Show eke NN ir vw t CASIE alp ilp 5 C E SYNOPSIS palillo vance expert in solving crime mysteries Is called in to investigate vesti gate the supposed suicide of archer coo coe district attorney markham and vance go eo to coes house they find wrede a friend ol of coss coes there also a signor signer grassl grassi a guest the door of the death chamber Is bolted from rom the inside they force it COO coe Is 13 clothed in a dressing gown but we wears are street shoes vance says it Is murder the medical examiner finds evidences of 0 0 crime he says coo coe had been dead tor for hours when the tha bullet entered his head A small wound Is found which had bled internally it Is proved that coe was fully dressed when ho he was stabbed they find a wounded scotch terrier vance takes tho the dog doe to a veterinarian declaring the animal should prove an important connecting link gamble says brisbane coo coe archers brother lett left tor for chicago the pro previous alous afternoon CHAPTER ill III continued 6 vance was silent for a moment there was the suggestion of a frown on his forehead and I 1 knew that something was troubling him without change of expression he put an apparently irrelevant question to gamble did you by any chance see mr archer coe after you returned to the house last night no I 1 see him sir there was a slight hesitancy in the reply and vance looked toward the man quickly come come gamble he admonished severely on your mind well sir its really nothing but when I 1 went up to bed I 1 noticed that the library doors were open and that the lights were on I 1 thought of course that mr archer was still in the library and then I 1 noticed the light in mr archers bedroom liere here through the keyhole and I 1 took it for granted that he had retired so I 1 went back to the library and turned out the lights and shut the doors you heard no sound in here no ano sir vance yawned dawned mildly by y the by theres a question I 1 forgot to ask did mr brisbane coe take a walking stick with him when he set forth for chicago yes sir air ue he never goes anywhere without a stick lies iles subject to rheumatism so lies hes told me a score of times and what kind of stick did he take with him ills his ivory headed stick sir air its his bis favorite the one alth a crooked handle and the carvings yes sir air youre quite sure are you that he be took this particular stick with him to chicago rosi positive tive I 1 handed it to him myself at the door of the taxicab vance kept his bis eyes on the man and stood up ile he walked sery ery deliberately libera tely to where gamble sat and looked down at him searchingly gamble lie spoke pointedly did you ou see mr B brisbane coe in this house after you returned last night the butler went white and his lips began to tremble the question was so unexpected that even I 1 received a distinct shock from it markharo half rose in his chair and heath froze into a startled attitude ills his cigar half raised to his lips gamble cringed beneath vances steady gaze no sir no sir air lie he cried honest to god I 1 I 1 I 1 would have told you it if I 1 had vance shrugged and turned away still he be was here last night back of that remark markharo markham demanded how do you know brisbane coe was here last night very simple his ivory headid stick Is hanging oica ocr the back or of one of the chairs in the lower hall ball CHAPTER IV the missing man and the ting yao vase was a momentary tense silence vances statement with wilh the hie possibilities it suggested threw a pall of vague horror over all of us unsteadily gamble rose and bracing himself with one hand on tile the bak of ills his chair glared at vance like a man abo had seen a malignant mail specter you are sure you saw the stick sir he stammered with ft a hideous contortion of the face 1 I see sec it and mr brisbane never hangs his stick the hall chair ile he nl at 1 ways puts it in the umbrella stand maybe some one else wl who but sir mr brisbane himsel would bring that stick back to th the house and ban hang it over a chair in the hall 7 but mr vance sir the man persisted in an awed tone lone he once reprimanded me for hanging it over a chair he said it might fall and get broken why sir should he hang it over the chair less noisy perhaps than chucking it into a brass umbrella holder marcham was leaning over the desk scowling at vance what do you mean by that he demanded vance lifted his eyes slowly and let them rest on the district attorney 11 1 I opine my dear markham he said slowly that brother brisbane want anyone to hear him when he returned here last night he started for chicago on a night when he be knew no one but archer would be home and then he missed his train iraln to speak euphemistically ue he returned to the house with his stick slick and heres his stick but no brisbane and archer the sole occupant of this cultured domicile last night has gone to his maker in most outlandish ras fashion hion good G d vancel vance 1 Mark markham bani sank back in his chair you dont mean that brisbane tut iut antl tut there you go jumping at conclusions again 11 vance began walking up and down his hands sunk deep in his coat pockets 1 I can understand Bris banes presence here last night he murmured as if 1 to himself but I 1 cant understand the presence of his stick here tills