The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1935-06-29

body you and your officers found
out on my terrace. And that's
Gods truth. The trouble with all
you police is" he went on angrily,
that you get an idea in your
heads and you ride it to a fare
you'Well, and all the time you are
trying to prove your own particu-
lar theory the real culprit gets
away. You can't see beyond the
nose IN front of your face"
A Dispute
COR beyond the body in front Of
you on the terrace" Cyrus K. in.
terrupted smoothly" leone, come,
you fellows, this is all very we'll,
but there is no good to be gained
by quarreling. Let's get at those
sketches"
What he says about the police
may be true in some cases." Ingles
persisted belligerently, "but not in
all"
We'll. . I'll concede you that"
said Vane, "but by the same token
what you say about artists may be
true in some cases, not all"
Let me ask just one straight
question, Mr.. Mantel," said 1ngles,
before you start on the pictures"
go ahead. by all means. :.
ask away!"
If that body isn't the body of
your wife, Isobel, then whose body
Or whose Wife-is it?"
Il haven't the slightest idea"
Vane shrugged helplessly. 1--WE
told you before that I never saw
her before and that I don't know
who she is. All I want, is that
you find out what has happened
to Isobel."
1--WE told you before, Lawrence"
said Ingles steadily. That the
body of Isobel is at the morgue."
And I've told you before that
that isn't Isobel-and demand
that you find her"
There's only one way to settle
this argument" said Cyrus K,
land the sketches will help a lot"
Come. let's look at them"
Il can't see where pictures are
going to help a lot," Inspector
Ingles protested. After all we
have the body itself. What more
convincing evidence could there
be?"
80" Cyrus K. removed his
glasses and slowly stroked one
eyebrow. 80? The discovery of
the body alone seems sufficient to
you. do I understand you cor.
rectly, Inspector"
Yes, you do" said IngleS.
after all what more can you
want than that?" he laughed
shortly. That is generally the
one thing any criminal tries to
do away with"
Yes. -" Cyrus K. nodded. 81
will grant you that in a case of
murder a body is essential to the
proving of the crime. But. in
this case, my dear fellow, I main.
tain that the body is not enough.
No. not enough"
well, what more do you want
may 1 ask?" Ingles was eXasper-
ated, ana showed IL.
More than a body?" smiled
Mantel.
Yes. more than a body"
Ingles mimicked.
"A head" said Cyrus K.
Those two little words hung In
the air Of the quiet studio, so still
it was. The cracking sound of a
match as the Inspector lighted his
pipe relieved the tense atmoS-
phere.
He looked up at Mantel over the
flare of the light.
Your point is we'll TAKEN" he
said quietly. Certainly we have
the body. and equally certainly
that body has lost its head"
Many a woman has lost her
head before this for a man." said
Mantel, but when a dead woman
loses hers, the question develops,
what man did she lose it for.
and did she lose it before, or after
death?"
Maybe BOTH" said Ingles.
Perhaps. -" Cyrus K. conced.
ed. quite likely, in fact"
Suddenly he looked directly at
the Inspector and his black eyes
lost their twinkle. They were keen
and piercing.
That's something I'd like to
talk to you about Inspector" he
said. He bowed formally. May I
sum up the case as I see it?"
Ingles nodded, looked worried
and took a deep draw at his pipe.
You come up here on a call
from your own officer (who is on
the premiseS) and you find Mr..
Vane here, drugged in his studio
and you find furthermore the
naked, headless body of woman
on his terrace. Am I right2"
quite. Go on"
You know that he is newly
married, and you naturally search
for his wife. she is gone. he
goes into Mysteries, and claims
that he does not know where she
is. you take him to the TombS,
charged with the murder Of his
wife. and the headless body Of
the woman is taken to the morgue
IAN 1 right?"
quite. Go on"
you, the officers Of the law,
claim that this body is the body
of Isobel Vane who is mySteriously
missing; her husband, charged
with her murder, denies that this
is the fact, and still maintains
that he does not know whose
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