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Show -- - LEHI FREE PRESS. LEHL - - - IT AH . .1 L h Heuiewlfe's The KENNEL MURDER CASE By S. S. Van Dine Copyright by W. H. Wright SYNOPSIS Phllo Vance, crime expert, investi- k gates the supposed suicide of Archer Co. With District Attorney Mark ham, he roes to . Coe's house. They find Wrede, a friend of Coe'e, there; also The door of the Bignor Orusi. a death chamber ia bolted from the They force It Coe is seated, a revolver in his right hand and a bullet hole In his temple, lie Is clothed in a dressing gown, but wears street shoes. Markham thinks It is suicide. Vance aays it is murder. Medical Examiner Doremus declares Coe had been dead for hours when the bullet entered his head. A wound, made by a dagger, la found on the body, and there Is proof that Coe was fully dressed when he was stabbed. The investigators find a wounded Scottish terrier In a room of the Coe house. Vance declares the animal will prove an Important connecting link. Brisbane Coe, Archer's brother. Is believed to have left for Chicago the previous afternoon, but hts dead body Is discovered In a closet la the Co home. Vanca Interrogates the Chinese cook, LJang. Brisbane died from a stab In the back, as In Archer's ease. Vance, searching Brisbane's coat, finds waxed thread attached to a bent pin, and a darning needle. e. CHAPTER VI Continued 9 "I suspected from Wrede's manner that he bad found his Latin rival with the young woman. There was probably a most painful scene, and poor Wrede was giTen his conge. It's very ead. lie doesn't like Grassi he doesn't at all like him. But I doubt If he really suspects him of killing Archer though I'm sure Wrede doesn't put It beyond him "Then why the Insinuations?" "More subtlety, Markham. Wrede thinks that, If we turn our attention to Grassi, we will push past the straw man, so to speak, and find somebody else." "Whom, In the name of heaven?" "Miss Lake, of course. Wrede has become vindictive and bitter. My asking him about Miss Lake as a possible suspect put Ideas In his head he knows of the acute antagonism that has always existed between her and Archer. Therefore, when he was humiliated a moment ago in front of Grassi, he turned her over to us, as It Were, with Grassi as a smoke screen." Grassi entered the library. "I understand, sir," Vance addressed him, "that Mr. Archer Coe had consented to sell you certain Items from his collection." "Yes," the Italian replied; "that is true. I informed Mr. Wrede of the fact a moment ago. My reason for so doing was that Mr. Wrede practically ordered me out of the house on the strength of his engagement to Miss Lake, I presume and I Informed hira that my business here was not completed Inasmuch as a considerable part of Mr. Coe's collection belonged technically to uie. It was necessary for me to remain to arrange for packing and shipment." "And what did Miss Lake say?" The Italian seemed loath to answer, but at length he said: "Miss Lake broke off her engagement with Mr. Wrede. And then she asked him to leave the house and remain away." "I say, Mr. Grassi" Vance spoke suddenly "do you think that Miss Lake killed her uncle?" The Italian stared at Vance. "I I really, sir, "Thanks awfully for the effort,"-Vancremarked. "I can quite understand your feelings. But I should like to know why you didn't tell us before of Mr. Coe's agreement to dispose of some of his collection to you. Was the agreement written or verbal?" "Written." The man reached In his pocket and handed Vance a folded paper. "At my request Mr, Coe wrote that letter to me yesterday," he. ex plained. "I wished to cable the news to Milan." Vance unfolded the letter and read it, with Markham, Heath and me looking over his shoulder: "Signer Eduardo Grassi, "Dear Sir, In confirmation of onr recent con versa t'on. I hereby agree to sell to you, as a representative of the Museum of Antiquities at Milan, the following pieces In my private collection: Then came a detailed list of forty or fifty Items, including many of 'Archer Coe's most famous and valua He specimens of Chinese art The flate at the head of the document was October 10. , Vance put the letter in his pocket, ' "We shall keep this for the pres ent," he told Grassi. "It will be perfectly safe, and It will be returned to you anon. The authorities may wish I" ..." V to refer to ' it" Grassi bowed in polite acquiescence. "And now," Vance concluded, "I shall again ask you to wait in your own quarters until we send ror you." Grassi went out