Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-17
The Scarab Murder Case
BY S. S. Van Dine
coDyrishs. 1880, b, 5. s. van Dine.

. "A nasty job" he commented through
his teeth. What in he'll u that thing
he was croaked with?"
Vance, who had been leaning over
the shelves Of tine cabinet. hts back 10
US, now turned round with . genial
smile.
THAT, sergeant, Is sakhmet, an AM
cient goddess Of the primitive Egyp--
tians. But she isn't In he'll, 30 70
speak. This gentleman, however, he
touched the tall statue Of Anubis--"is
from the neither regions"
II mighta known you'd be here, Mr..
Vance" Heath grinned with genuine
friendliness, and held out his hand.
i've got you down on my suspect lists.
Every time there's fancy homicide.
who do We md on the spot but Mr..
Philo Vance! Glad to see you,
Mr.. Vance. I reckon you'll get your
psychological processes TO working now
and clean this mystery up pronto.'
'Itn take more than psychology 70
solve this case, I'm afraid" Vance had
grasped the sergeants hand cordially.
"A smatterin OF Egyptology might he@s
IN leave that nifty stun TO you, As.
Vance. What want, first and fore
most, is the finger-prints on that
that" He bent over the small
statue of Sakhmet. That's the damn.
eldest thing ever saw. The guy who
sculped that was cuckoo. 1ts got >
lions head with q big platter on the
DOME"
THE lions head Of sakhmet Is un-
doubtedly totemistic, sergeant" exc
planned Vance, good-naturedly. And
that platter Is representation Of the
solar disk. The snake peering from the
forehead Is q cobra-or uraeus-0nd
was the sign Of royalty"
Have 1t your own way, air." The
sergeant had become impatient. what
want Is the finger prints"
He swung about and walked toward
the front of the museum.
Hey, Snitkinl" he called beIligerently
to one of the men on the stair landing.
Relieve that ofiicer outside-eend him
back to his beat. And bring Dubois In
here as soon as he shows up" Then
he returned 10 Markham. Who'll give
me the low-down on this, STRIP
Markham introduced him 10 Scarlet.
This gentleman" he said, found Mr..
Kyle. He can tell you al we know Of
the case thus far"
Scariott and Heath talked together
for five minutes or 80, the Eergeant
maintaining throughout the CONVERSE
ton an attitude Of undisguised sus-
picion. It was q basic principle with
him that every one was guilty until his
innocence had been completely and
irrefutably established.
Vance In the meantime had been
bending over Kyle's body with an In
tentneSs that puzzled me. Presently
down on one knee, thrusting his head
forward to within q foot Of the moor.
Then he took out his monocle, poiisheed
It carefully, ana adjusted It. Markham
and both watched him IN silence.
After q few moments he Strengthened
up.
"I say. Scarlet; is there maenifyin'
glass handy?"
Scarlet. who had Just finished talk
ing to Sergt. Heath, went &C once to the
glass case containing the scarabs and
opened one of the drawers.
What sort Of museum would this be
without q magniner?" he asked, with.
q feeble attempt at jocuiarity. holding
out Q Coddington lens.
Vance took It and turned TO elzath.
May ! borrow your fashlisht.
"sure thingl" Heath handed him .
push-button hash.
Vance again knelt down, and with the
fashlight In one hand and the lens IN
the other, inspected tiny oblong object
that lay about foot from Kyle's body.
'sNisut Bit Intef 81
Re interchangeable" His voice
was low and resonant.
The sergeant put his hands in his
| pockets and smiled.
And what language might that be,
Mr.. vance?" he asked.
ITS the reconsideration Of q few an.
Gent Egyptian hiercglyphs. I'm reading
from this scarab. !"
The sergeant had become interested.
He stepped forward and leaned over the
object that Vance was inspecting.
"A scarab, huh?"
scarabee, or scarabaedd, or scarabAeus--
that is to say, beetle. !. This lit
tie oval bit Of lapis-laxuli was . sacred
symbol Of the old Egyptians. /.
This particular one, by the BY. Is raost
fascinatin'. It is the state seal Of InteR
Va Pharaoh Of the seventeenth dye
nasty. About 1850 B. Cor over $500
years ago--he wore it. It bears the title
and throne name Of Intef-o, or Intel.
His Horus name was Nefer-K heperu, II
remember correctly. He was one Of
the native Egyptian rulers at Thebes
during the reign of the Hyksos In the
Delta. The tomb of this gentleman q
the one that DR.. Bliss has been exca.
waiting for several years And
you Of course note, sergeant, that the
scarab Is set In q modern scarf-pin.
!" (The daughter Of this particular
aroah-Nefra- incidentally Is the
titular heroine Of H. Rider Hazards
romance, Queen Of the Dawn" Hag-
gard, following the chronology Of II. r.
Hall, placed Intef In the fourteenth
dynasty instead Of the seventeenth, max
ing him Q contemporary Of the great
Hyksos Pharaoh, whose son Khuan---Eke
hero OF the book-marries Nefra. The
researches Of Bliss and Weigall seem to
have demonstrated that this relation
ship Is an anachronism)
Heath grunted with satisfaction. Here.
at least, was piece Of tangible evidence.
"A beetle, Is it? And q scarf.pinl
j. Well. Mr.. Vance, I'd like to eet
my hands on the bird who wore that
blue thingumajig in his cravat."
II can enlighten you on that point.
sergeant" Vance rose TO his feet and
looked toward the little metal door AZ
the head Of the circular stairway. THAT
scarf-pin is the property Of DR.. Bliss