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Show LEHI FREE PRESS. LEHI. UTAH Sally Sez The KENNEL MURDER CASE By S. S. Van Dine Copyright by W. H. Wright SYNOPSIS Philo Vane. crime expert, ia called iBveatig-atthe eappoaed aulctde of Archer Co. With District Attorney Markham. he coea to Coe'e house. They find Wrede, a friend of Coe'a, there; aUo a Slgnor Gruil, a guest The door of the death chamber la bolted from the Inaide. They force It Coe la aeated. a revolver to hia right hand and a bullet hole in bla temple. to e CHAPTER I Continued 2 There was a straight Windsor chair behind the desk, and I could not help wondering why Coe bad selected the armchair at the side of the desk, fac--, Ins the door. Was it because he had considered It more comfortable for his last resting place In this life? The answer to this passing speculation of mine did not come for many hours; and when It did come, as a result of Vance's deductions. It constituted one of the vital links In the evidential chain of this strange and perplexing case. Coe'a body was clothed In a green silk-wodressing gown which came nearly to his ankles; but on his feet, which were extended straight In front of him, was a pair of high, heavy street shoes, laced and tied. Again a question flashed through my mind: Why did Coe not wear bedroom slippers with his dressing gown? The answer to this question also was to prove a vital point In the solution of the tragedy. "Vance went Immediately to the body, touched the dead man's hand, and bent forward over the wound In the forehead. Then he walked back to the door with Its hanging bolt, scrutinised It for a moment, ran his eye around the heavy oak framework and lintel, and turned slowly back to the room. A frown wrinkled his brow. Very deliberately he reached In his pocket and Wok out another cigarette. When he had lighted It, he strolled to the west wall of the room and stood gazing at a faded Ninth century Chinese palnt- Ing. x In the meantime the rest of us had pressed round the body, of Coe, and stood Inspecting It In silence. Wrede and GrassI seemed appalled In the actual presence of death. Wrede spoke to Markham. "I trust I did right In advising Gamble to call you before breaking In the door. I realize now that If there had remained a spark of life " "Oh, he was quite dead hours ago," Vance Interrupted, without turning from the painting. "Your decision has worked out perfectly." Markham swung about. "What do you mean by that, Vance?" "Merely that, If the door had been broken in, and the room overrun with folicltous friends, and the body handled for signs of life, and all the locked-i- n evidence probably destroyed, we would have had a deuced difficult time arrlvin' at any sensible solution if what really went on here last ol , night" J'Well, It's pretty plain to me what went on here last night." It was Heath who projected himself, a bit belligerently, into the talk. "This guy locked himself In, and blew his brains out And even you, Mr. Vance, can't make anything original outa that." Vance turned slowly and shook his head. "Tut, tut, Sergeant," he said pleasantly. "It's not I who am going to spoil Bimple your theory." "No?". and beautiful Heath was still belligerent. "Then who Is?" "The corpse," answered Vance mildly. Before Heath could reply, Markham, who had been watching Vance closely, turned quickly to Wrede and GrassI. "I will ask you gentlemen to wait downstairs. Hennessey, please go to the drawing room and see that these gentlemen do not leave It uutll I give them permission. . . . You understand," he added to Wrede and GrassI, "that It will be necessary to question you about this affair after we have had the verdict of the medical examiner." Wredo showed his resentment at Markham's peremptory manner;, but GrassI with a., polite' smile, merely bowed ; and the two, followed by Hennessey, passed out- of. the room and ' down the stairs.."And you," said Markham to Gamble, "wait nt the front door and bring Doctor Doremus here the moment he ar- ... rives." , the Gamble shot a haunted body, and went out. Markham closed the door, and then wheeled about facing Vance, who now stood behind Coe's desk gazing down clutchmoodily at the dead man's hand revolver. ing the "What's the meaning of all these mysterious Innuendos?" he demanded look at fcstlly. "Not Innuendos, Markham," Vance returned quietly, keeping his eyes on Coe's hand. "Merely speculations. I'm rather interested In certain pects of this fasclnatln' crime." as- "Crime?" Markham gave a mirthless smile. "It was all very well for us to theorize before we got here and I was Inclined to agree with you that suicide seemed Incompatible with Coe's but facts, after all, nothing of the sort I have an Irre temperament form the only reasonable basis for a slstible feeiin' that Doctor Doremus decision. And the facts here seem will inform us that it Is not suicide-Hea- th was That door bolted screwed his face Into a que pretty cleancut on tba inside; there's no other means tioning frown and studied Vance. of entrance or exit to this room ; Coe Then he snorted. is sitting here with a revolver In bis "Well, we'll see," he mumbled. Vance paid