Chapter XXI: The Murderer

(_Saturday, July 14; 10.40 p.m._)

As we entered the drawing-room Brush rose. He was pale and palpably frightened.

“Why are you worried?” Vance asked.

“Suppose, sir, I should be blamed!” the man blurted. “It was I who left the front door open yesterday morning--I wanted to get some fresh air. And then you came and said something had happened to Mr. Kyle. I know I shouldn’t have unlatched the door.” (I realized then why he had acted in so terrified a manner.)

“You may cheer up,” Vance told him. “We know who killed Mr. Kyle, and I can assure you, Brush, that the murderer didn’t come in the front door.”

“Thank you, sir.” The words were like a sigh of relief.

“And now tell Hani to come here. Then you may go to your room.”

Brush had scarcely left us when there was the sound of a key being inserted in the front door. A moment later Doctor Bliss appeared at the entrance to the drawing-room.

“Good-evening, doctor,” Vance greeted him. “I hope we’re not intrudin’. But there are several questions we wish to ask Hani during Mr. Salveter’s absence.”

“I understand,” Bliss returned, with a sad nod. “You know, then, of Salveter’s excursion to Boston.”

“He phoned me and asked if he might go.”

Bliss looked at Vance with heavy, inquisitive eyes.

“His wanting to go north at this time was most unusual,” he said; “but I did not raise any objection. The atmosphere here is very depressing, and I sympathized with his desire to escape from it.”

“What time did he leave the house?” Vance put the question carelessly.

“About nine. I offered to drive him to the station.…”

“At nine, what? And where was he between eight and nine?”

Bliss looked unhappy.

“He was with me in the study. We were going over details regarding the reproductions of Hotepheres’ tomb furniture.”

“Was he with you when Mr. Scarlett arrived?”

“Yes.” Bliss frowned. “Very peculiar, Scarlett’s visit. He evidently wanted to talk to Salveter alone. He acted most mysteriously--treated Salveter with a sort of resentful coldness. But I continued to discuss the object of Salveter’s trip north----”

“Mr. Scarlett waited?”

“Yes. He watched Salveter like a hawk. Then, when Salveter went out, Scarlett went with him.”

“Ah! And you, doctor?” Vance was apparently absorbed in selecting a cigarette from his case.

“I stayed in the study.”

“And that’s the last you saw of either Scarlett or Salveter?”

“Yes.… I went for a walk about half past nine. I looked in the museum on my way out, thinking possibly Scarlett had remained and would join me; but the room was dark. So I strolled down the avenue to Washington Square.…”

“Thank you, doctor.” Vance had lighted his cigarette and was smoking moodily. “We sha’n’t trouble you any more to-night.”

Hani entered the room.

“You wish to see me?” His manner was detached and, I thought, a trifle bored.

“Yes.” Vance indicated a chair facing the table. Then he turned quickly to Bliss who was on the point of going out.

“On second thought, doctor, it may be advisable for us to question you again regarding Mr. Salveter.--Would you mind waiting in the study?”

“Not at all.” Bliss shot him a comprehending glance, and went down the hall. A few moments later we heard the study door close.

Vance gave Hani a curious look, which I did not understand.

“I have something I wish to tell to Mr. Markham,” he said. “Will you be good enough to stand in the hall and see that no one disturbs us?”

Hani rose.

“With pleasure, _effendi_.” And he took his post outside.

Vance closed the folding doors, and coming back to the centre-table, settled himself comfortably.

“You, Markham--and you, Sergeant--were both right yesterday morning when you concluded that Doctor Bliss was guilty of murdering Kyle----”

“Say, listen!” Heath leapt to his feet. “What the hell----!”

“Oh, quite, Sergeant. Please sit down and control yourself.”

“I said he killed him! And you said----”

“My word! Can’t you be tranquil? You’re so upsettin’, Sergeant.” Vance made an exasperated gesture. “I’m aware you remarked inelegantly that Bliss had ‘croaked’ Mr. Kyle. And I trust you have not forgotten that I said to you last night that we often arrive at the same destination at the same time--but from opposite directions.”

