Show P the 0 U ka ri A U C by so s VAN M DIRE DI h is S S N an D no sv ce cc SYNOPSIS philo vance famous detective and john F X markham d strict attorney for new york county are d ning in vance a apart ment when vance receives an anonymous telephone message informing worming him O 0 at f a dis curbing psychological tension at professor ephriam gardens garden a apartment advising that he read up on rad 0 active sod um consult a passage in the aane d and coun seang sel ng that equanimity Is essential pro fessor garden Is famous in chemical re search earch the message decoded by vance reminds him that professor garden gardens s son floyd and his puny cousin swift are addicted to horse racing vance says that equanimity is a horse running next day in the Ri vermont handicap vance Is convinced that the message was sent by dr siefert the gardens family physician he arranges to have lunch next day at the gardens penthouse vance is greeted by floyd garden and meets lowe hammie an elderly follower of horse racing floyd ex presses concern over swift s queer actions mrs garden supposedly ill comes down stairs and places a bet on a horse gathered around an elaborate loud speaker service listening to the racing are cecil kroon madge weatherby and zaila zalfa graem who bet varying amounts on the race there Is tension under the surface gaiety zaila zalia and swift are not on speaking terms kroon leaves to keep an appointment be fore the race starts miss beeton becton a nurse and vance bet on azure star swift reck lessly bets 10 on equanimity and goes to the root roof garden to hear the results floyd follows swift remaining away sev eral minutes kroon leaves to keep an ap before the race starts zai zal a an ewers a telephone call in the den A short time after the announcement that azure star wins the guests hear a shot vance finds swift dead shot through the head with a revolver nearby he ile says swift has been murdered after calling the police he finds the door of a vault ajar CHAPTER IV continued g nol kroon sucked in his breath with a whistling sound and his eyes slowly contracted I 1 so he shot him self did he vance s eyebrows went up slight sligh t ly IY that s the general impression op he returned blandly you re not psychic are you youa I 1 didn dian t mention how swift died but the fact is he did die by a revolver shot super filially fici ally I 1 admit it looks like sui sul cide vance smiled coldly your reaction is most interests why for instance did you assume that he shot himself instead of let us say jumping off the roof kroon set his mouth in a straight line and a look of anger came into his narrowed eyes he fumbled in his pocket for a cigarette and fi 11 nally stammered 1 I don t know exactly ex capt that most people shoot them selves nowadays I 1 oh quite vance s lips were still set in a stern stem smile not an uncommon way of assisting oneself out of this troublous world but really y know I 1 didn dian t mention suicide at all why do you take it for granted that his death was self inflicted kroon became aggressive I 1 he was healthy enough when I 1 left here no ones one s going to blow a man s brains out in public like this blow his brains out vance re heated I 1 how do you know he wasn gasn t shot through the hear heart kroon was now obviously flus I 1 I 1 merely assumed 19 vance interrupted the man s em barras however he said without re labing axing his calculating scrutiny your academic conclusions regard ing a more or less public murder are not without some logic but the fact remains some one did actu ally shoot swift through the head and practically in public I 1 could bear to know just where you ve been and just when you returned to the apartment house here kroon s gaze wandered 1 I believe I 1 remarked before I 1 went out he said with an attempt at serenity that I 1 was going to a relative relatives s to sign some silly legal documents I 1 and may I 1 have the name and address of your relative an aunt I 1 believe you salda vance re quested pleasantly 1 I m in charge of the situation here until the dais arrive kroon took the cigarette from his mouth with a forced air of non haughtily and drew himself up I 1 I 1 cannot see he replied stiff ly that that information concerns any one but myself neither can I 1 admitted vance cheerfully I 1 was merely hopin ifor for frankness but I 1 can assure you in view of what has happened here this afternoon that the police will want to know exactly when you returned from your mysterious sign ing of documents and now I 1 must ask you to join the others in the drawing room and to wait there un til the police arrive I 1 trust you no objections to I 1 none whatever I 1 assure you kroon returned with a display ol 01 cynical amusement the regular police will be a relief after this amateur hocus when kroon had disappeared into the drawing room vance went im mediately to the front door opened it quietly and walking down the narrow public corridor pressed the elevator button A few moments later the sliding door opened and a dark thin intelligent looking boy of perhaps twenty two in a light blue uniform looked out enquiringly going down he said respect fully I 1 iri zil not going down vance re plied I 1 merely wanted to ask you a question or two I 1 in more or less connected with the district at torney s office I 1 know you mr vance the boy nodded alertly A little matter has come up this afternoon vance said and I 1 think you may be able to help me III tell you vou anything I 1 know agreed the boy excellent do you know a mr kroon who visits the garden apart ment the gentleman is blond and has a mustache sure I 1 know him the boy re turned promptly he comes up here nearly every afternoon I 1 brought him up today about what time was that two or three 0 clock I 1 guess the boy frowned isn t he in there vance answered the question by asking another have you been on the car all afternoon sure I 1 have since noon I 1 don t get relieved till seven 0 clock and you haven t seen mr kroon since you brought him up here early this afternoon the boy shook his head no sir I 1 haven t many thanks he said that s all I 1 wanted to know the boy pocketed the money and released the door as we turned back to the apartment when we re entered the front hall the nurse was standing in the door way of the bedroom at the right of the entrance there was a worried inquisitive look in her eyes vance closed the door softly and