| Show the 0 CASE by S SVAN DINE copyright S S van D no cc CM CHAPTER VI continued 10 yes yes so I 1 understand and 1 I want to hear more about this af fair air the tension in his voice was patent floyd told me that s death had all the appearance of sui cide but that you do not accept that conclusion would it be asking too much if I 1 requested further de tails with regard r gard to your attitude in this respect 9 there can be no doubt sir vance returned quietly that your nephew was murdered there are too many indications that contra diet the theory of suicide but it would be inadvisable as well as unnecessary to go into details at the moment our investigation has just begun by the by doctor may I 1 ask what detained you this after noon I 1 gathered from your son that you usually return home long before this time on saturdays of course you may the man replied with seeming frankness but there was a startled look in his eyes as he gazed at vance I 1 had some obscure data to look up before I 1 could continue with an ex peri pendent ment I 1 in making and I 1 thought today would be an excellent time to do it since I 1 close the laboratory and let my assistants go on satur day afternoons I 1 and where were you doctor vance went on between the tune you left the laborati ry and the time of your arrival herec to be quite specific professor garden answered I 1 left th uni hersity at about two and went to the public library where I 1 remained until half an hour ago then I 1 took a cab and came directly home you went to the library alone asked vance naturally I 1 went alone the pro fessor lessor answered tartly I 1 don t take assistants with me when I 1 have research work to do I 1 my dear doctor said vance placa tingly A serious crime has been committed in your home and it is essential that we know as a matter of routine the whereabouts of the various persons in any way connected with the unfortunate situ aaion I 1 see what you mean 1 I am glad you appreciate our difficulties vance said I 1 and I 1 trust you will be equally consid crate erate when I 1 ask you just what was the relationship between you and your nephew the man turned slowly and leaned against the broad sill I 1 we were very close he an without hesitation or resent ment I 1 both my wife and I 1 have regarded almost as a son since his parents died he was not a strong person morally and he needed both spiritual and material assistance perhaps because of this fundamental weakness in his na ture turee we have been more lenient with him than with our own son CHAPTER VII vance nodded with understanding that being the case I 1 presume that you and mrs garden have provided for young swift in your wills I 1 that is true professor gar den answered after a slight pause we have as a matter of fact made and our son equal beneficiaries has your son asked vance any income of his own owna none whatever the professor told him he has made a little money here and there on various enterprises largely connected with sports but he is entirely dependent on the allowance my wife and I 1 give him it s a very liberal one too liberal perhaps judged by con vent ional standards but I 1 see no reason not to indulge the boy it isn t his fault that he chasn t the temperament for a professional ca reer and has no flair for business A very liberal attitude doctor vance murmured especially for one who is himself so wholehearted ly devoted to the more serious things of life as you are but what of swift did he have an in dependent income his fath father r the professor ex left him a very comfort able amount but I 1 imagine he squandered t it or gambled most of it go away I 1 there s one more question vance continued that I 1 d like to ask you in connection with your will and mrs garden s were your son and nephew aware of the dispo of the estate I 1 I 1 couldn coulden t say it s quite ble they were neither mrs gar den I 1 have regarded th subject as a secret but what may I 1 ask professor garden gave varce vat ce a puzzled look has this to the t e present terrible t i remo s 1 idea vance admitted frankly I 1 m merely round in the dark in the hope of findan some small ray of light hennessey the detective whom H ath had ordered to remain on guard below came lumbering up the passageway to the study there s a guy downstairs sergeant he reported who says he s from the telephone company and has got to fix a bell or so methin ha he s fussed around downstairs and couldn coulden t find anything wrong there heath shrugged and looked in quinn quirin gly at vance it s quite all right hennessey vance told the detective let him come up hennessey saluta halfheartedly half heartedly and went out you know markham vance said I 1 wish this infernal buzzer hadn haan t gone out of order at just this time I 1 abominate colci dences do you mean professor gar den interrupted I 1 that inter comma ni cating buzzer between here and the den downstairs 7 it was working all right this morning sneed summoned me to breakfast with it as usual yes yes nodded vance that s just it it evidently ceased functioning after you had gone out the nurse discovered it and report ed it to sneed who called up the telephone company it s not of any importance the professor returned with a lacka dai gesture of his hand I 1 it s a convenience howver and saves many trips up and down the stairs we may as well let the man attend to it since he s here it won t disturb us vance stoic up and I 1 say doctor would you mind joining the others downstairs we 11 be down presently too I 1 the professor inclined his head in silent acquiescence and without a word went from the room presently a tall pale youthful man appeared at the door to the A ri 11 aj AA 5 1 0 t his eyes peering cautiously into the garden study he carried a small black tool kit I 1 was sent here to look over a buzzer he announced with surly indifference I 1 didn dian t find the trou brou ble downstairs maybe the difficulty is at this end