this mornin morning its very curious it fit into the picture even if lie he had not taken the lake shore limited to chicago there were other trains later on how do you know the bird take another train that is supposing hed missed the lake shore limited by the stick in the lower hall sergeant a guy forget ills his stick not brisbane coe and certainly not in the circumstances 11 what circumstances cut in markham what I 1 dont know exactly 11 vance made a wry face but I 1 begin to see a method in all this seeming madness and that stick downstairs stands out like some terrible and accusing error ile he stopped abruptly and suddenly swinging about went toward the door ill be back in a minute theres a possibility lie he passed swiftly into the hall ball presently he returned to the room smoking abstractedly ills face was vias crestfallen iles hes not there he announced 1 I thought brisbane might be in his room but the alie shades are up and the bed been slept in and the lights are out lie ile sat down wearily ills rooms empty the sergeant planted himself in front of vance look here mr vance even if he did miss the lake shore limited lies probably on his way to chicago anybody might forget a stick ills his suitcase aint here vance leaped to ills his feet the suitcase III it what w would lie he have done with the suitcase if lie he had riot not taken the early train and had intended to go on to chicago later 1 hed have checked it in the station he be exactly I 1 vance wheeled to gamble describe that suitcase it was just an ordinary case s sir ar the man replied in a dazed tone black sealskin feather lined with rounded corners and the initials 13 C in gold old letters over one end vance turned back to heath can you check on that in the parcel room at the station sergeant its important sure I 1 can lie he bech beckoned oDed with a jerk of the heal head got the dope the detective grinned 11 II 1 yes lie he rumbled A cinch then hop to it ordered heath and phone me pronto slake make it snappy disappeared where do you think brisbane ioe fits fita into this afra affair lr Slark amirkham bani asked vance 1 I 1 dont know im not lot sure but many strange things happened here last night certain plans went awry events overlapped one an nothing happened on ached I 1 ile I 1 e 11 but brisbane coe persisted larkham lark bam there has always been bad good between archer and bals lane ane for some isome reason ive never understood inder stood it by the by lake nuli mild enlighten us while were balling alting vi for snit kins call I 1 say gamble ask ash the young lady to be good enough to join us here the butler went out and five minutes later hilda lake came swinging into the room sorry to haiie hae kept you waiting and nil all the usual amenities she said sitting down and crossing her knees but I 1 quite fin dished doffing my golf togs when the far from admirable crichton summoned me die anyway I 1 should be furious with you why was I 1 denied my mullins muffins and tea vance laughed weve been using gamble a bit intensively gamble take tea and muffins to miss lakes quarters the man who had been standing in the door W bowed and disep feared and vance turned pleasantly back bach to hiss late lake by the I 1 time your breakfast Is ready we will let you return to your rooms then he added with a serious mien there are a few questions wed like you to answer what was the cause of the animosity between archer and brisbane coe oh ob that A cynical smile curled her lips money honey nothing else old major coe left everything to uncle archer uncle brisbane had only an allowance until archer should die then the money was to go to him the situation nat aurally irked him and he got pretty nasty about it at times it amused me no end I 1 was in the same predicament di the fact Is ive been tempted to make an alliance with uncle brisbane for the purpose of murdering uncle archer together we could have got away with it dont you think im sure you could even alone and now some one has killed uncle archer for you im sure its my reward for virtue though her tone was hard there was on an undercurrent of bitter passion in it or perhaps she added uncle brisbane went ahead on his own that might bear looking into smiled vance the only difficulty di is that gamble tells us mr brisbane hopped to chicago it at five thirty last evening that mean anything an thing uncle brisbane has dabbled enough a 4 1 f V f A cynical smile curled her lips money nothing else in criminology to prepare a perfect alibi in the event he himself contemplated tem plated a flutter in crime what takes him on these periodical trips to chicago vanco vance asked hilda lake shrugged heaven knows ile he never mentioned the matter to me and I 1 never asked she leaned forward perhaps its a lady she exclaimed in a taunting tone it lie he told anyone that person was uncle archer and im afraid its too late to get any information from that quarter now yes a bit too late agreed vance cut but let us suppose that after mr air brisbane announced his intention of 0 going to chicago last evening he be remained in new york all night what would you say to that hilda lake scrutinized vanee vance shrewdly for a time before replying then she answered gravely in that case you may ellmin eliminate at e uncle brisbane as a suspect iles hes