Show II THE E KENNEL K E N N F L S. S sS By S. S Van Dine ii C Copyright I by TV W. H. H W Wright Mu M U RD E R CAS E Service SYNOPSIS Philo Vane Vance crime expert IntI gatea atea ill the tho supposed of Archer Oo Co 00 With District Attorney Attorn Markham h h. h go goes co to Co COI Coes house Th They find and Wied a friend of ot Cot Coel there ther also alio Grassi a guest The Tha door of ot the death chamber II la bolted from the In In std aid 1111 Th They tore fore It Coe Coo la is seated a revolver In hi his hi right hand and a bullet bullet bul let hole bolo In hi his tempi temple H lie II I I. I clothed In Ina Ina Ina a dressing drafting gown own but wears wear street ho hoe Markham thinks think It I. I Vane Vane Tana says ear I It I is Ie murder Medical Ex EJI miner amber Doremus declares declare Coe Cos bad been bun dead for fOT hour when the tha bullet entered hie II ha head bead A wound mall made b by a dagger la ta found toun on the tho body and there li is proof roof that Co Coe Co was wai tull fully dressed when he III was waa tabbed stabbed Th The Th investigators Investigator find and finda anda a wounded l terrier In a room of et f th the tho Co Coe house home Vane Vance declares declare the tho animal will prove an Important eon lIoUn link Coe Coa Archers Areher brother I is II believed to hay have left Ifft for tor Chicago th the previous afternoon but bul buthi hi hi dead l bod body I is II discovered In fn a clout closet In th the tho Co Coe horn home Vane Vance Interrogates Interrogate th h be Chin cook Liang died from a stab In th the tho back aa as In Archer aa ease Vance searching coat waxed wand thread attached to a bent pin sin and a darning needle A lipstick discovered In Archer Co Cos Coe wastebasket indicates Indicate that a woman called on him th tbs tb night DIM ef ot th the tb murder mur CHAPTER VII VII Continued Continued 10 10 nut Hot 1 I dont don't tee see the connection Markham was waa puzzled Brisbane will was s the victim not not the murderer Suppose e IOU yon elucidate ll If possible 1 I 1 live lire in open Vance grinned fInned Let ma ms question Miss Ills Lake a bit fur tur- fu n ther Cher 1 I could b blur r a bit of ot amplification lion tion ai as to Brisbane's delving Into o lore He De sobered an and d du went toward the door What do you u taJ ay to using mine Archers Archeri bedroom ai II th the scene icene of the Interrogation Markham gave gare a resigned sigh an and d we went upstairs Heath sent Gamble Gam Cam Isle ble to ask uk Miss III Lake to Join us vs there and nd a few tew minutes later she came I In swaggering but chilly chill and I 1 thought suspicious auspicious Vance Vanc pushed a chair choir forward to toDer for tor r Her lIer We wanted to ask you ou Miss Lake II tie began gravely ravel just what you JOo u meant when you JOu spoke of ot your our Uncle e Brisbane's having dabbled In criminology crimi 1 I I believe that was your you r phrase What form torm did his Interest la In take tate criminology Only reading Criminal cases court eases cases court records detective stories e the the usual thing There are hundreds hundred es s of et volumes in his room Were you ou too interested In your you r Uncle Brisbane's books Oh yes ell Theres There's nothing else Interesting interesting In In to the house Then you rou too have dabbled In 1 criminology 7 She shot Vance a quick look an and andave d rIVe gave ave a forced laugh You might call It that Ah I Then perhaps you can het help D us U. Vance Vances air became j Jocular ular We V e crave erne to know how this door could coul I have been bolted on the inside Obviously 4 Archer couldn't have done i It t with a bullet In his head Or a dagger dauer through his lungs she he supplemented and became suddenly sudden sudden- ly 11 serious But nut he might have donIt done don doneIt e It before the bullet entered his hll head But Bat h he be was dead at that time Vance too had become serious ant and d was watching the woman closely Have Dave you JOU never neer heard beard of ot cadaver spasm or rigor mottle mortis she asked contemptuously Men with revolvers In their hands handl at death have been known to fire them hours houri after the they were dead aa II a result of ot muscular contraction con traction Vance nodded without changing his expression or shifting his gaze gate Quite true There was the famous case In Prague of ot the suicide who I later shot ahot the police Inspector And there was a more recent case In Penn Penn- I sylvania But nut I hardly think that condition applies here Archer d' d ye 11 see lee died of ot a stab In the back And the position of ot his hil hand holding the revolver was not such as 81 would indicate indi cate that he himself pulled the trig trig- ger Perhaps youre you're right 1 was surprised stir sur at It her ber ready acceptance of ot Vances Vance's dismissal of ot her suggestion Some one else must have bare bolted thedoor the door She spoke with cynical lightness light light- ness Its Jt quite a problem Isn't It Are you sure you ou cant can't help us Vance Yance gazed at her steadily She became thoughtful a curious change came over her and she looked at Vance with a questioning steady stare Ive been thinking about that door for tor several hours bours she said sald tensely and I cant can't find an answer