“That was what you meant, was it?” Heath resumed his seat surlily. “Then why didn’t you let me arrest him?”

“Because that’s what he wanted you to do.”

“I’m floundering,” Heath wailed. “The world has gone nuts.”

“Just a moment, Sergeant.” Markham spoke peremptorily. “I’m beginning to understand this affair. It’s not insane in the least.--Let Mr. Vance continue.”

Heath started to expostulate, but instead made a grimace of resignation, and began chewing on his cigar.

Vance regarded him sympathetically.

“I knew, Sergeant--or at least I strongly suspected--within five minutes after entering the museum yesterday morning, that Bliss was guilty. Scarlett’s story about the appointment gave me the first clew. Bliss’s telephone call in the presence of every one and his remarks about the new shipment struck me as fitting in perfectly with a preconceived plan. Then, when I saw the various clews, I felt positive they had been planted by Bliss himself. With him it was not only a matter of pointing suspicion to himself, but--on second view--of throwing suspicion on another. Fortunately he overstepped the grounds of plausibility; for had some one else committed the crime, the planted clews would have been less numerous and less obvious. Consequently, I leapt to the conclusion that Bliss had murdered Kyle and had, at the same time, striven to lead us to think that he was the victim of a plot----”

“But, Mr. Vance,” interrupted Heath, “you said----”

“_I did not say one word to give you the definite impression that I exonerated Bliss. Not once did I say he was innocent_.… Think back. You’ll remember I said only that the clews did not ring true--that things were not what they seemed. I knew the clews were traps, set by Bliss to deceive us. And I also knew--as Mr. Markham knew--that if we arrested Bliss on the outward evidence, it would be impossible to convict him.”

Markham nodded thoughtfully.

“Yes, Sergeant. Mr. Vance is quite correct. I can’t recall a single remark of his inconsistent with his belief in Bliss’s guilt.”

“Although I knew Bliss was guilty,” Vance continued, “I didn’t know what his ultimate object was or whom he was trying to involve. I suspected it was Salveter--though it might have been either Scarlett or Hani or Mrs. Bliss. I at once saw the necessity of determining the real victim of his plot. So I pretended to fall in with the obvious situation. I couldn’t let Bliss think that I suspected him,--my only hope lay in pretending that I believed some one else was guilty. But I did avoid the traps set for us. I wanted Bliss to plant other clews against his victim and perhaps give us some workable evidence. That was why I begged you to play a waiting game with me.”

“But what was Bliss’s idea in having himself arrested?” Markham asked. “There was danger in that.”

“Very little. He probably believed that even before an indictment he or his lawyer could persuade you of his innocence and of Salveter’s guilt. Or, if he had been held for trial, he was almost sure of an acquittal, and would then be entirely safe on the caressin’ principle of double jeopardy, or _autrefois acquit_.… No, he was running no great risk. And remember, too, he was playing a big game. Once he had been arrested, he would have felt justified in pointing openly to Salveter as the murderer and plotter. Hence I fought against your arresting him, for _it was the very thing he wanted_. As long as he thought he was free from suspicion, there was no point in his defending himself at Salveter’s expense. And, in order to involve Salveter, he was forced to plant more evidence, to concoct other schemes. And it was on these schemes that I counted for evidence.”

“I’m sunk!” The ashes of Heath’s cigar toppled off and fell over his waistcoat, but he didn’t notice them.

“But, Sergeant, I gave you many warnings. And there was the motive. I’m convinced that Bliss knew there was no more financial help coming from Kyle; and there’s nothing he wouldn’t have done to insure a continuation of his researches. Furthermore, he was intensely jealous of Salveter: he knew Mrs. Bliss loved the young cub.”

“But why,” put in Markham, “did he not merely kill Salveter?”