scant attention. His hand, and a bole In his right temple. There are no signs of a struggle; the eyes were moving over the desk. At windows and shades are down, and one side of the blotter lay a quarto the lights burning. . . . How, In volume of "LI Tal Ming Ts'o ' Tou Heaven's name, could It have been P'u," by llsiang Yuan-p'ie"You see, Markham," he said, "Coe anything but suicide?" "I'm sure I dont know." Vance was apparently dreaming of his latest shrugged wearily. "Rut It wasn't suiacquisition In peach bloom shortly be cide really, don't y' know." He fore he departed this life. And it Is frowned again. "And that's the weird rather safe to assume that a man conpart of It Y' see, Markham, It should templating suicide does not Indulge his have been suicide and it wasn't acquisitiveness and Investigate the hisThere's something diabolical and hutory of his ceramic wares Just before morous about this case. Humorous sending a bullet Into his brain." In a grim, satirical sense. Some one Markham waited without answering. "And here's something else rather miscalculated somewhere the murderer was sitting in a game with the significant." Vance pointed to a small cards stacked against him. . . . Pospile of blank note paper in the middle of the blotter. "This paper is lying a itively amazln'l" "But the facts," protested Marklittle on the bias. In the position that d ham. a man would place it If "Oh. your facts are quite correct he contemplated writing on It And, As you lawyers say, they're Irresistible. also, note that at the head of the But you have overlooked additional first page Is yesterday's date Wednesfacts." day, October 10 " "For Instance?" "Ain't that natural?" put In Heath. "Regard yon bedroom slippers." "AH these birds who commit suicide Vance pointed to the foot of the bed writer letters first" where a pair of soft red slippers were "But. Sergeant," smiled Vance, "the letter Isn't written. Coe got no farneatly arranged. "And then regard these heavy boots which the corpse !s ther than the date." "Can't a guy change his mind?" wearing. And yet he has on his dressing gown, and Is sitting in his easy Heath persisted. . chair. A bit Incongruous, what? Why Vance nodded. did the hedonistic and luxury-lovin- g "Oh, quite. But In that case, the Coe not change his footwear to somepen would, In all probability, be In the holder set. And you will observe that thing more relaxing for this great moment In his life. And note that haste was not a factor. His robe is neatly buttoned; and the girdle Is tied In an We can hardly admirable assume that he suddenly decided on suicide half-wathrough his changing from street clothes to negligee. And yet Markham, something must have stopped him something must have compelled him to sit down, stretch his legs out and close his eyes before he had finished the operation of making himself sartorlally comfortable." "Your reasoning Is not altogether convincing," Markham countered. "A man might conceivably wear heavy shoes with a dressing gown." "Perhaps.' Vance nodded. "1 shan't In these matters. be narrow-minde- d But, assuming Coe Is a suicide, why should he have chosen this chair facing the door? A man bent on doing a workmanlike Job of shooting himself would Instinctively sit up straight, where he could perhaps brace his arms and steady his hand. If he were going to sit by the desk at all he would, I think, have chosen the straight chair where he could rest both elbows on "You're a Brutally Unfeeling Wom the top and thus Insure a steady, acan, Miss Lake," He Said Through curate aim." Set Jaws. "Ills arm Is on the end of the desk," the pen container is empty, and that put In Heath. there Is no pen visible on the desk." "Oh, quite and In a rather awk"Maybe it's in his pocket." Considerward position eh. what? "Maybe." Vance ' stepped back and ing how low the easy chair Is, Coe over, ran his gaze over the elbow bending his had have not could possibly floor round the desk. Then he knelt on the desk when he pulled the trigdown and looked under the desk. Presger. If so, the shot would have gone he reached out his arm and, from neces-sarllently over his head. His arm was tier of drawers, lower than the desk when the beneath the right-han- d drew forth a fountain pen. Rising, he gun was fired If he fired it Therefore, we must assume that after the held the pen o;it. "Coe dropped the pen, and it rolled bullet had entered his brain, he lifted under the desk." He placed It beside his right arm to the desk and arthe note paper. "Men don't ordinarily ranged It neatly in Its present posidrop fountain pens In the middle of tion." writing something and then fail to mutand no," maybe "Maybe yes them up." pick a tered Heath, after pnuse during Heath glowered in silence, and Mark which he studied the body and raised ham asked: his own right hand to his forehead. "You think Coe was Interrupted In Then he added aggressively: "But you midst of writing something?" the door." bolted that from can't get away "Interrupted? . . . In a way perVance sighed. "I wish I could get away from It. haps." Vance himself seemed puzzled. It bothers me horribly. If It wasn't 'Still there are no signs of