“Came back?” inguired Scrafford sharply,
“came back from where?”

But the pastor was evasive. Richard had
been in the East, he said, and had only
returned about three weeks ago.

Carter had not left his work until five
o'clock; Innamura’s alibi was air-tight; and
Richard Carter was missing. These were
the only three possible suspects.

PURCHASE OF GUN

Detective Scrafford scoured the city of
Seattle for clues, finally locating a man
named Arthur Dahl. Dahl, according to his
statement, had sold a .38 calibre, such as
was used to kill Mrs. Carter only a week
ago to a young fellow named Gene Gaylord.
And the description of Gaylord tallied with
that of Richard Carter.

Word came back from the East, painting
a contradictory picture to. that of the
demure, church-going youngster. For young
Carter had a police record.

Besides reform school sentences, he had
been confined over a period of years in El-
mira State Reformatory in New York for
burglary, and had been paroled from that
institution just three months prior to the
murder.

But the picture still didn’t fit to the satis-
faction of Officers Cleary and Scrafford.
There were too many ‘buts.”

Why, if he had committed the crime,
should Richard have stayed in the house
for nearly eight hours after the murder?
Would he prepare dinner, and then sit and
play cards with Carter while his mother’s
body was lying in a cupboard, not five feet
away?

Undoubtedly the youth had been wild,
and unrestrained—but the church? Perhaps
he had reformed.

Then Detective Scrafford unexpectedly
hit upon the truth. He traced every robbery
and bit of petty thievery in the district,
and they coincided with young Carter's
visits to the church. ;

The perfect alibi: After a crime Richard
was in church.

The truth struck home. Circulars were
sent out to all police to be on the lookout
for a dangerous criminal, a mad killer.

In November, 1933, eight months after
the crime, young Carter was arrested in

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Nevada City, California, on a minor charge.
Fingerprints tabbed him as the wanted fugi-
tive from Seattle.

Chief of Detectives Ernest Yoris was
detailed to bring the prisoner back, and he
found a swaggering, seedy-looking youth,
who assumed a tough gangster drawl, and
appeared uninterested in the proceedings.

Richard Carter had an alibi. A man had
entered the house, had ambushed him and
his mother.

“He gave me a drink and that’s all I
remember until I awoke in Stockton, Cali-
fornia,” said the youth, brazenly.

Chief Yoris gazed patiently at the
youngster. “Would you like to see a pic

Chief of Detectives Marshall Scrafford, of Seattle, who headed the investigation
and captured the killer.

Compliments of

Victoria Lumber & Manufacturing

Elevator Service

Cos Lid:

Chemainus, B.C.

Page Fifty-Seven