with obvious relief. "Sergeant," Vance said, "could yon get me a sheet of that note paper on Archer Coe's desk? And his fountain cen?" The sergeant went upstalrB and returned shortly with the paper and the pen. After an Inspection Vance said: "It Is certainly Coe's note paper; and Archer's pen wrote the letter. . , Most lgnlflcaat,, , De returned Crassl's letter to his pocket, and went toward the front door. "Cheer up, old dear," he exhorted Markham. "It's not nearly so black as it seems. The clouds are beginning to disierse. We have all the data now and it's simply a matter of arranging them and Interpreting them correctly. "I wish I could feel 60 optimistic," grumbled Markham, following Vance Into the vestibule. Vance halted and, turning, regarded the perplexed Heutli. "Oh, by the by, Sergeant," he said; one or two little favors there's a good fellow. Will you check up at once on the shall I say alibis? of Miss Lake and Slgnor Grassi?'' "That's easy," snorted Heath. "Two good men can do that in a few hours. "And," added Vance, "you might give this house another search. I'm dashed Interested In a blunt Instru ment that might have been used for striking Archer and the wee Scottie. I noticed that In the fire set in the living room everything was Intact in the rack but the poker." Heath nodded. "1 get you, sir. If there's a poker in this house, I'll lay hands on it" "Stout fella!" Vance continued toward the front door. "And speaking of dogs, sir," Heath added, "that guy Wrede told rue he was very fond of the animals. Owned one before he moved." "Ah !" Vance paused. "Did he men tion the breed?" "It was a Doberman Plnscher," Markham informed him. "Now, that's deuced lnterestin', y' know," Vance murmured. "Be so good. Sergeant as to have the bolt on Archer's door fixed while we're lunching. I'll want It In perfect working order when I return." The sergeant grinned broadly.-"Sthat's on your mind. Is It? . . Sure, I'll have It. fixed.". We walked through the Invigorating autumn air to a sman. French restaurant in West Seventy-seconStreet near the Drive. Vance talked at length of dogs In general and of Scottish terriers In particular. Finally he smiled waggishly at Markham. "I know I'm boring you. But you've been thinking much too strenuously all the forenoon. Your brain needs a little relaxation and what could be more soporific than my cackle about do.s;s? . . . And while I'm on the subject, I want to tell you, Markham, that the little wounded Scottie Gamble discovered behind the library portieres is a beautiful specimen of what a Scottie should be. Poor little devil. She certainly didn't deserve that wound, and I hope she'll have her revenge by helping us find the murderer. I think I'll phone and see how she's getting along." He went out and returned shortly to the table. He looked more cheerful. "The doctor says she's not as badly burt as he thought at first She's eating. No fever. Be pretty normal by tomorrow." He took another sip of wine. "And that means that I'll be pretty busy tomorrow. I'll have to visit the American Kennel club and perhaps Interview a few Scottie Judges." "I can't see the connection " Markham began. "But there Is a connection," insisted Vance. "It Is no coincidence that a wounded dog Is In a strange hostile house at the exact time of a murder. And It's reasonable to assume that it was admitted to the house by the murderer, either accidentally or for a purpose. In either case It will be a definite clew. The ownership of the dog and especially the address of the owner will give us something pretty definite to work from. The migrations of the dog last night will throw much light on the movements of the person who came to the Coe house. From the dog's presence we may argue several very lnterestin' and lliumlnatln' possibilities. First that the dog did not arrive before the murderer, because Archer would have thrown her out" "But Archer might have been the person who Injured her." "If he had, he would not have left her behind the curtain beside the library door; he would have thrown her down the front steps to the street he bad left the door open; but the murderer would scarcely have left the front door oien in fact, I imagine he would have taken pains to shut It securely. And the vicious injury given that her the dog seems to indh-atpresence in the house was nut deliberate that, in fact, the rsu who found her was surprised and, perhaps, frightened. Being afraid he would be seen if he turned her out, he acted Impulsively and sought to