| Show 0 G j 0 0 o 0 J r. r W AEy AE- AE fiE y S S. S. S SVAN VAN DINE NE AUTHOR THE BENSON NON CA CASE CM THE STORY THUS FAR The rhe jewel case had been opened with a a. steel chi chisel el after being battered battered bat- bat with a pok poker r. r And this puzzled i sled Vance when it Is found Cound near the Uie strangled body of ot Margaret prints Finger lead to Skeels arrest after aftel Cleaver er and Dr Lindquist LIi have haver been questioned Vance Yance indIcate in in- he believes belle Skeel Skeet was hIding hiding hid hId- ing In the clothes closet when Ui the lie murder was committed committed- nm wl wines witnessed sed Jt it Markham believing In Skeels Skeel's guilt ridicules the Mannix is brought brought- In and quest quest- CHAPTER X I Markham Ignored the lie guestion Can you think of ot any anyone anyon one who might have bae borne Usg Miss MIs a grudge or had cause to fear tear her Mannix was volubly emphatic on n the subject subject-o- o Jil hJ IC complete ig ignorance ignorance ig- ig norance of ot any fl such person and after a aCe few more Qu questions question's which h elicited only dials denials Markham l lt t thim Is him go go Not bad at nt all Markham old thing thing thing-eh eh h what Vance seemed pleased with the the conference Won Wonder Jer why hes he's so BO coy co coNot Not Nota a nice person this Mannix And hes he's so o fearful tearful lest he be be- informative tire the Again I wonder Wondel wh why lIe He was vaa so BO careful oh careful oh so 80 care careful ul He ho W was s sufficiently careful at an any rate not to tell us anything declared Markham glo gloomily nilly I lOr 1 shouldn't say sty th that t dont don't y know Vance lay back and smoked placidly A A ray ray of or light filtered through through- here and there lie denied hed he'd been blackmailed blackmailed- which was as obviously ob untrue and arid and tried tb t make us Js bei believe believe- that he anI and the lovely Margaret coo coOed booed d like turtle doves at parting Tosh Tosh And then that that mention of ot C Cleaver aver That wasn't dear dear me no Broth Brother r and nd spon- spon are ale as tho pol poles s- s apart lIe He had a re reason for for- bringing Cleaver In and I fancy that It JC you knew what that reason was you'd oud feel Ceel lI like e roses flinging es Iy aI and t that at sort of ot thing Why Cleaver Cl a TI That t. t explanation i tion tion- was wao a a. brt bit k Tho or these two paramo paramours rs rs- chess choss som some where On that that point at aI le least e t Mannix Inadvertently enlightened ed us Moreover reo er Its plain that ho he doesn t khoW V our fashionable healer healer- with the satyr ears ears Jut But on the oth other other- r- r hand hes he's aware of ot the existence of Mr 11 1 Skeel Skeel- and would rather like the acquaintance ac 0 Plent Plenty Plent of ot information Jh- Jh formation but my but my word word what what to do with It ItI I r t gJ go Jt fit up acknowledged Markham Markha- hopelessly T I know kno ft its it's a sad sad world Vance commiserated d him Its time for or lunch and anda a nd a tL fillet t of sole soe soel Marguery l will cheer chetrI you you nib no n nd Markham glanced at the clock chock a and d permit himself to be l leid d to the Lawyers Lawyer Club i L Wednesday September September- 12 evening e Vance and 1 I did did not slot r rt return t rn to t to the district attorneys attorney's office after arter lunch t for r Markham had a a a- busy afternoon before him bins and nothing further wa was lIel likely to transpire In lit connection with the Odell case Se un un- un U Ul Sergeant Ue Heath th had bad completed complete 1 his investigation of CJ Cleaver aver and hd Doctor Vance anee had seats for tOr Giordano's i Madam radam Sans Sans-G Sans n and and two too found u ot at the Metro politan Though the vas as a excellent Vance w was too to enjoy enlo It t and It t was 5 significant that after aCter the opera he directed the chauffeur to the StU Stuyvesant sant C Culb lb I knew he be had a a. tea