a strugfor the fact that the door was bolted gle, and he Is reclining on an easy on the Inside, I'd be more Inclhed to chair at the end of the desk. Furtherhis features are quite serene: his agree that It was suicide. A man of more, eyes are closed peacefully and the Coe'a Intelligence wouldn't plan sul door was bolted on the inside. . clde and then deliberately make It diffVery strange. Markham." icult for anyone to reach his body. He walked to the shaded window What could he have gained by secureand back, smoking leisurely. Suddenon so Inside the door the bolting ly he ly stopped and lifted his head, lookIn? to be broken have would that It ing Markham straight in the eyes The act of shooting would have been ves! That's It! But "Interrupted over In a second; and there was no an danger of his being disturbed in his not by any outside agency not by own bedroom. Had he killed himself Intruder. He was Interrupted by somehe would have wanted Gamble or thing more subtle more deadly. He was Interrupted while he was alone. someone else to find him at the eartl est possible moment. He would cer- Something happened something sinister Intruded and he stopped writtainly not have placed deliberate difficulties In their way." ing, dropped the pen, forgot it. rose, "But," argued Markham, "your very and seated himself In that easy chair. Then came the end. swift and unexWho but theory contradicts Itself, Coe could have bolted the door on the pected before he could chnnge his shoes. . . . Don't yon see? Those Inside?" shoes are another Indication of that "No one, apparently," answered terrible Interruption." Vance with a dispirited sigh. "And "And the gun?" asked Heath conthat's what makes the affair so dashed appealin'. The situation reads thus: temptuously. "I doubt if Coe saw the gun. SerA man Is murdered; then he rises and geant." bolts the door after the slayer has departed; and later he arranges himCHAPTER II self In an easy chair so as to mnke it i suicide." like appear A Startling Discovery." "That's a swell theory I" grunted Heath disgustedly. "Anyway, we'll At this moment the front door downknow more about It when Doc Dorestairs opened and shut with a bang, mus gets here. And my bet Is he's goand we could hear a rather strident feminine voice address the butler. ing to wash the whole case up by call"Morning, Gamble. Take my clubs ing It suicide." and tell Liang to rustle me up some "And my bet Is, Sergoant" Vance replied mildly, "that he's going to do tea and muffins." right-hande- bow-kno- y t. There there came a sound of footsteps on the stairs, and Gamble'! appealing voice said. "But, Miss Lake, I beg of you Just a moment, please." "Tea and muffing," came Miss Lake's voice curtly; end the footsteps continued up the stairs. Markham and Heath and I stepped toward the door Just as the young woman reached the upper landing. Miss Hilda Lake was a short somewhat stockily built woman of about thirty, strong, resilient and athletic-lookinHer blue-gra- y eyes were steady and, I thought a trifle hard; her nose was small and too broad for beauty; and her lips were full though unemotional Her yellow-browhair was cut short and combed straight back from a broad, low forehead. She wore a tweed suit and heavy tan oxfords with rubber soles. A white shirt waist with a green added a final touch of mannishness to her appearance. As she reached the head of the stairs and saw Markham, she came forward with a swinging stride and held out her hand. "Greetings," she said. "What brings Business with you here so early? uncle, I suppose." She ran her eyes appraislngly over Heath and me as she spoke, and frowned. Then before Markham could answer she added: "Anything wrong?" "Something seriously wrong, Miss Lake," Markham replied, trying to bar her way Into the room. "If you will be so good as to wait But the young woman, with an aggressive gesture, brushed past us and entered the room. The moment she caught sight of Archer Coe she went swiftly to him and knelt down, putting her arm about him. Don't touch that body!" "Hey! Heath stepped quickly up to her aud put his hand on her shoulder none too gently, pulling her to her feet. She swung toward him angrily, her feet wide apart Markham stepped diplomatically Into (be breach. "Nothing must be touched. Miss Lake," he explained, "until the raedl cal examiner arrives." She regarded Markham g. n four-in-han- d "Is it also against the law to tell me what's happened?" she asked. "We know little more than you do," Markham returned mildly. "We have we found your uncle's body exactly as you see It" She turned and contemplated the Inert figure In the armchair. "Well, what do you think has happened?" She put the question In a hard, even tone. "There Is every appearance of suicide. . . ." "Suicide?" .She turned back to Markham coldly. "I wouldn't call It just arrived, and that" VaDce, who had been standing at the room near the bed, came rear of the forward. "Neither would I, Miss Lake," he said. She moved her head slightly and lifted her eyebrows. "Ah! Good morning, Mr. Vance. In the excitement of the moment I didn't see you. . . . You are quite right-i- t's not suicide." Her eyes