Show 1 THE KENNEL S. S By S. S Van Dine 11 iI Copyright n by 7 W. W H. H m Wright bt MURDER jJ IL CASE f Service SYNOPSIS I Vane Vance e crime expert pert It Is caned to the supposed of ot Archer Co eo Coe With 1 Attorney he b. ton goes to Coi Coee house home They Ther find Wr Wrede Wred d a friend of ot Coe Cose there leo a 81 Signor Signer nor Orasi a rhe gu door of f th the death chamber li Ie bolted from tb the The They tort force It Coe Co li Ie seated a revolver In Is hie hl right hand and a bullet bul but let ht hot hole In hI Mi hi temple tempi He It I. I clothed In Ina a x town gown but weare wear tret i rho ho i. i Markham think It la Ii suicide Vano Vance say It li Is murder CHAPTER II Continued II-Continued 3 Vance yawned and strolled between Hilda Lake and Markham Again he be Geld out his cigarette case Oh do have a cigarette he be plead ed d Sometimes Sometime they quiet the nerves nervel dont don't ont y know The woman looked up at him and lave cue a hard har questioning smile Then after a moments moment's hesitation she took one ne and he be lighted It for her What dt da do you think of this affair Ur Vance Vanco she asked casually Dashed if Ir I know lie He spoke poke lightly Your Tour suggestion of a Chinaman China man li is most mOlt I wonder If It there are any anI dart d'art missing from the house I wouldn't be surprised She blew a long ribbon of ot smoke toward the ceiling Personally I hope they're aU 11 gone cone Id I'd Infinitely prefer preter Wedgwood Wedgwood wood and Willow ware were Markham again took the floor Tm Pm afraid were we're all talking a bit dramatically It If your uncles uncle's death was 1111 not suicide 1 Miss Lake how do you account for tor the tact fact that the thedoor thedoor door of ot this room was waa bolted bolte on the Inside Insider Hilda Lake rose to her feet teet feet a puzzled look on her face tace I t Dolled Bolted on the Inside the abe repent repent- sd jid d. d turning toward the door Ab Ah I 1 So St Ton had hat to break In P I She stood still for tor several moments moment looking at the banging Langing bolt different In Just what way war asked Vance Maybe after arter all all It was suicide I I IA A bell sounded downstairs and we could uld hear bear Gamble opening the front door cor Markham stepped quickly to Hilda Ililda Lakes Lake's side Ilde and put his hla hand on her arm rm The medical examiner Is I. probably coming Will you be lit so good as 81 to coto go co goto goto to your room and wait walt there Right o. o. o She strode to the door Before Detore she went out she turned nut But please send Gamble up with my tea and muffins Im I'm positively starving A minute later Dr Emanuel Dorus Dore- Dore nus us Will was ushered Into the room He lIe was a wiry nervous man cynical bitten hard and with a Jaunty manner lIe He resembled a stock salesman far more more th than 1 he did a doctor lie He greeted erected us u. with a wave of or the band hand and glanced about the room Then he be teetered back and forth on hIs bis toes and p.-ined p. ned a baleful eye on Death More shenanigan he be complained I 9 was In the midst of hot cakes and sausages when I got your lour message You always pick on me at meal time Sergeant Well what have you IOU got for tor me now now 7 Heath grinned and Jerked his thumb toward Coes Coe's body He lie was used to the medical examiners examiner's grousing Doremus turned his head and let lethis his bis Indifferent eyes rest on the dead deadman nan man for tor several moments moment The door was bolted on the Inside doctor Markham volunteered We bad to break It In Doremus drew a deep sigh an and turned back to Heath with a grunt of disgust Well what hat about it IU he asked Im im- patiently you IOU have let m me finish my breakfast All AlI you IOU needed neede d was nn an order to remove the body II He lie reached In his hla pocket and drew out Olt a e small mall pad of printed blanks blank If It you'd you d have given me the lowdown Id I'd have hav e sent lent an assistant Ills Ill voice had bad b bo- bo come peevish Mr Ir Markham told me to call you yo u personally doc doe Heath explained It II aint my mr funeral Doremus holding his hll fountain pe pen n poised cocked an eye at Markham Straight case of suicide he announced an an- bounced breezily Nothing to worry y about Ill I'll give you rou the approximate time of death d.-ath It If you rou want It And An Anthe d the routine autopsy I say doctor Vance Yance asked languidly Ian lan would It be unprofessional t If It f you look at the body Doremus spun round Im going to look at the body h he e snapped napped Im going to dissect It It It-I'm Im I'm m going to give It a post mortem What t more do you want Just why Doctor Doctor pursued Vance do you Jump at the conclusion that tha t Its It's suicide Doremus sighed Impatiently The guns gun's In his hll hand haud the bullet t wound Is In the right place and I know a dead ml min man n when I see lee one Furthermore the door door door- Was bolted on the Inside Vance ance e finished Oh quite But Dut what about abou t the body Well WelI what about It It Doremus b began be b e gan fitting filling In the order Theres There th the body look body look at It yourself I have nave looked at It dont don't y know kno I You Sou see Ice see Lac Heath explained with a grin of