“Oh, I say! The money was a cardinal factor,--he wanted Meryt-Amen to inherit Kyle’s wealth. His second’ry object was to eliminate Salveter from Meryt-Amen’s heart: he had no reason for killing him. Therefore he planned subtly to disqualify him by making it appear that Salveter not only had murdered his uncle but had tried to send another to the chair for it.”

Vance slowly lighted a fresh cigarette.

“Bliss was killing three birds with one stone. He was making himself a martyr in Meryt-Amen’s eyes; he was eliminating Salveter; he was insuring his wife a fortune with which he could continue his excavations. Few murders have had so powerful a triple motive.… And one of the tragic things is that Mrs. Bliss more than half believed in Salveter’s guilt. She suffered abominably. You recall how she took the attitude that she wanted the murderer brought to justice. And she feared all the time that it was Salveter.…”

“Still and all,” said Heath, “Bliss didn’t seem very anxious to get Salveter mixed up in the affair.”

“Ah, but he was, Sergeant. He was constantly involving Salveter while pretending not to. A feigned reluctance, as it were. He couldn’t be too obvious about it--that would have given his game away.… You remember my question of who had charge of the medical supplies. Bliss stuttered, as if trying to shield some one. Very clever, don’t y’ know.”

“But if you knew this----” Heath began.

“I didn’t know _all_ of it, Sergeant. I knew only that Bliss was guilty. I was not sure that Salveter was the object of his plot. Therefore I had to investigate and learn the truth.”

“Anyhow, I was right in the first place when I said Bliss was guilty,” Heath declared doggedly.

“Of course you were, Sergeant.” Vance spoke almost affectionately. “And I felt deuced bad to have to appear to contradict you.” He rose and, going to Heath, held out his hand. “Will you forgive me?”

“Well… maybe.” Heath’s eyes belied his gruff tone as he grasped Vance’s hand. “Anyhow, I was right!”

Vance grinned and sat down.

“The plot itself was simple,” he continued after a moment. “Bliss phoned Kyle in the presence of every one and made the appointment for eleven. He specifically mentioned the new shipment, and suggested that Kyle should come early. You see, he had decided on the murder--and on the whole plot, in fact--when he made the fatal rendezvous. And he deliberately left the scarab pin on the study desk. After killing Kyle he placed the pin and the financial report near the body. And note, Markham, that Salveter had access to both objects. Moreover, Bliss knew that Salveter was in the habit of going to the museum after breakfast; and he timed Kyle’s appointment so that Salveter and his uncle would probably meet. He sent Salveter to the Metropolitan to get him out of the house while he himself killed Kyle. And he also fixed the statue of Sakhmet so that it would look like a trap. The murderer could easily have come back at any time before we arrived and planted the pin and the report and made the footprints--provided of course Bliss had been asleep with the opium.…”

Heath sat upright and squinted at Vance.

“That trap was only a stall?” he asked indignantly.

“Nothing else, Sergeant. It was set up after the murder, so that even if Salveter had had an alibi, he still could have been guilty. Furthermore, the possibility of Kyle’s having been killed by an absent person was another point in favor of Bliss. Why should Bliss have made a death-trap when he had every opportunity to kill Kyle by direct contact? The trap was merely another counter-clew.”

“But the pencil used in the trap,” interposed Markham. “It was not the kind Salveter used.”

“My dear Markham! Bliss used one of his own pencils for the ‘upright’ in order to create another clew against himself. A man actually planning a death-trap is not going to use his own pencil,--he would use the pencil of the man he was trying to involve. The doctor therefore used his own pencil--_in order to throw suspicion elsewhere_. But the trap did not fool me. It was too fortuitous. A murderer would not have taken such a chance. The falling statue might not have fallen exactly on Kyle’s head. And another thing: a man struck in that fashion is not likely to fall in the position we found Kyle, with his head just beneath the place where the statue struck him, and with his arms stretched out. When I made my experiment, and the statue fell exactly where Kyle’s head had been, I realized how unlikely it was that he had actually been killed by the statue falling.” Vance’s eyes twinkled. “I did not raise the point at the time, for I wanted you to believe in the death-trap.”