narrowed. "It's been a long time since you called. Ceramics and corpses would seem to be the ouly attractions this house holds for you." (I thought I detected a note of resentment in her voice). Vance ignored the unfriendly criticism. "Why do you repudiate the suicide theory?" he asked with pronounced courtesy. "Very simple," she replied. "Uncle was too great an egotist to deprive the world of his presence." "But egotism," Vance submitted, "is often the cause of suicide. Boredom, don't y know the inability to find a responsive appreciation. Suicide gives the egotist his one supreme moment of triumph." Vance spoke with academic aloofness. "Uncle Archer needed no supreme moments," Hilda Lake returned' contemptuously. "He had such moments every time he acquired a Chinese knlcknnck. An utterly worthless piece of soft Chun porcelain in a silk nest which was of no use to any human being, gave him a greater thrill than I would get out of beating Bobby I don't think uncle killed himJones. self." "Forgive me." Vance bowed. "You are unquestionably right But neither Mr. Markham nor Sergeant Heath agrees with us. They are quite ready to dismiss the case as suicide." She looked from Markham to Heath with a hard, cold smile. "And why not?" she asked. "It would be so easy and would save a lot of bally scandal." Markhnm was piqued by the woman's attitude. "Who, Miss Uke," he asked in his typical courtroom manner, "would have any reason for desiring your uncle's death?" "1, for one," she answered unhesitatingly, looking Markhnm straight In the eye. "He Irritated me beyond words. There was no sympathy between us. He stood in the way of everything I wanted to do; and he was able to make life pretty miserable for me because be held the purse strings. A nice cold arctic day it was for me when he was appointed my guardian and I was made dependent on him." (Her voice became bitter. There was a clouded angry took In her eyes, and her square Jaw was set slightly forward). "His death at any time these past ten years would have been a godseud to me. Now that he's out of the way I'll get my patrimony and be able to do what I want to do without Interference." Markham and Heath regarded her In amazed indignation. There was something Icily venomous In her manner a calculating hatred more potent and devastating even than her words. It was Vance's languid and Indifferent voice that broke the momentary silence that followed her tirade. "My word! Really, y' know, Miss Lake, you're dashed refreshln In your frankness. . . . Are we to accept your comments as a confession of murder "Not at present," was the even reply. "But if the authorities' are set on calling it suicide, I may come forward later and claim the credit for his demise by way of upholding the honor of the family. You see. I regard a good healthy Justifiable murder in higher esteem than a paltry suicide." The blood was mounting to Mark-ham- 's cheeks: he was becoming angry at Hilda Lake's apparent flippancy. "Who besides yourself," he asked, trying to control his feelings, "would have had reason to murder your uncle?" The woman looked up at the ceiling with meditative shrewdness and sat down on the edge of the desk. "Any number of persons." Slie spoke Indifferently. "De mortuls and all that kind of rot but, after all, the fact that Uncle Archer Is dead doesn't make him any more admirable. And there, are several people who would prefer him dead to alive." Heath bad stood solemnly by during this astonishing conversation, puffing at a long black cigar and studying the woman with puzzled belligerence. At this point he spoke sourly. ."If you think your uncle was such a wash-ou- t and you were so glad to find he'd been croaked, why did you run over to him and kneel down, and pretend to be worried?" nilda Lake gave the sergeant a withering, yet whimsical, look. "My dear Mr. Policeman, I simply wanted to make sure he was dead." Markham stepped forward. "You're a brutally unfeeling woman. Miss Lake," he said through set Jaws. Vance proffered her his cigarette case. "No, thanks." She was now looking down at Archer Coe's body. "I rarely smoke. Bad for the wind upsets the nerves. . . . Yes," she mused, as if reverting to her conversation with Markham, "there won't be any great mourning at dear uncle's passing." Markham returned to the point "Would you care to name anyone in particular who might be pleased with Mr. Coe's death?" "That wouldn't be cricket" she returned. "But I'll say this much: there are several Chinese gentlemen whom uncle has swindled and tricked out of rare treasures, who will be delighted to learn that his collecting days are over. And you probably know yourself, Mr. Markham, that there were many unpleasant rumors after uncle's return from China last year gossip about his desecrating graveyards and removing funerary urns and figures. He received several threatening letters." Markham nodded. He showed me "Yes, I remember. Do you serione or two of them. ously believe an outraged Oriental killed him?" "Certainly not The Chinese have more sense than to kill anyone for a piece of r ... brlc-a-brac- TO BE CONTINUED. 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