was about to start up the hall but he hesitated and turned toward the girl you look troubled miss beeton he said kindly but after all you should be accustomed to death I 1 am accustomed to it she an in a low voice but this is so different it came so suddenly without any warning although she added mr swift al ways impressed me as more or less the suicidal lype type vance looked at the nurse ap your impression may IIII I 1 say stop this nonsense I 1 he ile admonished her sternly have been correct he said but it happens that swift did not corn com mit suicide the nurse s eyes opened wide her face paled perceptibly you mean someone shot him her words were barely audible but who who we don t know vance s voice was matter of fact but we must find that out would you like to help me miss she drew herself up her fea tures relaxed and she was once more the unperturbed and efficient nurse I 1 d be very glad to I 1 then I 1 would like you to stand guard as it were he said with a faint friendly smile I 1 I 1 want to talk to mr garden and I 1 don t want anyone to go upstairs would you mind taking your post in this chair and notifying me immediately if anyone should attempt to go up upa I 1 that s so little to ask the girl replied as she seated herself in a chair at the foot of the stairs vance thanked her and proceeded to the den inside garden and zaha zalia graem were sitting close together on a tapestry davenport and talking in low confidential tones an in distinct murmur of voices from be yond the archway indicated that the other members of the group were in the drawing room I 1 I 1 ve called the district attorney and he has notified the police they should be here any minute now in the meantime I 1 d like to see you alone he turned his head to miss graem and added I 1 hope you won t mind the girl stood up and arched her eyebrows pray don t consider me she replied you may be as ous as you wish garden rebuked her peevishly never mind the hauteur zaha zalia then he turned to vance why didn dian t you ring the buzzer for mea I 1 would have come up I 1 purpose ly stayed here in the den because I 1 thought you might be wanting me I 1 did ring don t y know vance told him twice in fact but as you didn dian t come up I 1 came down there was no signal here garden assured him and I 1 ve been right here ever since I 1 came down stairs I 1 can vouch for that put in miss graem I 1 m dashed grateful for the cor vance murmured are you sure you pressed the button garden asked vance it s damned funny that system chasn t failed in six years wait a minute going to the door he called sneed go upstairs to the study sneed garden ordered and push the buzzer button the buzzer is out of order sir the butler told him imperturbably I 1 ve already notified the telephone company when did you know about it garden demanded angrily the nurse who had heard the con left her chair and came to the doorway I 1 I 1 discovered this afternoon that the buzzer wasn gasn t working she explained so I 1 told sneed about it and suggested that he notify the telephone company oh I 1 see thank you miss bee ton garden turned back to vance shall we go upstairs nowa now miss graem who had been look mg ing on with a cynical and somewhat amused expression started from the room why go upstairs she asked ill fade into the drawing room and you can talk to your heart hearts content right here vance studied the girl for a few seconds and then bowed slightly thank you he said that will be much better he stood aside as she strolled leisurely into the hall and closed the door after her vance dropped his cigarette into a small ash tray on the before the davenport and moving swiftly to the door reopened it from where I 1 stood in the den I 1 could see that miss graem instead of going toward the drawing room was walking rapidly in the opposite direction just a moment miss graem 1 vance s voice was peremptory please wait in the drawing room no one is to go upstairs just now she swung about and why not her face was flushed with anger and her jaw aw protruded with defiance I 1 have a right to go up op she proclaimed spiritedly vance said nothing but shook his head in negation his eyes holding hers she returned his look but could not resist the power of his scrutiny slowly she came back toward him A sudden change seemed to have come over her her eyes dimmed and tears sprang into them but you don t understand she protested in a broken voice 1 I m to blame for this tragedy it wasn gasn t the race if it hadn haan t been for me woody would be alive now I 1 I 1 feel terrible about it and I 1 wanted to go upstairs to see him lum vance put his hand on the girls girl shoulder really he said softly there s nothing to indicate that you re to blame zaha zalia graem looked up at vance searchingly then what floyd has been try ir arf ft to tell me is true that woody didn dian t shoot himself quite true said vance the girl drew a deep breath and her lips trembled she took a quick impulsive step toward vance and resting her head against his arm burst into tears vance placed his hands on her arms and held her away from him I 1 say stop this nonsense he admonished her sternly and don t try to be so deuced clever run along to the tb drawing room soon Ms M s garden came through the archway with a look of resentful determination and strode aggressively gres down the hall I 1 zaha zalia has just told me she sad angrily that you forbade her to go upstairs it s an out outrage ragel but surely I 1 may go up this is my house remember you have no right whatever to prevent me from spending these last minutes with my nephew vance turned to confront her there was a pained look on his face but his eyes were cold and stern I 1 have every right madam ha he said the situation is a most sen seri ous one and if you will not accept that fact it will be necess ry for me to assume sufficient authority to compel you to do so the woman raised her eyebrows shrugged her shoulders and turn ing mg indifferently went back up the hall frightfully sorry vance apologized garden the mater is a dowager not ac customer cus tomed to taking orders and she resents it shed she d probably have spent the day in bed if doc doe siefert hadn haan t firmly told her not to get up that s quite all right vance spoke indifferently then he came quickly to the den door have our little chat eh 1 T stood aside for garden to e room then he followed a the door TO BF cal i |