satisfaction Mr Vance and I made a bet I said laid you'd say III suicide an and tie lIe said laId you'd roud sa say mur mur- der Im a doctor not a detective Dora Dore Doremus onus mus returned acidly The guys guy's dead with a bullet hole In his hI right temple lies lIe holding a gun run In to his bis right hand band Its It's the kind of woun wound that could coul have bave been self inflicted His Ilia position Is J. natural natural and and the door was waa locked locke on the Inside The rest of It t Is I. up to you fellows In fn the homicide bu reau rear It If the bullet from the gun dont don't tit fit the tile show It You'll set et etall etl all al l the data tomorrow Then you can draw your foar own own conclusions Vance had bad sat lat down In a chair near the west went wall and was smoking pla pla- Would you mind Doctor taking a close clote look at that bullet ballet bole hole before you return to your lour hot cakes and sausages lau eau sages sagest And you might also scrutinize the dead mans mane mouth Doremus stared at Vance a moment i then they he approached Archer Coe's Coes body an and d bent over It He lIe Inspected the wound carefully an and I saw raw his hll eyebrows eye eye- br brows go up He ne lifted the hair bait from the left temple and there was visible to all of n ns u. a dark bruised ed Indentation on the scalp along the hair line Then he lifted Coes Coe's upper lip Up slightly and teemed seemed to Inspect his hi teeth which appeared appeared ap apo peare bloodstained from where here I stood Astor After a close Inspection of the dead mans man's mouth he again focused his hI attention on the bullet wound In la Inthe lathe the right temple temple- Presently ho he stood up op straight and fixed fired a calculating gaze rue on Vance In your our mind he ht asked truculently Nothing at all the all the brains brain's a mere i vacuum Vance took his hll cigarette from his lips lip and yawned Did you yon find anything Doremus nodded hi his eyes still on Vance Yeah Plenty I f fOh Oh really reaU now now Vance Vanco smiled In in- gr And you still think It Its It's suicide Doremus crammed his hi hands bands Into hi bis hI s pockets and made a wry face tace II II I 1 no not I Theres There's something queer here something here something d d-d d d queer Il Ills ls eyes eye shifted to Coes Coe's body Theres blood In his hI mouth and hes he's g got ot a alight fracture of ot the skull on the left frontal natal lies He's had a dirty blow by bl a blunt Instrument of some lome kind D D-d D d queer queen 1 I Markham his eyes mere silts luts came come f forward orward What about that bullet wound In hIs bis right temple Doremus looked up op took one hand band from his pocket and pointed toward the dead mans man's head bend Mr Markham he said uld with precise pre pre- cise e lse solemnity that baby had hod been dead for tor hours when that bullet entered en feted his head end I 1 IThe IThe The only person In the room who was not staggered by this unexpected announcement announcement an an- was Vance ance Heath stood staring elating at the corpse corpe as If It he be almost expected It to rise Markham slowly took his cigar from his bis mouth and looked vaguely vaguel back and forth between bet Doremus an and Vance As for tor myself I must admit that a n cold eold chill chili ran can up my spine The sight light of a dead man sitting with a revolver In is his hll hand band and a bullet woun wound In his bis temple coupled with the knowledge that the bullet had been tired fired Into late him after niter depth death affected me mo like Uke a s piece of ot African African can eon sorcery Vance as I say Y was unaffected He Ile merely nodded his h head ad slightly and l lighted ted another cigarette with steady fingers situation eh situation eh what he murmured Really Markham a man doesn't ordinarily shoot himself after death I fear tear you simply must eliminate the suicide theory Markham frowned deeply nut Hut the bolted door door door- A dead man doesn't ordinarily bolt doors either cither Vance returned Markham turned with slightly dazed eyes eyu to Doremus Can you determine what killed him him Doctor It If given time Doremus had become become become be be- come sullen he be did not like the turn of ot events I say lar Doctor DOdor drawled Vance the state of rigor mortis In a our victim 7 Its H well advanced ad Dead eight tc twelve t hours hour Cant you come closer than that thaU asked Heath lIlath sourly Give Ohe me a chance The medical examiner was Irritable irritable- Im going to take a closer look at this guy gUl before betor I go Lend me a hand Sergeant Sergeant Ser Ser- geant grant and well we'll put him on the bed Just a moment Doctor Vance spoke peremptorily Take a look at atthe atthe the hand on the desk Is It clutching the revolver tightly lies lIc clutching the gun tight all right With difficulty Doremus bent Coes Coe's fingers finders and removed remo the revolver ver vet taking great care not to make fingerprints on It Heath i came forward and gingerly Inspected inspected In In- the weapon Then he dropped It In n a large pocket handkerchief and placed It on the blotter sad And Doctor pursued Vanes wu waa C Coe's Coes oca finger pressed directly against the trigger Yep was Doremus' Doremus curt answer Then we may assume that the