“Right again!” Heath slapped his forehead dramatically with his palm. “And I never thought of it!… Sure, I’ll forgive you, Mr. Vance!”

“The truth is, Sergeant, I did everything I could to make you overlook the inconsistency of it. And Mr. Markham didn’t see it either.[*32] As a matter of fact, Kyle was killed while he was looking into the cabinet, by a blow from some one behind him. I have an idea, too, that one of those heavy flint or porphyry maces was used. His body was arranged in the position we found it, and the statue of Sakhmet was then dropped on his skull, obliterating the evidence of the first blow.”

“But suppose,” objected Markham, “you hadn’t seen the loose ring on the curtain?”

“The trap was arranged so that we would discover it. If we had overlooked it, Bliss would have called our attention to it.”

“But the finger-prints----” began Heath, in a kind of daze.

“They were purposely left on the statue. More evidence, d’ ye see, against Bliss. But he had an alibi in reserve. His first explanation was so simple and so specious:--he had moved Sakhmet because it wasn’t quite straight. But the second explanation why there were no other finger-prints on Sakhmet was to come later, after his arrest--to wit, no one had actually wielded the statue: it was a death-trap set by Salveter!”

Vance made an open-handed gesture.

“Bliss covered every clew against himself with a stronger clew pointing to Salveter.… Regard, for instance, the evidence of the footprints. Superficially these pointed to Bliss. But there was the omnipresent counter-clew--namely: he was wearing bedroom slippers yesterday morning, and only one tennis shoe was to be found in the study. The other tennis shoe was in his room, _exactly where he said he had left it the night before_. Bliss simply brought one shoe down-stairs, made the footprints in the blood, and placed the shoe in the waste-basket. He wanted us to find the prints and to discover the shoe. And we did--that is, the Sergeant did. His answer to the footprints, after his arrest, would merely have been that some one who had access to his room had taken one tennis shoe down-stairs and made the tracks to involve him.”

Markham nodded.

“Yes,” he said; “I’d have been inclined to exonerate him, especially after the discovery of opium in his coffee cup.”

“Ah, that opium! The perfect alibi! What jury would have convicted him after the evidence of the opium in his coffee? They would have regarded him as the victim of a plot. And the District Attorney’s office would have come in for much severe criticism.… And how simple the opium episode was! Bliss took the can from the cabinet, extracted what he needed for the ruse, and placed the powder in the bottom of his coffee cup.”

“You didn’t think he had been narcotized?”

“No. I knew he hadn’t. A narcotic contracts the pupils; and Bliss’s were distended with excitement. I knew he was pretending, and that made me suspect I’d find a drug in his coffee.”

“But what about the can?” Heath put the question. “I never did get that can business straight. You sent Hani----”

“Now, Sergeant!” Vance spoke good-naturedly. “I knew where the can was, and I merely wanted to ascertain how much Hani knew.”

“But I see the Sergeant’s point,” Markham put in. “We don’t know that the opium can was in Salveter’s room.”

“Oh, don’t we, now?” Vance turned toward the hall. “Hani!”

The Egyptian opened the sliding door.

“I say;”--Vance looked straight into the man’s eyes--“I’m dashed admirin’ of your deceptive attitude, but we could bear some facts for a change.--Where did you find the opium tin?”

“_Effendi_, there is no longer any need for dissimulation. You are a man of profound wisdom, and I trust you. The tin was hidden in Mr. Salveter’s room.”

“Thanks awfully.” Vance was almost brusque. “And now return to the hall.”

Hani went out and softly closed the door.

“And by not going down to breakfast yesterday morning,” Vance continued, “Bliss knew that his wife and Salveter would be in the breakfast-room alone, and that Salveter might easily have put the opium in the coffee.…”

“But,” asked Markham, “if you knew Bliss put the opium in his own coffee, why all the interest in the samovar?”

