Show I I 0 0 JED m y S. S SVAN DINE D DUfON N ON MURDER CASE Margaret et Odell is found stran stran- g led Skeels Skeel's finger prints are f found in the apartment but Vance Yance b believes Skeel had been hiding Ina in ina a closet while the strangler did his work The thing that baffles p police pollee Uce Is i s the side door to the alley which h had ad been bolted on the Inside Inside- the night before and was found round the s same ame way the n next morning Mannix Manix Mannix Man- Man nix n ix Dr Lindquist and Cleaver allie aUlIe all aU l lie ie about their their- whereabouts the n night ight of or the murder who had called on the girl haG hac r rushed to her door at the sound 01 ot a scream but had been reassured through her door that everything ever was all aU right Then Thea Skeel Is found strangled after promising to reveal tl the e murderer murderer- Vance then dem em In of ot his theory that Skeel ha had baa been hiding in In Ina a a closet how Skeel could have left JeU through the side door and the bolt boJt on the inside CHAPTER lIe Heath th nodded his head arl A UA crook ook no matter how cl cI clever ve ver he Is always overlooks something Why single out crooks for your you criticism Sergeant asked Vance Vanci m lazily Do uDo jou you know of ot anybodY r in this Imperfect who doesn't t always overlook o something Hi He S ga e Heath a benignant smile i. i Even Eyen the Hie police dont don't y know overlooked the tweezers Heath grunted His cigar had hai S gone out and he it slowly r and thoroughly What do jou you think Mr r. r Markham Mark Mark- ham baum The Time situation does does' doesn't doest t become C much clearer was as Markham's Markhams C gloomy comment My I theory isn't exactly a L illumination said Vance Yet I wouldn't say that It left things ii in rt pristine darkness There are eec cel tam tain Inferences to be drawn fr from frOn m m my yag vagaries les wit To-wit Skeel either eithe i knew or or recognized the murderer and once he had bad made good his es cape rape from the ap apartment and nd had hat i regained a a. m modicum of ot self dence he undoubtedly blackmailed i his homicidal confrere His death was merely another g manifestation of or our Inconnu's bent hen I for tor ridding himself of oc persons wh who 0 alno annoyed ed him Furthermore iii my It theory accounts for the chiseled ci jewel case the prints finger ts th the e unmolested closet the finding of oC f the gems in th the refuse tin tin the the person per per- er erson son who took toole them really didn't didn t want them y yo know knOw and arid Skeels Skeel's 5 silence It also explains the un un- un bolting and and bolting of or the sid side e door I Yes sighed sighed- Markham It it seems to clarify everything but th the theone e eone one important all point time point the Inden Inden- Uty of the murderer Exactly said Vance Letsgo Lets Let S go to lunch Heath morose and conCus confused d departed de- de de parted for tor police for police headquarters an and d Markham larkham Vance and and- andI I 1 rode 1 to 0 where we chose U the main room dining-room in preference to the grill The cas case now would seem to i 0 center on on- Cleaver and Mannix s said Id l when w wa We hal fin fin I I our lun luncheon heon If uIe your jour o th l.-th theory theor y that the same same man killed bt both Skeel and the Canary Is correct t then Lindquist is s out of It ft for Cor ii he certainly was vas in the he Episcopal Hospital Hos Hos- pital Saturday night I Quite agreed sr d Vance The doc doe tor tot is unquestionably eliminated 1 Yes Cleaver and Mannix Mannix- the re they're re the he twins tV Dop Don't Dont It see ee any any an anway way to g gd gO beyond them He frowned and sipped his coffee corree 5 My Iy orf original quartet la is d dwindling g and I r dont don't like It it It narrows tb the gC C thing down too much much much-lher there's theres no mm o scope for the mind as it were ere I in it only two choices What at If we should succeed I In n eliminating Cleaver er and Mannia Where would we be be eh eh what 7 Nowhere simply Nowhere nowhere An And d yet j-et et one of the quartet is guilty lets let's cling bUng to that consolin tact fact It cant be and It cant can't be Cleo Cleaver ver an and d Mannix remain two from Crom four fot in leaves Jea two Simple arithmetic C what The Time only trouble Is this Is case Isn't simple Lord no no- no nO-I nO I sa say p how v would the equation wor work ot out It If Ir IrVe i we Ve used algebra or spherical cl trl trigonometry or differential calculus cal culus Lets Let's cast it in the forth fort h dimension or or the fifth firth or the th e sixth U lie He held his temples temple 5 In both hands Oh promise C Markham promise Markham promise me that you'll yoO U hire a 1 kind gentle k keeper for tor me I know how ou feeL feet you jou Ive I've bee been it in the same mental state for a week eek Its the quartet idea Ideo that's ing me mad moaned Vance It It wrings me inc to ha have hae e m mj- mj tetrad lopped loppe ci off orf in such a brutal fashion fa Id I'd is ismy set t m mj my young heart henrt on tha that t quartet ane and no now no It its it's only a pal pair r My y sense of or order and proportion r has hair been outraged r want my m quartet Tm Im afraid you'll have ha to I be te satisfied with two of them Markham Mark Mans ham returned wearily One of or then them cant can't qualify and one is i in bed You might send some flowers to the hospital If It would cheer you you any One One Is 15 In bed one bed on Is In bed re repeated Vance Well WeIL well to wen to be be- sure lure And one from four leaves three More lore arithmetic Three On the other hand there Is no such a a. thing a. a as a a. straight line All AU lines JInes are curved cuned they tran transcribe scribe circles circlet In spade They look straight but they're not Appearances Appear Appear- ances j- j 3 know know so so deceptive Lets Let's enter the silence and substitute tute lute for sight He gazed up out out- of I- I the the- Jr great d windows into Fifth Avenue For several se moments he sat smoking thoughtfully When h he spoke again It was In an even deliberate voice Markham would it be difficult for tor you OU