"
They all entered.
"And you--you say--you married this--this woman to Taylor Dodge?"
queried Elaine, tensely.
The bogus minister seemed to be very fatherly. "Yes," he assented,
"I certainly did so."
"Have you the record?" asked Elaine, fighting to the last.
"Why, yes. I can show you the record."
He moved over to the closet. "Come over here," he asked.
He opened the door. Elaine screamed and drew back. There stood her
arch enemy, the Clutching Hand himself.
As he stepped forth, she turned, wildly, to run--anywhere. But
strong arms seized her and forced her into a chair.
She looked at the woman and the minister. It was a plot!
A moment Clutching Hand looked Elaine over. "Put the others out,"
he ordered the other crook.
Quickly the man obeyed, leading "Weepy Mary" and her "son" to the
door, and waving them away as he locked it. They left, quite as
much in the dark about the master criminal's identity as Elaine.
"Now, my pretty dear," began the Clutching Hand as the lock turned
in the vestry door, "we shall be joined shortly by your friend,
Craig Kennedy, and," he added with a leer, "I think your rather
insistent search for a certain person will cease."
Elaine drew back in the chair, horrified, at the implied threat.
Clutching Hand laughed, diabolically.
. . .
Pages:
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153