to It It Uncle Brisbane and Mr lIr Wrede and I often talked about these trick tricky crimInal trim crim- inal devices de We worked out various unous ways wars and means of ot doing seemingly Impossible things but bolting this door from the outside was something we could never figure out Vance took his hi cigarette from his bla mouth month with slow alow deliberation Ton Toll mean to tell me that you OU and Brisbane and Mr lIr Wrede actually discussed discussed dis dis- discussed cussed the possibilities of bolting this door from the outside Oh Ob yes yes es She appeared quite frank Many Jinny times But Dut we decided It couldn't be lie successfully done Vance hesitated and a strange kind of 01 f ran over me I 1 felt as al If we w. were approaching something particularly larl pertinent and at the same time sinister Lid Did 1 Id anyone else else tancel Vance's Vances cool voice brought me bock back to reality ever hear these discussions No one but Uncle Archer Hilda Lake had become frigid and indifferent Indifferent ent again lie He always alway ridiculed our speculations What of ot Liang Vance asked casually cas cas- The cook Oh Ob I suppose he beard heard our Idle chatter I believe belle we I talk talked ell over our dire plots at dinner occa And now the problem that troubled all of ot you has been sol solved veil Vance rose and strolled meditatively toward the door Very sad V t lie He opened the door and held It ft ajar Thank you Miss bliss Lake I say any you wont won't mind remaining re ro- In your our room till tilt dinner time will you If Jt I did dill mind It wouldn't do me any good I suppose ose She spoke with obvious resentment as she walked toward Vance Ma May I be permitted to get a II book rook from Uncle Brisbane's room to while awo away my detention Her Der eyes were narrowed and her Up lip curled in an ugly arc Vances Vancell calm gaze did not alter Im dashed sorry and all that sort of ot thing he be sold said politely but Ill Til send you IOU up tip any book you'd like like like- l later ater Ive I've a bit of ot browsing to do fiB first brat The woman turned on her heel and walked away without a word Vance ance waited until he heard her door close with a bang then he turned and came back Into the room Not a sweet Victorian clinging vine he lamented but a lady of ot parts none the less Curious her telling us ns of ot her discussions with Brisbane Bris bane about the possibilities of ot bolting rolling this thin door from the outside There was something back of ot that Markham The I young Joung woman had Ideas Now wh why should she have tried to be so helpful And that suggestion about rigor mortis mortis mor mor- and the revolver It If you yon ou want my candid opinion Markham commented she knows knowl or u suspects more than she's ahe telling us and she's trying to throw ns us a off the track Vance considered this for tor a time Yes Tee Its Its It's possible he agreed a at t length On the other hand Markham was patently intently puzzled Any suggestion he asked What s our next neit move Oh that's Indicated Vance sighed sighs d deeply Painful as AI It may prove I simply must run m my eye over Brisbane's Uri Bris s' s banes bane's books Markham also sighed deeply an anrose and d rose We went Into Brisbane O Cues Coea el room which was wal at the front of ot the house e on the west side On the north wall l beside the window was WIlS a series of ot o t simple built in n shelves book extending S tS to the ceiling calling There were I estimated estimate d between three and four tour hundred volumes volumes vol vol- umes on them all neatly and meticulously lonely arranged Vance went to the window and threw up op the shades and began running his g eye ee systematically over the volumes volume a For so small a number of ot criminological p. p logical volumes Brisbane Coe's Coes collection collection colle p. p tion Uon was 1111 unusually complete In surveying surveying sur lur the titles one got the impre a r. r 1 r r a l' l e iI b p r is r I Then You Too Have Dabbled In Criminology lion slon that had bad he be gone In for tor crime be he would ha have ve been highly practical p rather than subtle Vance Vanee glanced d over the books ra rapIdly rap rap- Idl Idly but bet carefully It should be here y r know b he e murmured aa as If It to himself unless s It Its It's been taken away 0 He lie got up and began brgan to check tb the e volume numbers of ot the various set sets s of ot books When he be came to a red red and an angold d- d gold set of ot the der de r he gave a nod an and d stepped down to the floorA floor noor A volume missing be he announced d lie scanned the upper book shelves shelve a carefully I I wonder Then b he h. dropped on his knees and began going g more thoroughly over the section o of ot f fiction When he be had c come come me to the lowest lowes t shelf he b. reached forward and took ou out t a thin red gold volume lIe He glanced at It and leaned forward again to Inspect Inspect In In- the books on either side of ot the space apace from which he had extracted the missing volume of ot the A der series Oh I say lIal I he exclaimed deuced Markham Its It's significant sig alg- that the missing volume of ot the der should be te found round cheek b by Jowl with a book dealing with a pin Markham took his cigar from