much too smooth and canny to leave any such loopholes it K tie lie planned a murder im sure hed arrange it so as to escape detection at tills this moment gamble passed the door on his way upstairs with a small covered serving tray in hla his hands vance stood up ahl ah there are arc your muffins miss lake I 1 shant keep iou any longer thanks awfully ohp rose an and 1 I wont cut quickly from the room vance stood at the door until gamble returned from the third floor door and ordered him to wait in the lower loer hall when the man had gone below lie ile glanced at his watch and strolled back into the room id rather not go on till we ne hear bear from in do you yon mind waiting Markha ml have it your own way markham grumbled hut but I 1 cant see the importance of the suitcase theres small probability it seems to me of its being nt at the station and in the event it there we ne will he be no hotter better off than we ie are arc now on the other hand vance re turned if it Is at alk the station we ue may m ay iy conclude that brisbane did not go to chicago last night rut put im quite sure he intended to go g and it if he go something unexpected kept him here cut but his being la in new york connect him with archer coes murder certainly not but markham that last minute decision of 0 Bris banes to get out of town had some connection ith archers death im sure of that thal lie ile knew something or feared something or perhaps but anyway he intended to go to chicago 0 o last night and ana maybe he did go but I 1 want to be sure the phone rang heath answered it and after listening for several minutes replaced the receiver on the hook the suitcase Is there nil all right lie he announced the bird at the window says a middle ac ged aged nervous guy checked it around six last saying hed missed his train and he was shaking so he could hardly lift the bag to the counter vance nodded slowly 1 I was afraid of that and yet I 1 was hoping it so markham I 1 dont like tills this situation I 1 dont at all like it something unforeseen has happened unforeseen and sinister it on the cards brisbane coe intended to go to chicago last night and he go some terrible thing stopped him and something stopped archer coe before he be could change his shoes dont you see what I 1 I 1 mean those shoes of archers and nd that stick of Bris banes that stick I 1 in a the front hall I 1 it have been there oh my precious aunt I 1 he threw his cigarette into a tray and hurried toward the door come markham come sergeant theres something hideous la in this house and I 1 dont want to so go alone As he spoke he ran down the stairs markham and heath and I 1 fV following owIng when he had reached the lower hall he be pulled the por fieres aside and opened the library door lie ile looked round him an and then passed into tile the dining room after several minutes search he returned to to the hall claibe the den he said and hurrying hurr jing through the drawing room where wrede and grassi grass sat near the window he went into the small room at the rear but lie he came back at once a bewildered look in his eyes not there ills tone was unnatural but hes somewhere some where he came again into the front hall lie ile be on the third floor and hes not on the second theres ills stick he said but his hat and topcoat oh what a fool ive been I 1 ile he brushed gamble out ot of his way and walked swiftly down the narrow corridor along the stairs until he came to the closet door at the rear of the hall your flashlight sergeant lie he called over his shoulder he pulled the door open revealing only a great rectangle of blackness almost simultaneously the circle of yellow light it from heaths deaths pocket flashlight penetrated the gloom lower Serge sergeant antl came vane vances e s dictatorial voice the floor the floor I 1 the light descended and there in a huddled heap his glassy eyes staring up at us lay the dead body of brisbane coe though the sight was not altogether unexpected in view of vances strange actions and even stranger comments I 1 received a tremendous shock as I 1 gazed down into the closet even to an amateur like myself the fact that brisbane coe was dead was apparent the stiff unnatural pose of the body and the hideous fixity floity of his gaze together avith the drawn bloodless lips and the waxen pallor of ills his skin attested to violent and unexpected death and as I 1 looked at it temporarily petrified by the horror of tills this new development I 1 could not cot help comparing the dead body of brisbane with that of archer whereas archer had died with a peaceful expression pres slon on ills his face and in a natural and comfortable position brisbane had a shocked almost wild look in ills his eyes a as a if lie he had been startled and frightened at the moment of death vance spoke all and his voice usually so calm sounded strained and unnatural its worse than I 1 thought I 1 had hoped be might still be alive a prisoner perhaps I 1 altogether expect this vance closed the closet door its very strange be murmured looking at markham yet past him he Is without his hat and topcoat and yet ills his stick Is hanging here in the hall and ho he Is dead in the closet why not in his own room or the library or anywhere else but in there nothing its fits markham the whole picture has been |