revolver revolver re re- volver was waa placed In to Coes Coe's hand before rigor mortis set let In what whan Well WeIl Ill I'll tell teIl you He pointing lIe pointing to Coes Coe's body may body may have hu had the gun gunIn gunIn gunin In his hi hand han when he be died I wasn't present y y I understand And If It t the gun was war already In his hand then nobody no no- nobody body put It there later In that case how could It have b been een fired It It couldn't But Dut ut how do you know It t was wa fired Theres There's no way of telling telling tell tell- ing until the post poet mortem whether the bullet In his head bead came from the gun run gune b he e was waa holding Do the caliber of at the revolver and ande th the e wound correspond t Yes Yea Id I'd say so 10 The guns gun's a 33 88 and the wound looks look the same size IZe And Aud put In Heath one chamber chamber cham cham- ber of the guns gun's been fired tired Markham nodded and looked at the medical examiner r If It It should prove proTe to be true Doctor Doctor Doctor Doc Doc- tor that the revolver In la Coes Coe's hand fired the shot In la his bl head hed then we could assume could we not as Mr Vance suggested that the revolver had bad been placed In fa the dead mans man's hand han before rigor mortis set In to InT Sure you could Doremus' Doremus tone was waa greatly modified Nobody could hue have forced the gun Into his hi hand and made It t appear natural after arter rigor mortis had bad set In Though Vances Vance's eyes eye were moving Idly about the room he was listening closely to this conversation There la Is he remarked In a low voice olce another possibility fetched Far Ill I'll admit but tenable Men Men have IJ i p HH J V Men Have Deen Been Known to Do Queer Quee Things After Death been known to do queer things after death There are recorded instances of or suicides who have shot themselves an and then thrown the weapon thirty feet teet away Dr Hans lIans Gross Cross In his fur ter ter ter- But Dut that hardly applies here o. No Vance drew deeply on his cigarette Quite so BO Just a fleeting thought Markham studied Vance a moment then turned back to Doremus Did Coe die of that blow blo bloon on the head hend The medical examiner teetered on his his toes and pursed his Ws lips Ills Theres There something funny here Theres There's been an Internal hemorrhage what what might be expected from a severe blow v on the head Blood In to Inthe the mouth and all that But Dut Mr Markham Doremus Doremus spoke Impressively Im lm- that that blow on en the left frontal wasn't powerful enough to kill killa a man A slight fracture but nothing serious serious Just Just enough to stun him Nope he didn't die of ot concussion or a fractured skull And he be didn't die of the revolver shot added Vance Vance- Most 1 Still the Johnnys Johnny's dead dont don't y f know Doremus swung Jerkily about to Heath Come on Sergeant lIe He an and Heath lifted Coes Coe's body an and carried It to the bed Together they removed the clothes from the dead deadman deadman deadman man hung them over o a chair b by the bed and Doremus began his bis examina examina- tion The body was lying on Its It back and as Doremus pressed his hand band over the right side we could see him pause and Cond bend forward Fifth Firth rib broken he announced And a decided bruise Did It happen before or after atter death asked Markham Defore Otherwise there'd be n no o epidermal discoloration And that blow v on the head bead was wa s also before death I take It It Sure thing He lIe rot got ot a little bunged up before he be died but that Isn't what wha t killed him Perhaps suggested Vance the th e blow v on the Ue head bead and the tLe broken ri rib b are related lie Ile may have been a stunned and In falling struck his hll rl rib D against again It some object h Was Waa the blow on the head hed powerful enough to have rendered him unconscious scions clous 7 Vance ance was looking around the room at the various pieces of furniture furniture furni furni- ture and there wan waa a veiled Interest In his eyes Oh yes Doremus told him bins More than likely Vances Vance's gaze came to rest on a heavy heul teakwood chest near the east windows wIndow Going to It he be opened the lid and looked In Then he be closed It almost Immediately And pursued Vance turning back to the medical examiner would Coe have regained consciousness very verI soon oon after atter that blow on his head bead problematical Doremus straightened and screwed up op hIs bis face tace Into a perplexed frown lie He might have hue remained unconscious for twelve hours and he might have hue come to In Ina a few tew minutes All AU depends nut But hats flints ats at's not what's bothering me There are a couple of small abrasions on OD the Inside of the right-hand right fingers and a slight cut on the knuckle knuckle and and they're all fresh trub Id I'd say hed he'd put up a scrap crap i with whoever cracked him over the th head headd And ADd yet his hi clothes were certainly certainty neat neat no no sign alga of having been mussed mussed and and his hi hairs hair's combed and slicked lUcked down Yeah and there was waa a gun run In his bis hand band and he was wu sitting restful like and looking peaceful added Heath neath with puzzled disgust Somebody dolled dolle him up after |