his mouth stood up and faced Vance altha with alth Ith Itha a serious taco face I see srI what you mean menn mean he said You 1011 think that Brisbane b by the help of or these books book on criminology worked out some way of ot bolting Archers Archer's door from the outside by the use of those pins pin and string Vance gave lIve an affirmative nc nod d. d Hither Either Brisbane or some one else It was quite a technical operation lie picked up the der volume I 1 think Ill I'll do a abit abit abit bit of ot It if If you yon OU could bear blar to watt wait for tor me a short while Markham made a gesture of ot acqui The sergeant and 1 I will wait walt downstairs down stairs Ive I've Ive I've some telephoning to do The three of ot us left Vance alone In Brisbane's room and as I 1 closed dosed the thedoor thedoor thedoor door I saw Vance Vanco stretch himself out outon outon outon on the davenport with the two books An hour later pater he came to the head bend of ot the stairs and called down to us We Ve Joined him In to Archers Archer's bedroom I think Ive I've found a solution to on one e phase of ot our problem he announced seriously when we were seated But Dut t It may take a bit of ot working out out He lIe opened the book The tale as I 1 gather ather at a hast hasty reading relates o oa of ot ofa ota f a dead man found locked In a vault t with a key to the door on the table tabe before him The vault door was locked locke d ds from the outside of ot course Here's Heres s the explanatory passage No other wor word d ds he be spoke but took something from his hll s pocket It was a reel of ot stout cotton n Then from his waistcoat he produced d a new pin and with great care an and d solemnity tied the thread to the en enof end endot d of ot the pin Tab watching him Intently And all the time he was working fie Bex nex z Lander was Willi humming a little tune a as II s though he were engaged In the most Innocent occupation Presently h be he e stuck the point of ot the pin In the center center cen een ter of ot the table and pulled at It b by bythe y the thread he had fastened Apparently Appa r- r he was satisfied lIe He unwound d a further length of ot cotton and when whet he had sufficient he threaded the ke key y upon It t carrying It well outside th the a door The end he brought back int into e the vault and then pushed It out again n from the Inside through one of ot th the e Then he closed dosed the door carefully care care- tull fully II had left leU plenty of slack fo for tor r his purpose and Tab heard the click o othe of ot f the lock as It was Willi fastened and his s heart sank lIe He watched the door fascinated fas tas- fa s. s and saw that Lander was pullIng pullIng pull pull- Ing lag the slack of ot the cotton through th the e Presently the key came clime 1 In Insight Insight n sight under the door Higher an and d higher came came the sagging line of ot cotton sotto n and the key rose until It was at th the e tables table's level slid down do the taut cotton cotton cot cot- ton and came to rest on the table Tighter drew the strain of ot the thread and presently the pin came out passed passe d through the hole bole In the key ke leavin leaving g It In the exact center of ot the table Tn Tab b watched the bright pin as It was pulled pullet across the floor and through the ven yen p That's the wa way the author autho r worked his locked door But Dut objected Markham There Thor e was an open ventilator In the door and space beneath the door These Thes e conditions are not true here Yes Yes ot of course Vance returned But nut dont don't overlook o the fact tact that tha t there was a string and a bent pin n At least they thel are common Integers 1 In Inthe Inthe n the two problems Now Nov lets let's se see e It If we can caa combine those Integers wit with h certain common Integers of ot another hr r case ase He lie opened the other book Konrad Vance explained was wag a truck driver In Berlin nearly flit fiU fifty y tars yeara ago Ills His wife Ire and five ve chi chil p dren were found dead In their cellar r room and the door door door-a a ponderous at af fair without even enn a keyhole or space spar e around the molding was molding was secure securely y bolted on the Inside The case was at nt once pronounced one of ot murder an and d suicide on the part of ot the mother and Konrad would have teen been free trpe t to o marr marry his bis Inamorata whom he had 1 In Inthe Inthe n the had It not been for tor an examining ex e z magistrate of ot the criminal nl court named Hollmann Hollmann Holtmann to for tor forno torno r no tangible reason did not believe belle 1 In Inthe Inthe n the suicide theory and set to wor work k to figure out how Konrad could hay have e bolted the door from without Heres Here's the passage passage passage-if if you you'll 11 forgive my rather sketch sketchy sight trans tran w lation of ot the German Carman Hollmann d de de- o- o as a last lut resort to give Us the e entire door both Inside and outside a microscopic examination It required require d hours boun of ot labor but In n the end he w was as rewarded Just above the bolt he found on the Inside close to the ed edof edge Ce of ot the door a very small email bole hole which wh ch was barel barely discernible Opening t the he door he be Inspected the |