The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1935-03-28
THE KENNEL
MURDER CASE
By s. s. VAN DINE

nished a startling point to reason
from-provided, of course, | could
verify it."
| He came back slowly toward the
center of the room where we were
grouped about the davenport and the
circular table. AS he reached the end
of the library table, he halted and
looked down at small low lockwood
stand on which stood cornucopia-
shaped white vase. A set of books
piled high on the end of the table
almost obscurde it. Vance approached
the vase.
"That's dashed interestin'," he muir
INJURED. "a piece of later Ting gao
from the Yung Cheng era, should
say"
He picked up the vase and began
inspecting it.
"a rather thick biscuit, and dec
GRATED in relief: copied from an an
Gent bronze. Angular cracking
in the glaze, which is brittle and
glossy. "A very beautiful and per-
feet specimen"
AS he talked, he moved toward the
window and held the vase to the light
in such manner that he could look
inside it.
"I believe there is something here"
he said. Moistening his finger on his
tongue, he put his hand deep into the
vase. When he withdrew it there was
a red smear on the end of his finger.
eyes, quite So" he said, looking
closely at his. finger.
"What have you found ?" demanded
Markham.
Vance held out his finger.
"Bloodv' he said. "And that vase
was also near the davenport, only a
few feet from where the Sung Ting
vac stood. Both vases were used in
this devilish plot. A subtle con-
ception-but the plan fell to pieces"
"See here, Vance," m al k h m
spoke quietly, trying to curb his an
noyance- just how were those vases
used? And where did the blood on
them come from?"
GAS I see it, Markham, those two
Ting yao vases were used to divert
suspicion from the real murderer and
to focus it on another person.; and
they were employed as symbols in or
der to create a false motive"
"You mean we were to regard the
crime as being connected with Arch
er's collection of Chinese ceramics ?"
Vance nodded.
II feel sure of it. But in just what
way 1 don't know. 1t would probably
have been perfectly clear if there had
not been gross miscalculation on
the murderer's part"
eve were, you think, supposed to
find the blood in the vase? Where did
that blood come FROM"
"From Archer Goes body" Vance's
answer sent a chill up my spine.
"But there was no external bleed
ing" Markham reminded him.
"True." Vance leaned against the
back of the davenport and lighted a
cigrette. "But there was blood on the
dagger when it was withdrawn from
between Archer's ribs. :. AS see
it, Markham, the bloody dagger that
killed Archer was thrown into the
fragile Ting yao vase that was on the
table there, in order to indicate-by
a subtle and devious symbolism-t
motive for the crime. But the steel
and gold of the dagger broke the
vase-it was of almost eggshell deli
cacy-and so the dagger was then
placed in this other Ting yao. In
clearing up the broken pieces Of the
first vase, the murderer overlooked
one small fragment"
"But why the substituted vase?"
"In order that no alienation would
be attracted by the glazing absence
of the original one. If valuable Ting
yao were missing, it might indicate
another motive for the crime, and
that motive would have confused the
issue and diverted attention from the
person the murderer wanted us to
think was behind the crime"
"That's all very well, perhaps"
Markham returned obviously; "but
we did not find the dagger in the
other vase"
"It was taken out and used to kill
Brisbane"
"By the murderer of Archer?"
"Unquestionably. No one else would