kill her lest she should start backing and attract attention. My conclusion Is that the d"g's presence was not discovered until after the murder." "Your reasoning is clear enough," Markham told him, "but I don't see in what way it Is helpful to us." "It eliminates certain possibilities; it narrows down certain movements of the murderer; and it leads to a of the two specific Interpretation crimes the murder of Archer and the murder of Brisbane." "Forgive me if I cannot follow your esoteric ratiocinations." "Perpend, Markham." Vance was genially patient "It Is highly unlikely not to say impossible that the dog could have followed any one In the front door without being seen. If she had been deliberately admitted, she would probably have not been Injured and left behind the portieres. Therefore, In view of the various factors of the situation, I believe the dog entered the house through an open door. And as the murderer would not have left the front door open, we may, as a hypothesis, assume that he entered by the rear door. And this would be In keeping with the nature of the crime. Furthermore, It Is not at all unlikely that he would have left both the gate and the rear door open so that he could make his escape without unnec- ' o 1 Jill iTira d "But Brisbane?" "Ah! If it had been Brisbane, then the dog was already In the house, or else she followed him In. If she was In the house and It was he who Injured her, he was killed at almost the same Instant; for If he had been able to, he, like Archer, would have put the dog outside. Therefore, In case the dog was there and Brisbane Injured her, then It follows that the murderer didn't see her or left her there with some definite purpose in mind. As for the dog having followed Brisbane In, I think It highly unlikely. Dogs do not sneak In front doors between strangers' legs" "But she followed some one In, obviously." Markham argued, "unless, of course, she was deliberately brought there." "That Is true," Vance admitted, "and that Is a point that puzzles me. She might have followed some one even a stranger Into the house, provided YTSV "Yeah." supplemented Heath, "and with a gun in his hand and a bullet in his head.'" Vance nodded desiondeiiily "I know all that Sergeant. That's the terrible and baffling tldr:: :t!l the crime. The signposts f indicate this library, yet death ir.-was elsewhere. And there's no clear read leading tetween the two I'.y the by. Serjeant, where did you tiii.l the poker?" "That's one on you, sir. You looked at It this morning aud didn't see it. found the poker in that chest " "The teak wood chest beneath the east windows? You found the poker in that chest?" "That's what I'm trying to tell you." Vance sat down and drew deeply on ids cigarette. "Who has been In the bedroom. Ser geant, since we went to lunch?" he asked presently. "No one, sir!" Heath was emphatic. Burke's guarded it every minute while you've been away. The butler helped him fix the door, but didn't get three feet In the room. And It was me, and no one else, that searched the room. Markham came forward. "What's the Idea, Vance? Why should the sergeant's finding the poker upstairs bother you?" Vance exhaled a long ribbon of smoke, and looked directly at Mark- ham. "Because, old dear, that chest was empty when I looked In it this morn ing !" CHAPTER VII The Scented Lipstick. Vance's declaration left us both per turbed and mystified. Markham was the first to speak. "Are you certain, Vance? Maybe " you overlooked "Oh. no." Vance made a eesture of finality. "It wasn't there oh, quite. Some one put it there after I'd exam ined the chest." "But who, in heaven's name?" "Come. come. Markham." Vance smiled grimly. "One doesn't know, y know. But I'd say It was the same person who tucked the dagger under the cushion of the chair in which Archer passed away." "The dagger?" "Yes, yes the dagger. That mvsterv Is at least cleared up the poker explained that incongruity. The dagger didn't belong in Archer's boudoir. Quite the contr'ry. Its presence there confused me abominably. Both the poker and the dagger belonged in the library here. And they weren't here, d' ye see they were where they shouldn't have been, where they couldn't possibly have been. A gap a mishap a bit of superficial thlnkin' on some one's part. Panic? Yes, that's what It was. Movin' things from one place to another Silly ld"i People always think that hy movin' things they ran confuse an issue. More often they merely clarify it." "I'm glad you see some clarity In this