“I had to be sure who it was Bliss’s plot was aimed at. He was trying to make it appear that _he_ was the victim of the plot; and since his object was to involve some one else, I knew the real victim would have had to have access to the coffee yesterday morning.”

Heath nodded ponderously.

“That’s easy enough. The old boy was pretending some one had fed him knock-out drops, but if the bird he was aiming at couldn’t have fed him the drops, his plot would have gone blooey.… But look here, Mr. Vance;”--he suddenly remembered something--“what was the idea of the doc’s trying to escape?”

“It was a perfectly logical result of what had gone before,” Vance explained. “After we had refused to arrest him, he began to worry. Y’ see, he yearned to be arrested; and we disappointed him frightfully. Sittin’ in his room, he got to planning. How could he make us re-order his arrest and thus give him the chance to point out all the evidences of Salveter’s heinous plot against him? He decided to attempt an escape. That gesture, he figured, would surely revive suspicion against him. So he simply went out, drew his money openly from the bank, taxied to the Grand Central Station, asked loudly about trains to Montreal, and then stood conspicuously by the gate waiting for the train.… He knew that Guilfoyle was following him; for, had he really intended making his escape, you may rest assured Guilfoyle would never have traced him. You, Sergeant, accepted Bliss’s action at its face value; and I was afraid that his silly disappearance would produce the very result he intended--namely, his re-arrest. That was why I argued against it so passionately.”

Vance leaned back but did not relax. There was a rigid alertness in his attitude.

“And because you did not manacle him, Sergeant,” he continued, “he was forced to take a further step. He had to build up a case against Salveter. So he staged the drama with the dagger. He deliberately sent Salveter to the study to get a memorandum-book in the desk--where the dagger was kept.…”

“And the sheath!” exclaimed Markham.

“Oh, quite. That was the real clew against Salveter. Having put the sheath in Salveter’s room, Bliss suggested to us that we might find the would-be assassin by locating the sheath. I knew where it was the moment he so helpfully mentioned it; so I gave Hani a chance to lie about it.…”

“You mean Hani didn’t find the sheath in the hall?”

“Of course not.”

Vance again called Hani from the hall.

“Where did you find the sheath of the royal dagger?” he asked.

Hani answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“In Mr. Salveter’s room, _effendi_--as you well know.”

Vance nodded.

“And by the by, Hani, has any one approached this door to-night?”

“No, _effendi_. The doctor is still in his study.”

Vance dismissed him with a gesture, and went on:

“Y’ see, Markham, Bliss put the sheath in Salveter’s room, and then threw the dagger into the headboard of his bed. He phoned me and, when we arrived, told an elaborate but plausible tale of having been assaulted by an _inconnu_.”

“He was a damn good actor,” Heath commented.

“Yes--in the main. But there was one psychological point he overlooked. If he had actually been the victim of a murderous attack he would not have gone down-stairs alone in the dark to phone me. He would have first roused the house.”[*33]

“That’s reasonable.” Markham had become impatient. “But you said something about the picture not being complete----”

“The letter!” Vance sat up and threw away his cigarette. “That was the missing factor. I couldn’t understand why the forged hieroglyphic letter didn’t show up last night,--it was the perfect opportunity. But it was nowhere in evidence; and that’s what troubled me.… However, when I found Scarlett working in the museum, I understood. The doctor, I’m convinced, intended to plant the forged letter--which he had placed temporarily in the desk-table drawer--in Meryt-Amen’s room or some place where we’d find it. But when he looked into the museum through the study door he saw Scarlett at work at the desk-table. So he let the letter go, reserving it for future use--in case we didn’t arrest Salveter after the dagger episode. And when I deliberately avoided the clews he had prepared against Salveter, I knew the letter would appear very soon. I was afraid Scarlett might in some way block Bliss’s scheme, so I warned him to keep away from the house. I don’t know what more I could have done.”

“Nor I.” Markham’s tone was consoling. “Scarlett should have followed your advice.”