to invite Mannix and Cleaver and to spend an mn evening this evening this evening let Jet us u say sayIn In your apartment 1 Markham s set t down his cup with witha a n clatter and regarded Vance narrow narrowly nar nar- row I What new harlequinade Is thIs Fie on you yot Answer my ques ques- tion Well Well VeU of course course I I might arrange ar arrange ar- ar range ranie it replied Markham hesi best all nore more or less Jess under my jurisdiction at present So that such an Invitation would be rather In line with the situation situation elm eh what And they wouldn't be likely to refuse you jou ou old dear would dear would they No o I hardly think so And if it when they had assembled assem assem- bled in your jour quarters YOU jou should propose a afew few hands of ot poker they'd probably accept without thinking the time suggestion strange Probably s said ld Markham non non- at at Vances Vance's amazing request Cle Cleaver Cleive vet and Spots both pla play I know and Mannix doubtless doubt doubt- l less ss knows the game But why P p poker ker Are you jou serious or has your you thre threatened dementia already overtaken overtaken over over- taken you JOU Oh oli Im Im I'm serious Vances Vance's tone left no no doubt as a. to te I the fa fact t The game of poker d d' d je e e see see see- Is the crux of ot the matter I knew Cleaver was an old hand at al atthe atthe the game gamer and of ol I course played with Judge Redfern 1 last ast Monday night So that gave gave me nit mea a basis for my plan plait Manniy well we'll 1 assume also plays s He lIe Hey leaned forward forward speaking earnestly t oS Nine tenths of poker Markham Markham Mark Mark- ham is ps psychology and if one one un understands understands un- un the game one can learn lear I more of ot a mans man's inner hiner nature at at ata a a. c poker table in in- inan an hour than dunn during r a years year's casual association with m rm him You rallied me once when I said sak saidI I I could lead you jOu to the time perpetrator LI L- L of any ny crime by examining the factors factors fac fac- tors of o the crime Itself But naturally naturally ally aUy I must know the man to whom I lam am to lead you jou you otherwise otherwise I roan roan- can cannot annot an- an not re relate rate ate the psychological indications indica Indle of ot the crime to the culprits culprit's C nature In Iri the present case cose I know tb the Hie S kind of ot man man who committed th the e crime but I am not sufficiently ac ac acquainted with the suspects t to point poin out the he guilty one However after aUer our game O of poker I hope to be b. beable able to tell you ou who planned a and carried a Canary's murder Markham l gazed at him In iii blank astonishment He lie knew that Vance pJ played ed poker with am amazing si skill and that he possessed an uncanny knowledge o of the psycho psychological e elem ele- ele m ments nt Involved In the game bute but h he e was for th the Ja lasers laser's ter's statement that he might be bet t able t to o solve holve the the- Odell murder by It Yet Vance had spoken with such undoubted earnestness that Markham Markham Mark Mark- ham Was Impressed I knew what was was passing passing In his mind almost as well as J if he had voiced his t thoughts He lie was wa's was recalling the way wayn i In n which Vance had in a former murder case put his finger un un unerringly e on t the guilty man by a s similar process of psychological de de- de And he was also telling himself h that however h and seemingly extra extravagant va- va g gant ant Vances Vance's requests were there was always a fundamentally sound r reason eason behind them Damn It he muttered at last The whole scheme seems idiotic And yet jet et If H you jou really want a game of ot poker with these men Ive I've Ieno Iveno n no o special objection It'll get you ou now nowhere Ill here Ill I'll tell teU yoU that beforehand before before- hand Its it'd stark nonsense to suppose suppose sup sup- pose that you jou ou can find the guilty man by such fantastic means Ah well sighed Vance a little f futile recreation will wUl do us no harm But why do you jou include Spots Spots- woo de T TUn Un ell II y know knon J haven't the s slightest lightest notion except notion except of or course that hes he's one of or my quartet And well we'll need an extra hand Well d dont don't nt tell fen me afterwards t that hat Im I'm to lock Jock him up for mur mur- der Id I'd have to to draw the Ine line Strange as it mo may seem to your l layman's lamans mind I wouldn't care to prosecute a man knowing that it was as physically impossible for him to have committed the crime As to that drawled Vance the only obstacles that stand stanel in the way of or phy physical Impossibilities are I material facts And material materia facts I Iare are notoriously deceiving Ing Really y know you OU law lawyers ers would do better f If ou you ignored them entirely l Markham m did not deign to answer anser answer an an- s er such heresy but the look he gave Vance was most expressive TO BE CONTINUED Recently I ran across an article by Doctor George Georg A A. A Dorsey proCessor professor pro pro- fessor Cessor o of anthropology at the University University Uni Uni- of oC Chicago and author o of Why We e Behave Like Human BeIngs Be lIe ings which bore Intimate testimony testimony mony to the scientific accuracy of Vances Vance's theor theory In It Doctor Dorsey said Poker is a section cross-section of or life The way a man behaves In a poker game is the way be he behaves la lit life Hi His success or failure lies in the way his ph physical organism organIsm organ organ- ism responds to the stimuli supplied by the game I have studied h humanity all aU life from my mj the anthropologic an- an and psychological vIewpoint view vIew- point And AndI I have yet et to lo find a better better better bet bet- ter laboratory than to observe ob observe ob- ob serve sene the manners manners' of or men as they see my mv raise and anet come back at me The Time psychologists psychologist's verbalized d visceral and manual behaviors are functioning at their highest In a poker game I can truthfully say that I learned about men from poker |