damnable situation," Markham grumbled. "Oh. but I'm not blinded by any daz-zliIllumination yet. J wonder. . The sergeant projected himself y into the discussion. "If some one did cache the dagger and the poker upstairs, wh-'have had the opportunity? That's wh;it I'd like to figure out." "Almost anyone might have ..ine It, returned Vance Sergeant," lazily.' "Both Wrede and Grassi have passed buck and forth before the room while we were downstairs." Heath thought a moment. "That's right. And then do you remember how that Miss Lake ri'";!ud to the chair when she first came in the room and put her arm haeU the corpse? She coulda stuck the dagger under the seat with all of us looking at her. And that cagy butler, he ... "I Can't See the Connection," Markham Began. ess'ry noise, in that case the dog could easily have followed him In through the open gate and door, without being seen or heard. And the place where the dog was found just outside the library door was a logical spot for the dog would have come In through the kitchen and dining room and Into the library." Markham nodded slowly. "Yes. All that Is quite reasonable. But, after all, anyone could have come in the rear door." "Provided he knew the lie of the land, was familiar with all the domestic arrangements and could have obtained a key. Also, provided he knew that all the servants would be away that night." Vance looked up thoughtfully. "Yes, Markham, already that little Scottie has narrowed down our Investigation. Unwittingly she has pointed out several valuable clews to us. She has helped us. no end. And I have a feelin' she's going to tell us a lot more." It was about half-pathree when we returned to the Coe house. The sergeant was bustling about, giving orders. "I've got something for you, sir." He swaggered a little as he led us into the library and pointed to the large center table. "There's the poker and It's got blood on It" Vance went up to It and examined it closely. He picked something from It between his thumb and forefinger, and went to the window. "Yes, there's dried blood on it and also a coarse brlndle hair." He turned and nodded. "It was this poker, Markham, which wounded the Scottie. And undoubtedly, too. Archer Coe was struck with this poker. The shape of Its blunt end coincides perfectly with the wound on Archer's head." He frowned and looked at the vase In which he had found the bloodstains. "And, Markham, that poker belongs In this room In that rack beside the fireplace, Just in front of the place on this divan where Archer Coe was sit ting when Gamble went out last night More evidence that something sinister and horrible preceded the crime up stairs. And It took place in this room." "And," argued Markham, doggedly, "Archer Coes body was found upstairs, with his clothes changed, and the lights on, and the door bolted on tha Inside . iras-clhl- , coulda done It." "And don't overlook the Chinaman Gamble sent him to fetch Miss Lake's breakfast tray while we were nil down- stairs." Heath grasped at this remark "That's the guy!" he declared. "Just a minute, Sergeant!" Markham suppressed hira with a g.Vt'ure and turned to Vance. "If. as von he- -' lleve, the dagger and poker were taken from this room and hidden in .'oe's bedroom this morning, the Inevitable conclusion Is that the murderer s one of the persons who have been in the house this morning." "Not necessarily." Vance shnu hIs head mildly. "There are several persons here who know more than they've admitted No, no, It was a act The murderer couldn't have stupid done It It was some one else some one ho didn't know all the facts The murderer was too clever to do a fool Ish thing like that to hide weapons where they never could have been The murderer wanted the wen pons found In this library. That's he tried to hide the dagger twlce-o-why nce in the egg shell Ting yao vase, and the secor.d time In that Yung Cheng Ting yao. And he wanted the poker to bt found on the hearth with the bloodstains on It n wanted the g In this room where Archer Coe wea-pon- Service was sitting when Gamble left the house last night He figured on this room. And library being the murder the murwent wrong then something der room shifted. Something strange and diabolical happened. The corpse, with a bullet wound In his head and a revolver in his hand, decided on the bedroom upstairs. And when the murderer came back. It was too late to rearrange the setting" "Came back? Too late?" repeated Markham. "What do you mean?" "Just that." Vance halted and looked