Show THROUGH THE WALL By CLEVELAND MOFFETT I I Copyright 1909 1900 by AUTHOR OP OF THE BATTLE ATT L ETC D. D APPLETON AND A COMPANY I CHAPTER VIII Through the thc Wall s examination of the pistol showed that it was wag a weapon of good make and that only a single shot had been fired from it also that this shot I had beon fired within a few hours Which with the evidence of the seamStress seam seam- I Stress a and l the dog gave a strong probability probability I ability that the instrument of crime i had been found If the ball In the body i corresponded with balls still in the pistol pistol pis pis- tol tol tol- this probability would become a a practical 1 certainty And yet the detective detective de de- de- de Knit his brows Suppose it was established beyond a doubt that s this pistol killed the billiard player there I still remained the t he question how the shooting was accomplished The murderer murderer mur mur- derer was in No o. o 7 He could not not and and did not go Into the corridor for the corridor door was locked But the billiard bil bit liard Hard player was in No 6 G. He was shot in No 6 and he died in No 6 6 How were these two facts to be reconciled The seamstress' seamstress testimony alono alone might be put aside but not the dogs dog's testimony ny The murderer certainly remained in No o. o 7 Holding this conviction the detective entered the room of the tragedy and turned up the lights all of ot them so that he be might see whatever was to be seen seen He walked walled back and forth examining th the carpet examining the walls examIning examIning exam exam- Ining the furniture but paying little heed to the h body He went t to the tho open P window window win win- 01 et 1 dow and n looked out nl ho he e went t to the I e yellow yellow yel yel- low sofa and sat down finally he shut shutoff oft off the lights and withdrew softly closing closing closing clos clos- ing the door behind him It was just justas as the commissary had said with the exception of ot one thing When he returned to No 7 M M. Paul found that Gritz had kept his promise and sent him a pot of fragrant Turkish coffee steaming hot and a box of the choicest Egyptian cigarettes Ah that was kind This was something Pike like It And Anil piling up cushions In the sofa corner cor cor- ner settled back baek comfortably to think and acid dream This was the time he loved best these precious silent hours when the city slept and his mind be became became became be- be came more active this active this was the time when chiefly he ho received those flashes of inspiration or intuition that had so often and so wonderfully guided him For half an hour or so the detective smoked continuously and sipped the powerful powerful powerful pow pow- erful delight of Stamboul his gaze movIng moving moving ing about the room In friendly scrutiny as if IC he would by patience and good goodnature goodnature goodnature nature persuade the walls or chairs to give gl up their secret Presently he took off his glasses and leaning farther back backa a against the cushions closed his eyes ees in pleasant meditation Or was it a a- brief snatch of sleep Whichever it was a discreet knock at the corridor door shortly short short- ly ended it ft and Papa entered to say that ho he had finished the footprint molds M. M Paul roused himself with an efort effort ef ef- fort and sitting up his Ills elbow resting against the sofa back motioned his as associate sedate to a chair By the way ho he asked ed what do you yoli think of that He pointed to a Japanese print In a a. back frame fiame that hung near the thc massive sideboard Why stammered I I 1 I dont don't think anything of it it A rather Interesting picture smiled the other Ive been studying it A purple sea a blue moon and a ared ared red red- fish fish it it looks crazy to me muttered muttered muttered mut mut- the old agent laughed at this candid judg judg- f ro meet nt All AH the sam same it has a bearing on our Investigations The deuce it has M. M Paul reached for his glasses rubbed rubb them deliberately and put them on Papa he f said ald seriously I I have come cometo cometo cometo to a conclusion about this crime but I 1 haven't verified it I am now going to give myself an Intellectual treat Wha at ha at I I am going to prove practically whether er my mind has grown rusty in the las lal last t two years I I wish you'd say things so a plain man can understand em cm grumbled the other You understand that we are In hi private private private vate room No 7 dont don't you On the theother theother theother other side of that wall wail is private room No 6 where a man has just been shot We Ve know that dont don't we wo But tho the man men who shot him was in this room The rhe little hair brushing old maid saw the pistol thrown from this window the dog found the footprints coming from this room loom the murderer went out through that door Into the alleyway and then into the street t He have g gone f f Os into the corridor I r. r because Qa the tho door r was locked on the outside the corridor corridor corri corri- lie Ho might have gone gon Into dor dOL and locked the door after him objected objected ob ob- je I fino shook hook his head He lie could have locked the dooe doO after him on the outside ts not on fre the Inside but when t lf wo we came