appointment and that ho had planned to motor to Ix nue Vuo Vue for tor dinner and the fact tact Uta that t he should have vo dIsmissed these thelle social engagements ens from Ws hIs mind In order to be with Markham showed how intensely ensel the J problem of ot the murder had absorbed his interest It was aur ater sIx o'clock when I Markham oame In in looking bar har assed and tired No mention of oC the tho case calle l was as made durIng Curing dinner J with the exception of ot Markhams Markham's casual remark that Heath had I tUM turned turned-In In hi I r reports on Cea Cleaver Ceaver er erI and 1 Doctor and Mannix I It s seemed that immediately after atter lunch he had telephoned to the Ierg sergeant ant to add Mannix name to o the two others I as a subject ct for tor Inquiry j It wa was not until We wo had retired I to our favorite corner comer or of th tb lounge lounge- room that the topic of the tho murder was brought up for tor discussion And AnI that a discussion brief brieC and one sided was wa the beginning beginning- of or an un entire new Hn of or el Investigation tf a line In the end led to the guilty person Markham sank sank- wearily wearily- into hIs Ms chair He lie had isad begun to to abo show t the tle e strain of or the last last- two lara days of ot fruitless wort worry Ills His eyes ee were ere a It trine trifle heavy and there r a tag as a grim tenacity In the lines lints of or his mouth Slowly and deliberately at ly ho be lighted a cigar and several enral dH deep In- In In Damn the tM newspaper ne h he h. rumble ja Thy O Xa cant can't nt hy 4 it I the d torn 1 e han sJ Y die Its It business In ip Us n own way Have Ye you oU see seen the afternoon papers papel'S They're There oil lOll clamoring for forthe j the he murderer You'd think 1 had him Up Up m my sleeve You forget torget my dear chap cl grinned Vance that we are living under the benign and reIgn of pt D s which confers conters upon confers ul upon on every ignoramus the the privilege of oC pio promiscuously criticising his bet bet- et- et terL Markham snorted norte I 1 dont don't complain about criticism rIU clam cism It its it's th the lurid imagination Ot bt these bright reporters th that t galls EM ate me They're Irvine Irvine- to to- turn this sordid crime Into a spectacular Borgia melodrama with running r rampant and mysterious influences it sit work and all the pomp and und trappings of r a mediaeval ro ro- ro n mace mance You'd think ev even es n a a. could see sea that that that-it it was vas only an robbery that's taking vl place c reg regularly f throughout o t te countr country Vance paused in the act of lightIng light light- lag Ing a a. cigarette and his e eyebrows lifted Turning he ho regarded h ham hani ni with a look of or mild Incredulity I say Do you really mean to tell that OUI statement for fol forthe forthe the press press was given gh en out In hi good faith Markham looted ui Ut- Ut up it In surprise C Certainly it Jt was What What do 10 you rou mean by good faith Vance smiled Indolently 1 I r rather thought dont don't Y know inos that your OUr oration to the rep reporters wa s of or strategy strate-gy to lun the thereal thereal thereal real culprit into a state of false Jabe also security and to give you clear a field field- fieldor for tor or investigation Markham contemplated him a a. moment moment See Se here Yanc Vance he lie demanded Irritably bl what hat ai JOu driving at l Nothing at all really all really old tel feZ low fow the other assured him arf af- af f faby b I 1 knew w that bat Heath w was deadly sincere about bout his belief in Skeels guil sull but It Jt never occurred med ye to me dr I ye re reee tsee ee ee th that t you OU yourself u self actually cl Regarded the crime as a aC one c committed m by-a by professional burglar I 1 foolishly thought that you let SIC Skeel 1 go this in i th tha that he would ld I lead lead- you to the person I raTher Imagined d you were spoof the tho trusting sergeant ser ser- I geant pr t. t t to fall Call In wl with h his