suggested vance there s the buzzer behind the desk the man went over to it opened his case of tools and taking out a flashlight and a small screwdriver screw driver removed the outer shell of the box fingering the connecting wires for a moment he looked up at vance with an expression of cont contempt ampt you can t expect the buzzer to work when the wires am ain t connect ed he commented vance became suddenly interest ed adjusting his monocle he knelt down and looked at the box I 1 they re both disconnected eh what he remarked sure they are the man grum bled and it don t look to me like they worked rhems themselves alves loose either you think they were deliberately disconnected asked vance well it looks that way the man was busy reconnecting the wires both screws are loose and the wires aren t bent they look like they been pulled out that s most interesting inte vance stood up and rr returned turned the monocle to his pocket meditatively it might be of course but I 1 can t see why anyone should have done it sor ry for your trouble oh that a all in the day s work the man muttered readjusting the cover of the box I 1 wish all my jobs were as easy as this one aft er a few moments he stood up I 1 lets let s see if the buzzer will work now any one downstairs who 11 U answer if I 1 press this I 1 U take care of that heath in ter posed and turned to hop down to th den and if you hear the buzzer down there ring back hurried out and a few moments later when the button was pressed there came two short answering signals its it s all right now the repair man said packing up his tools and going toward the door so long and h disappeared down the pas gageway vance smoked for a moment in silence looking down at the floor I 1 don t know markham it s mystify in but I 1 have a fotion that the same person who fired the sl ot we heard disconnected those wires suddenly he stepped to one side behind the draperies and crouched down his eyes peering out cautious ly into th garden he raised a warning hand to us to keep back out of sight deuced queer he said tensely that gate in the far end of the fence is slowly opening oh my aunt and he swung swiftly into the passageway leading to the th s gar den beckoning to us to follow vance ran past the covered body of swift on the settee and crossed to the garden gate As he reached it ha was confronted by the haughty haught y and majestic figure of madge erby evidently her intention was to step into the garden but she drew back abruptly when she saw us our presence however s seemed emed neither to surprise nor to embarrass her charmin of you to come up miss weatherby said vance but I 1 gave orders that everyone was to remain downstairs I 1 had a right to corn com here she returned drawing herself up with almost regal dignity ah alit I 1 murmured vance yes of course it might be don t y know but would you mind explaining in T 9 not at all I 1 wished to ascertain it if he could have done it and who asked vance is this mysterious h who she repeated throwing her head back sarcastically why cecil groont vance s eyelids drooped and he studied the woman narrowly for a brief moment then he said lightly most interstein int erstin but let that wait a moment how did you get up here that was very simple I 1 pre tended to be faint and told your mm min ion I 1 was going into the butler butlers s pantry to get a drink of water I 1 went out through the pantry door into the public hallway came up the main stairs and out on this terrace I 1 but how did you know that you could reach the gardn by this route I 1 didn dian t know she smiled enig mati cally I 1 was merely recon noite loitering ring I 1 was anxious to prove to myself that cecil kroon could have shot poor woody and are you satisfied that tha t he could havea asked vance qui quietly aly oh yes the woman replied with bitterness beyond a doubt I 1 ve known for a long time that cecil would kill him sooner or later and I 1 was quite certain when you said that woody had been murdered that cecil had done it but I 1 did not understand how he could have gotten up here aft r leaving us this afternoon so I 1 endeavored to find out and why may I 1 ask said vance would mr kroon desire to dispose of swift the woman clasped her hands theatrically atri cally against her breast cecil was jealous frightfully jealous he ass s madly in love with me he has tortured me with his attentions one of her hands went to her forehead in a gesture of desperation there has been nothing I 1 could do and when he learned that I 1 cared for woody he became desperate he threatened me vance s keen regard showed neither the sympathy h tyr hr r pompous re cital called for nor the cynicism which I 1 knew he felt sad very sad he mumbled miss weatherby jerked her head up and her eyes flashed I 1 cam up here to see if it were possible that cecil could hae hare done this thing I 1 came up in the cause of jus justice very accommodate 0 vance s manner had suddenly changed we re most appreciative and all that sort of thing but I 1 must in don t y know that you return downstairs and wait there with tha others and you will be so good as to come through the garden and go down the apartment stairs he was brutally matter of fact as he drew the gate shut and directed the woman to the passageway door sh hesitated a moment and then followed his indicating finger when we were back in the study vance sank into a chair and yawned my word I 1 he complained I 1 the case is difficult enough without these amateur theatricals markham I 1 could see had ben both impressed and puzzled by the incident maybe its it s not all dramatics he suggested the woman made some very definite statements oh yes she would she s the type vance took out his ciga aciga rette case definite statements yes and misleading mis leadin really y know I 1 don t for a moment believe she regards kroon as the culprit I 1 but sh certainly has something on her mind protested markham 70 BE CONTINUED |