le nr In here it was locked on the inside No sir that door to the corridor corridor cor eor- has not been boen used this evening The murderer bolted it it it- iton on the inside when he entered from the alleyway and It wasn't unbolted until I unbolted It my my- sel self Then how In heavens heaven's name name name- Exactly How could a man in this room kill a man in the next room That Thatis is the I problem I 1 havo have been working at for an hour And I believe I have solved i it L Listen B Between tl these r rooms Is w slid solid lid lidL wooden en partition l l n with h no door i in It no It-no no passageway of any kind Yet the theman theman theman man in there is dead were dead were we're sure of that The Tho pistol was here the tho bullet went there there How did it go there Think The detective paused and looked fixedly fixedly fix fix- edl edly at the wall near the heavy side side- board half fascinated stared at the same spot and then as a new idea took toole form in his brain he blurted out You mean it went vent through tho the wall Is there any other way ay The old man laid a perplexed forefinger along his illuminated nose But there Is no hole through hole through the wall he mut mut- There is either a hole or a miracle i Ana AnI between the two I 1 conclude that there is a hole which wo Vie haven't found yet et It might be back of that sideboard ventured the other doubtfully But M. M Paul 1 disagreed No m man as cl clever as fI this this f fellow f would ld have e em moved V d da a heavy piece covered with plates and glasses Besides if tho the sideboard had been moed there would be marks on the floor and there are none I r Now w you understand e f nd why Im I'm af interested t i d in th that Japanese print sprang to his feet then checked himself with a half ashamed smile Youre Your mocking me youve you've looked behind the picture shook his head solemnly On my honor I have not been near the picture I know nothing about the picture picture pic plc- ture tune but unless there is some flaw in my reasoning Ill give my tongue to the cats to eat burst out the other if I ever saw sawa a man He lle on a sofa and blow blue circles cir gir- girdles ir- ir cles In the air all and spin pretty theories about what is back of a picture when when when- When what When all he had to to todo do do for proof was to reach over and and and-and and lift the darn thing off oft its nail smiled Ive thought of that he drawled but I like like the suspense Half the charm of life lile is In suspense Papa lignol However you have a practical mind so go ahead lift It off The old man did not wait walt for a s second second sec sec- cond c- c ond bitting he stepped forward quickly and took down the picture Its n true he cried Its true tre There are arc two holes Sure enough against the white wall wall stood out not one but two black holes hole about an inch in diameter and something something something some some- someI I thing less than three Inches apart I Around the the- left hole which was close to the sideboard Were Wore black blaek dots sprinkled sprinkled sprinkled sprin sprin- kled over the painted woodwork like grains of pepper Powder marks marls muttered examining the Ulf hole lIe He fired at close doe range as Martinez looked hito into this room from the other othel side Poor chap That's how ho was shot in the eye And producing pro pro- producing a magnifying glass glas the detective made a long and ancl careful examination of him the holes while Papa watched wl with unqualified disgust Asses s Idiots That's That's t s w what lat we are muttered the old man For half an hour we were In that room loom Gibelin and t I I. I and we never found Cound those holes the sofa hangI hang hang- They J. J eY were covered by In ings I I know we shook those hangings wo we pressed against them we wo did everything but look 1001 behind them See here did you look 1001 behind them No but I saw something 1 on the floor that gave mo rn an Idea Ah what was that Some yellowish dust I 1 picked up a a. little of It There He Ho unfolded a paper and showed a few grains of coarse brownish powder You see there are only board partitions between these rooms rooms the boards are arC about an inch thick so flO a 0 sharp auger aug r would make the holes holts quickly But there fould be dust and chips Of course Well this Is some of the tho dust lust The woman probably threw tho the chips out of the window The Tho woman nodded She h helped Martinez Marti Matti- nez while he bored the holes TI nol listened in amazement You iou think Martinez l bored Jared those holes The Theman Theman Theman man who wa was murdered Undoubtedly The rhe spirals from the auger blade inside the holes show plainly plain plain- ly that the boring was done front from No o. 6 toward No 7 Take the glass and see seo for fOl yourself took tool the glass and studied the hole Then rhen he t turned shaking his head Youre a fine detective M M. Paul but I Iwas Iwas Iwas before I was a carpenter for six years went on the force and I know more about auger holes than you ou do I say you can cant can't t be sure which side of the wall this hole holn was bored from You talk about but theres there's no sense In that They're the same either way You might tell by the tho chipping but this Is Hard liard wood covered with thick