silly Ah Ab Absee I r. r see Still clinging to your your weird weird t theory that a brace of o villains mains were were- present hiding biding In separate clothes clothes clothes- or something something some some- thing of ot the kind made no att attempt to temper his c A sapient so o much more moro In In- I te than than- Heaths Heath's I i 1 T know khow how its Jt's lra But It ja pe s riot pot to toLVo any weird elrd r tI n Y ur r theory theor of ot a a. lone And for fot what hat re reason reason- son pra persisted Markham erable warmth do do you oU consider the theory weird eli For th the simple reason reason- that It was al nt ts th ot of a a. thief at nil b but t th the Wilfully Wilfully- dec de- de c act c act act o of ft g clever r rm m man mass who doubtless spent n weeks n nits its preparation prel Markham Markhan- s sank back in isis his chair and and- laughed b heartily r i haVo o contributed time tile theon on one ra ray or of sunshine to an n otherwise gloom gloomy and depressing hag c case Vance l I ce Do 7 c d with mock humilIty It ity It gives gl me gi-e gi great t pleasure was waa his dulcet j r to tobe ti able I to bring even a a. a wisp of t light Into 80 cloud clouded ll a mental atmosphere A brief silence tOll followed ed Then Markham asked Js I this fascinating and pia tu 1 esque conclusion ot yours of-yours yours regarding time the highly intellectual character of ot the tho Odell womans woman's murderer based balled on your new and original psychological pay pay- S methods of or deduction 1 There was no t the tIie e ridicule i In n his voice I arrived at it ft explained Vance Yance sweetly b by the tho same j processes rOC of ot logic I 1 used used- In IP det determining m the guilt lilt of oC Alvin Bensons Benson's murderer Markham smiled t Don think Im I'm ImBO so BO ungrateful as to b belittle tho work you rou did in fn that cases case But this thIs thIs' time time- I f t fear ar you youve you've permitted your our theories lh to lad you OU astray utra The present case Is Js what the police pollee call an shut open-and-shut affair Particularly Pal shut Vance Pance dryl dryly And both you ou and the the- police are in the situation of or waiting inactively for tor your our suspected victim to give dye Ive the game away Ill Til admit the situation n is not al all aIL ono one could coul 1 desire Markham bam spoke morosely nut But even en so so I 1 cant can't see sec tb theres there's re any opportunity opportunity I In In Inthis this th's affair for our r psychological metho methods Th The things thing's JI too obvious that obvious that's the the- trouble What bat we need now Is eVIdence ev evidence eV eV- Menee no not theories If It It wasn't nt for tor or th the the spacious spacious and Imag- Imag loins loin's of oC the newspaper men men Int Interest rut In the cafe asia would woula already have oo died said akl Vance quiet quietly I ly but with unwonted seriousness If lt that that's what reaU believe beliet's you yu OU really theft I as as- asarch wen well drop the ca case CA youre you're t to r failure You think Its It'll crime But let iet et me metell tell iou f UV its a a. su s if ever er there was was one And its it's as clever clevel aa as It Is Js subtle imbUe No common criminal it believe me It don b bya a man manof of of of- very superior intellect and Ingenuity Vanc Vances Vance's 11 assured of matter tone had had- hada a a. curiously convincing con quality and Markham restraining restrain restrain- in ing hi his Impulse Impulse- to lI scoff rt assumed an an air All of ot I l Ten 8 fm me mc he said by what cryptic mental process you OU arrived at so fantastic fantastic- a conclusion With pleAsure Van Vance e took a afew atc tc few puffs on hi cigarette and lazily ia Watched l th curl crl upward upward- TO CONTINUED Lant a a proof prO of of orthe the following ollon-In ollon paragraphs J Jo Vanc and li he edited and corrected them so that as they po now stand tand they represent his hi s In practically his hi own o ord i i i 1 fr |
