ink and he had a finger-print sample which he placed carefully in his wallet.
He grinned bleakly at Jerry 's ex- pr ession.
"A good cop has the soul of a louse, Jerry. Let's go over to Headquarters. These prints are about the only thing ieft of him."
TYPEWRITTEN memo lay on Fitz- gerald's desk. It was from the fin-
ger-print ex p e r t who had phoned the indice s of th e
gun-prints to London. The reply from London had come across ten minutes ago. Fitzgerald showed the memo to Tracy.
. "Index of prints positively identify Hil- liard's murderer as fugitive British crim- mal. Ronald Jordan, alias Harry Clifton, alias Richard Duke. Specialty rich women. Escaped custody after kill-ingtwo consta- bles. Believed to have reached America
under forged passports. Phot os follow.
"Suicide , eh?"
"He tried an .outside get-away along a stone ledge while we were breaking down the door."
Fitzgerald opened his wallet and handed Hanley two sensitized -sheets of paper with the record of the second and third fingers on Lord's right hand. He had taken two to make -sure. Blood
smears had ruined the first.
Hanley said, "Be autiful !" and meant
it. He took the good sample and laid it a1ongside the print he had taken from the gun. With a metal-tipped stylus he pointed to the complicated pattern of loops and whorls.
"Lem me show you what a really pret- ty science this business of-"
He stopped suddenly, his face queer- ly puckered.
"Gawd !" he breathed. He laid down the stylus with a gentle slowness as though he were afraid it might break.
"What's the matter?" Fitzgerald asked.
"Our guy didn't do it."
"H uh?"
"The prints don't match . The guy
who gunned Hilliard wasn ' t Bert Lord ." Stunned, Fitzgerald stared at the ex- pert. " You ju st told us that the British
police„"
"S ur e. They said that the guy who
used that Webley on Hilliard was Ron- ald Jordan , alias Harry Clifton, alias Ric11ard Duke. But you can take my word he wasn't Bert Lord ! I don t know why the hell the fool went out the window, but his prints show he didn'tt
kill Hilliard. If you put me on the stand, I'll have to be a defense wit-
ness." Kill id "Nice joke on Lord," 1 an sa1
tonelessly. "Looks like yyou'll have to dig us up another Englishman Jerry.
Tracy was on his feet, dutchmg at the edge of Fitz's desk to steady himself. "B ut Lord fired at us thro ugh the
door; tried to kill me. Why'd he run? Why did he-- "
"Take it easy, J erry," Fitz said. "Take it„hell!" His hand quivered
Extradition
ur gently
desired.
Hanley was the finger-print man. Fitz's ring brought him downstairs from the bureau. He came in with brisk
cheeriness.
"Forget about eextradit ion. We've got
a copper-riveted case right here. Bert Lord is the phony passport. monicker. Two minutes with the guy will prove 1t. Hav e you picked him up?"
"You do it," Sergeant. Killan said. He dropped thirteen stones without a
parachute."
Hanley ."
Station K-I-L-L 33