enamel so so theres there's apt to beno beno be beno no chipping Anyhow theres there's none nono here Well We'll see on the side All right well we'll see consented Co Co- and they v went around into No G 6 The old man ire drew back back the sofa hangIngs hangings hangings hang hang- ings and end exposed two holes exactly like the others others others-In in fact the same holes You see he went on Oil the edges are arc c clean ean without a sign of chipping There Is no nomore nomore nomore more reason to say that tha t these holes were bored this side than from that M. M Paul made no reply p but going to rt ta Sl th the 0 sofa he knelt down by it and using I his glass lass proceeded to go over its surface surface surface sur sur- face with infinite care Turn up all the lights ho he said better and he continued his search Ah Air he cried presently You think there Is no reason to say the holes were bored from this side Ill I'll give Ive you youa ou oua a reason Take this piece of white paper and make malce me prints of his bis boot heels He pointed to thc the body Take the whole heel carefully then the other one get et That's right the nail marks marl s everything evel Now cut out the prints Good Now look here Kneel down Take the glass There Thereon on the yellow satin by the tail taU of that silver bird Do you see Now compare comparo the heel prints Papa knelt down as directed and examined the sofa seat which was covered covered cov cov- ered with a piece of Chinese embroidery Well Veil now Youre You're a magician ho he cried in great excitement No replied its perfectly simple These holes In the wall are five feet above the floor And Im I'm enough of ofa a It carpenter Papa he lie smiled to know that a man cannot work worl an auger at that height without standing on something And here was the very thing for tor him to stand on a sofa just in place So l if Martinez bored these holes he stood on this sofa to do it it and In that case tide the tl e marks of his heels must have remained on the delicate satin And here they are Yes here they are nails and all admitted admitted admitted ad ad- admiringly Im an old fool fool but but but-but- but Well V ll Tell me why Martinez did it face darkened Ah Alt tha that's ts the question Well We'll know that when we talk to the woman Tho The old man leaned forward eagerly Why Ir do you think the woman o an helped him Somebody r helped him or the chips s would still be there somebody held back those hangings while he worked the thee auger e and somebody carried the auger away nol Tig-nol pondered this a moment th then his face brightening heightening Hah Ilah I 1 see The sofa hangings were held back when the shot came then they fell into place and covered the holes It replied the detective ab ab- ab- ab And the man In fn No No- 7 the murderer ii ted lifted that picture from its Us nail before shooting and then put It back on the nail after shooting YES iTes yes agreed M. M Paul Already he was far away on a a. new line r of f J. J thought while the other was still grappling grappling grap- grap pling with his first surprise Then this murderer must have known that the billiard player was going to bore these holes went on Papa l half latto lf to himself lie must have been waiting In No 7 7 he must have have- stood there with his pistol ready while the holes were coming through he must h hi h o a let Martinez finish one hole and then bore the other he must have It kept pt No 7 dark dark so they couldn't see him A A good point that approved Con Co- Co paying attention lIe Ile certainly kept No 7 dark n nd j n Je he Pr probably t ably Into No tio o 6 the through first hole while Martinez was boring the second I suppose you can tell which of the holes was bored first chuckled M M. Paul started paused in a flash of thought and then with sudden eagerness eagerness eager eager- ness I I I see that's it What's It lt gasPed the tho other lIe He bored this hole first said Coh Co Co- rapidly Its it the right hand ono one when youre you're iii this room 1 the left hand hani one when youre you're In No is As you say the murderer looked through Ill the IV first h hole ole while he waited for the second to be bored so naturally he fired tired through the hole where his eye ee was That was his first great mistake screwed up his face tace In in perplexity perplex- perplex if TOI ity What L Difference does it matte make which hole i the thC man fired through s so long as he shot straight and got away What difference Just this difference that by firing filing through the tho left hand hole ho he has S given US precious evidence against him Come back Into the other room and Ill I'll show snow you And when they had returned returned re- re turned to No Ivo 7 7 ho continued Take Tako the pistol Pretend you arc are the mur- mur dertI derer You Youve You've ve been waiting walling jour moment holding your yours your breath on on one side of the tho wall while the 4 au auger er grinds through from HI the tho 01 nth other The first S holg Is S finished d- d You see sec the point of the auger as It comes through the second now the wood wood breaks and a length of turning steel shoves to toward toward to- to ward you vou You grip your pistol and look through mif the left hand nd hole you you- see sec the n woman h holding Mi bat I back k |