The Dutch Shoe Mystery
- Автор: Куин (Квин) Эллери
- Серия: Ellery Queen #3
- Год: 1931
- Язык: английский
- Год: Frederick A. Stokes
- Жанр: Классические детективы
Электронная книга - «The Dutch Shoe Mystery». Краткое содержание книги:
Inspector Queen gazed earnestly at the little man, with a sort of unwilling admiration. He spoke without turning his head, spoke almost casually. “Search Dr. Janney’s office, Thomas.”
Velie lumbered out of the room, taking a detective with him...
Ellery was frowning. He unrolled his lean length from the chair. He spoke in low tones to the Inspector. The old man waggled his head doubtfully.
“Dr. Janney.” Ellery’s voice was low. The surgeon stood limply against the wall, staring at the floor. His face was dark with blood and he breathed in heavy, uneven pants. “Dr. Janney, I’m frightfully sorry this occurred. You gave us no choice... We are trying, really trying, to see your point of view... Doctor, hasn’t it struck you that if Swanson, whom you mask so valiantly, is as good a friend of yours as you are of his he will want to step forward and substantiate your story? No matter how unfortunate he is... Don’t you see?”
“I’m sorry...” Janney spoke in so hoarse a tone that Ellery cocked his head sharply to catch the words. But defiance had fled. The doctor seemed utterly spent.
“I see.” Ellery was grave. “Then there is only one thing more to ask. I can see no way of forcing you to reply... Dr. Janney, did either you or Swanson leave your office even for a moment, between the time you entered and the time you said good-by to each other?”
“No.” And Janney raised his head to look full into Ellery’s eyes.
“Thank you.” Ellery stepped back and sat down again. He brought out a cigarette and lighted it, puffing thoughtfully.
Inspector Queen sent a detective off with a curt command. A moment later the man returned with Isaac Cobb. The doorman entered confidently, his red face shining.
“Cobb,” began the Inspector without preliminary, “you said before that you saw Dr. Janney’s visitor both when he entered the Hospital and left it. Describe him to me.”
“Oh, sure!” Cobb beamed. “I never forget a face, sir... Yes, sir. This feller was just about middlin’ in height sort of blond, I’d say, clean-shaved, and he was rigged out in kind of dark clothes. Wore a black overcoat anyway.”
“Did you get the idea,” put in Ellery instantly, “that he was well off, Cobb — I mean from the way he dressed?”
“Cripes no!” The doorman was emphatic, shaking his head vigorously. “Looked down at th’ heel, I’d say... Yeah, an’ he must have been — oh, I’d say thirty-four, five or somewhere thereabouts.”
“How long have you been here, Cobb?” asked Ellery.
“Mighty nigh onto ten years.”
The Inspector said coolly, “And have you ever seen this man Swanson before, Cobb?”
The doorman did not reply at once. “We-e-ell,” he said finally, “seems t’me he looked kinda familiar but — I dunno.”
“Mmm!” Inspector Queen took a pinch of snuff. “Cobb,” he wheezed as the snuff flew up his nostrils, “what was this man’s first name? You know it!” he added sharply, slapping, his snuff-box away into his pocket “You brought Dr. Janney his card!”
The doorman looked frightened. “Why, I... I dunno. I didn’t look at it — just handed it over t’ Dr. Janney.”
“Cobb, my dear fellow,” interposed Ellery lazily, “this is remarkable! You don’t accept honorariums, and you aren’t inquisitive. It simply baffles me!”
“You mean to tell me,” demanded the Inspector threateningly, “that when this man gave you his card, you walked all the way down the corridor to find Dr. Janney and didn’t even look at it once?”
“I... no... no, sir.” Cobb was frankly scared.
“Rubbish!” muttered the Inspector, turning his back. “The man’s a fool. Get out, Cobb!”
Mutely, Cobb slunk away. Sergeant Velie, who had slipped into the room while Cobb was being questioned, came quietly forward.
“Well, Thomas.” The Inspector was clearly not sanguine of his sergeant’s report. He looked at Velie almost grumpily. Ellery stole a glance at Dr. Janney. The surgeon seemed unconcerned, wrapped in thought
“Wasn’t there.”
“Ha!” The Inspector stalked slowly to Dr. Janney. “What did you do with that card? Answer me!” he thundered.
Janney spoke wearily. “I burned it,” he said.
“Very well!” growled the Inspector. “Thomas!”
“Right.”
“Start the wheels moving. I want this man Swanson at headquarters by tonight. Medium height, fair, dark clothes, shabby, about thirty-five, and in poor circumstances. Get busy!”
Ellery sighed. “Velie.” The detective halted on his way to the door. “Just a moment...” Ellery turned to Dr. Janney. “Doctor, have you any objection to showing me your check-book?”
Janney jerked convulsively; anger mounted to his eyes once more. But when he spoke it was with the same deadly fatigue. “Not at all.” He brought out a folded check-book from his hip-pocket, handed it without another word to Ellery.
Ellery turned rapidly to the first leaf on which a check appeared. To the left was a memorandum-page. The last notation read: CASH.
“Ah!” Ellery smiled, returned the book to Janney, who, without moving a muscle of his face restored it to his pocket. “Velie, get that check. Your first stop might be the Bank of the Netherlands. Then the clearing-house. The check-number is 1186, made out to Cash for fifty dollars, dated to-day, on Dr. Janney’s personal account. You’ll have Swanson’s signature, at any rate.”
“One thing more!” Ellery’s voice rang out like a bell. “When you examined Dr. Janney’s office, did you look in his personal address-book for a ‘Swanson’?”
A wintry smile flickered over Velie’s lips. “Sure did. And nothing doing. Nobody by that name. Wasn’t listed on a personal telephone list under the glass top of the doctor’s desk, either. That all?”
“Quite.”
“Look here.” The Inspector stalked over to Janney. “There’s no necessity for you to be standing, Doctor,” he said in a kinder tone. “Why don’t you sit down...” The surgeon looked up in dull surprise. “For,” continued the old man grimly, “we’ll be here for some time yet...”
Janney sank into a chair. There was silence until a tattoo on the West Corridor door brought a detective across the room to open it.
Detective Ritter burst into the Anteroom, bearing a large shapeless white bundle under his arm. Behind him, more sedately, came Johnson and Hesse, both grinning.
Inspector Queen lunged forward. Ellery rose, took an eager step. Janney’s head was sunk on his breast; he seemed asleep.
“What’s this?” cried the Inspector, snatching at the bundle.
“The duds, Chief!” shouted Ritter. “We found the murderin’ crook’s duds!”
Inspector Queen spread the contents of the bundle on the wheel-table from which Abigail Doorn’s lifeless body had been taken. “At last we’ve something to go on,” he muttered. He looked up quickly at Ellery, glee in his eyes.
Ellery bent over the table, prodded the bundle with his long white finger. “More fuel, more fire!” he murmured, and glanced slyly at the chair in which Dr. Janney was now sitting alertly, craning his neck to see what was on the table.
“What are you mumbling about?” demanded the Inspector, busy prodding the clothes.
“Ashes,” said Ellery enigmatically.
Chapter Ten
Manifestation
They crowded around the wheel-table, heads cocked over and watched Inspector Queen separate the various articles composing the bundle.
Dr. Janney made an impatient gesture. He half-rose, sank back into his chair, raised himself again. Then curiosity, it seemed, mastered him. He sidled toward the table, peered over the shoulders of two detectives.