down at the district attorney. "Oh, he came back he had to come back. Brisbane was killed hours after Archer. And the reason he was too late to transfer the scene of the crime was that Archer's door was bolted on the Inside. The scene of his murder had shifted and he, the murderer, was locked out ne knew last night that neither the dagger nor the poker could be found In the bedroom. Therefore It was not the murderer who placed them there this morning. . . ." At this moment Gamble appeared at the door. He was worried and apologetic. "I'm very sorry, sir, to Interrupt" he began, "but an item If you know what I mean has Just occurred to me. Ordinarily I would have thought little or nothing of It, but in view" "What's the item?" Markham snapped. "It It's this little gadget, sir," Gamble stuttered, laying a small cylindrical metal lipstick holder on the table. "I found this In the wastepaper basket In this room this morning before I discovered the master's body upstairs, and I threw it out. But a few minutes ago I began thinking about this terrible affair" Vance picked up the holder and removed the top. "Practically empty," he mused. "Not a gold case therefore thrown away." He smeared a little of the rouge on his finger and smelled It "Duplalx's Carmine. Made for blondes. . . , Most lnterestin'." He looked at Gamble. "You left the house last night, when?" "Between half-pafive and six, sir. I couldn't say exactly." "And you are quite sure Mr. Archer Coe had no visitor at the time?" "Oh, quite, sir." Gamble was again becoming worried. "As I told you" "Yes, yes. So you told me." Vance was watching the man from under lazy eyelids. "But a lady seems to have been here. Do you know of any appointment Mr. Coe may have had with the possible owner of that lipstick?" "An appointment with a lady?" The butler, for some reason, seemed shocked. "Oh, no, sir. I'm sure Mr. Coe had no such appointment. He was if you understand me, sir a most abstemious man." Vance dismissed him bruskly. "That will be all, Gamble." When the man had gone, Vance looked waggishly at Markham. "I fear, old dear, despite Gamble's assurances, that Archer did entertain a lady yesterday afternoon between, let us say, six o'clock and eight which Is probably about the time he was killed." Heath was growing Impatient. "I can't see that it makes any difference anyway. Suppose the old boy did have a dame in for a visit that's not explaining the cockeyed things that happened here last night. What about that bolted door upstairs? You had something in mind, Mr. Vance, when you asked me to get that bolt fixed, didn't you?" "My notion was a bit vague, Sergeant" Vance crushed out his cigarette. "Of course, people don't get murdered in bolted rooms except in detective novels; and something Miss Lake said to me suggested that I might find a solution to that peculiar and illogical circumstance." "What was that?" Markham curtly demanded. ... "When she was talkin' about Brisbane, don't y' know. You remember she mentioned that he was Interested in criminology and was sufficiently c ever to cover his tracks if he'd decided to go in for murder. A slgnlfl- ."i icuiutk, Maruham." Tired Feet After your shopping trip, few minutes bathing your fore starting to prepare dinnerVt a foot bath of warm water aajT ins soua. THE HOCSEffm Copyrisbt by Public S? .TT Slate Looking-Glas- s Slate does not seem nutterial from which to fashS liki ,00king Elnss. Yet the anc?eiJ Eskimos made mirrors of slate S3 ome of these have been found by a2 archeologlst digging ln Alaska. Tbl urface was polished, but before tS late mirror would of person It had to be . dampeneSS Un3sm , VVNU6ervlc Add to Fire DefeBMi About 20.000 miles of comm. tlon lines, truck trails, and J? nent fire defenses were built j3 national forests by the Civilly fef gervation corps ln the last yearl addition, more than 10,000 mikt 'Jf been completed by men tmtQ . i. juuus, wiui i. orient iucbc suu uiuer joos also helpfl! check outbreaks of fire. Along with excessive drouth. brought an unusual number of v! thunderstorms ln the western erf starting hundreds of lightnlnjjJ ln the forests. Following the Rons! drying winds whipped the snags Into flaming torches wt spread the flames far and wide, f total of 9,333 fires broke out to &? national forests up to September this year, compared with 783 y the same period In 1931, and u 3 erage of 6,907 for the past years. Fifty per cent of th!i I son's fires were J tJ man-cause- ! 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