“But he didn’t.” Vance sighed regretfully.

“You think, then, that Scarlett suspected the truth?”

“Undoubtedly. And he suspected it early in the game. But he wasn’t sure enough to speak out. He was afraid he might be doing the doctor an injustice; and, being an English gentleman, he kept silent. My belief is, he got to worrying about the situation and finally went to Bliss----”

“But something must have convinced him.”

“The dagger, Markham. Bliss made a grave error in that regard. Scarlett and Bliss were the only two persons who knew about that smuggled weapon. And when I showed it to Scarlett and informed him it had been used in an attempt on Bliss’s life, he knew pretty conclusively that Bliss had concocted the whole tale.”

“And he came here to-night to confront Bliss…?”

“Exactly. He realized that Bliss was trying to involve Salveter; and he wanted to let Bliss know that his monstrous scheme was seen through. He came here to protect an innocent man--despite the fact that Salveter was his rival, as it were, for the affections of Meryt-Amen. That would be like Scarlett.…” Vance looked sad. “When I sent Salveter to Boston I believed I had eliminated every possibility of danger. But Scarlett felt he had to take matters in his own hands. His action was fine, but ill-advised. The whole trouble was, it gave Bliss the opportunity he’d been waiting for. When he couldn’t get the forged letter from the museum last night, and when we declined his invitation to find the sheath in Salveter’s room, it was necessary for him to play his ace--the forged letter.”

“Yes, yes. I see that. But just where did Scarlett fit?”

“When Scarlett came here to-night Bliss no doubt listened to his accusation diplomatically, and then on some pretext or other got him into the museum. When Scarlett was off guard Bliss struck him on the head--probably with one of those maces in the end cabinet--and put him in the sarcophagus. It was a simple matter for him to get the jack from his car, which he keeps parked in the street outside,--you recall that he offered to drive Salveter to the station.…”

“But the letter?”

“Can’t you see how everything fitted? The attack on Scarlett took place between eight and eight-thirty. Salveter was probably up-stairs bidding adieu to Mrs. Bliss. At any rate, he was in the house, and therefore could have been Scarlett’s murderer. In order to make it appear that Salveter _was actually the murderer of Scarlett_ Bliss crumpled up the forged telltale letter and stuck it in Scarlett’s pocket. He wanted to make it appear that Scarlett had come to the house to-night to confront Salveter, had mentioned the letter he’d found in the desk-table drawer, and had been killed by Salveter.”

“But why wouldn’t Salveter have taken the letter?”

“The assumption would have been that Salveter didn’t know that Scarlett had the letter in his pocket.”

“What I want to know,” put in Heath, “is how Bliss found out about Salveter’s original letter.”

“That point is easily explained, Sergeant.” Vance drew out his cigarette-case. “Salveter undoubtedly returned to the museum yesterday morning, as he told us, and was working on his letter when Kyle entered. He then put the letter in the table-drawer, and went to the Metropolitan Museum on his errand. Bliss, who was probably watching him through a crack in the study door, saw him put the paper away, and later took it out to see what it was. Being an indiscreet letter to Meryt-Amen, it gave Bliss an idea. He took it to his study and rewrote it, making it directly incriminating; and then tore up the original. When I learned that the letter had disappeared I was worried, for I suspected that Bliss had taken it. And when I saw it had been destroyed and thrown away, I was convinced we would find another letter. But since I had the original, I believed that the forged letter would, when it appeared, give us evidence against Bliss.”

“So that’s why you were so interested in those three words?”

“Yes, Sergeant. I hardly thought Bliss would use _tem_ and _was_ and _ankh_ in rewriting the letter, for he couldn’t have known that Salveter had told us about the letter and specifically mentioned these three words. And not one of the three words was in the forgery.”

“But a handwriting expert----”

“Oh, I say, Sergeant! Don’t be so _naïf_. A handwriting expert is a romantic scientist even when the writing is English script and familiar to him. And all his rules are based on chirographic idiosyncrasies. No art expert can tell with surety who drew a picture--and Egyptian writing is mostly pictures. Forged Michelangelo drawings, for instance, are being sold by clever dealers constantly. The only approach in such matters is an æsthetic one--and there is no æsthetics in Egyptian hieroglyphs.”

Heath made a wry face.

“Well, if the forged letter couldn’t be admitted as evidence, what was the doctor’s idea?”

“Don’t you see, Sergeant, that even if the letter couldn’t be absolutely identified with Salveter, it would have made every one believe that Salveter was guilty and had escaped a conviction on a legal technicality. Certainly Meryt-Amen would have believed that Salveter wrote the letter; and that was what Bliss wanted.”

Vance turned to Markham.

“It’s a legal point which really doesn’t matter. Salveter might not have been convicted; but Bliss’s plot would none the less have succeeded. With Kyle dead, Bliss would have had access to one-half of Kyle’s fortune--in his wife’s name, to be sure--and Meryt-Amen would have repudiated Salveter. Thus Bliss would have won every trick. And even legally Salveter might have been convicted had it not been for Hani’s removal of two direct clews from Salveter’s room--the opium can and the sheath. Furthermore, there was the letter in Scarlett’s pocket.”

“But, Vance, how would the letter have been found?” Markham asked. “If you had not suspected the plot and looked for Scarlett’s body, it might have remained in the sarcophagus almost indefinitely.”

“No.” Vance shook his head. “Scarlett was to have remained in the sarcophagus only for a couple of days. When it was discovered to-morrow that he was missing Bliss would probably have found the body for us, along with the letter.”

He looked questioningly at Markham.

“How are we going to connect Bliss with the crime, since Salveter was in the house at the time of the attack?”

“If Scarlett should get well----”

“If!… Just so. But suppose he shouldn’t--and the chances are against him. Then what? Scarlett at most could only testify that Bliss had made an abortive and unsuccessful attack on him. True, you might convict him for felonious assault, but it would leave Kyle’s murder still unsolved. And if Bliss said that Scarlett attacked him and that he struck Scarlett in self-defense, you’d have a difficult time convicting him even for assault.”

Markham rose and walked up and down the room. Then Heath asked a question.

“How does this Ali Baba fit into the picture, Mr. Vance?”

“Hani knew from the first what had happened; and he was shrewd enough to see the plot that Bliss had built up about Salveter. He loved Salveter and Meryt-Amen, and he wanted them to be happy. What could he do except lend his every energy to protecting them? And he has certainly done this, Sergeant. Egyptians are not like Occidentals. It was against his nature to come out frankly and tell us what he suspected. Hani played a clever game--the only game he could have played. He never believed in the vengeance of Sakhmet. He used his superstitious logomachy to cover up the truth. He fought with words for Salveter’s safety.”

Markham halted in front of Vance.

“The thing is incredible! I have never known a murderer like Bliss.”

“Oh, don’t give him too much credit.” Vance lighted the cigarette he had been holding for the past five minutes. “He frightfully overdid the clews: he made them too glaring. Therein lay his weakness.”

“Still,” said Markham, “if you hadn’t come into the case I’d have brought a murder charge against him.”

“And you would have played into his hands. Because I didn’t want you to, I appeared to argue against his guilt.”

“A palimpsest!” Markham commented after a pause.

Vance took a deep draw on his cigarette.

“Exactly. _Palimpsestos_--‘again rub smooth.’ First came the true story of the crime, carefully indicated. Then it was erased, and the story of the murder, with Salveter as the villain, was written over it. This, too, was erased, and the original story--in grotesque outline and filled with inconsistencies and loopholes--was again written. We were supposed to read the third version, become sceptical about it, and find the evidences of Salveter’s guilt between the lines. My task was to push through to the first and original version--the twice written-over truth.”

“And you did it, Mr. Vance!” Heath had risen and gone toward the door. “The doc is in the study, Chief. I’ll take him to Headquarters myself.”