The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1935-04-25
THE KENNEL
MURDER CASE
BY s. s. VAN DINE

DuCler, Tor some reason, seemed
shocked. ooh, no, sir. I'm sure Mr..
Coe had no such appointment. He
was-if you understand me, sir-a
most abstemious man."
Vance dismissed him bruskly.
''That will be all, Gamble"
When the man had gone, Vance
looked waggishly at Markham.
81 fear, old dear, despite Candles
assurances, that Archer did entertain
Ia lady yeI Axday afternoon between,
let us sa! o'clock and eight
which is prd y about the time he
was killed"
Heath was growing impatient.
81 can't see that it makes any diff
ference anyway. Suppose the old boy
did have a dame in for visit-that's
not explaining the cockeyed things
that happened here last night. What
about that bolted door upstairs? You
had something in mind, Mr.. Vance,
when you asked me to get that bolt
fixed, didn't you?"
''My notion was bit vague, Ser
geant." Vance crushed out his Gig
arctic. "Of course, people don't get
murdered in bolted rooms except in
detective novels; and something Miss
Lake said to me suggested that /
might find solution to that peculiar
and illogical circumstance"
"What was that?" Markham CURLY
demanded.
"When she was talkin' about Bris-
bane, don't y know. You remember
she mentioned that he was interested
in criminology and was sufficiently
clever to cover his tracks if he'd de-
cided to go in for murder. A signifi-
cant remark, Markham"
"But 1 don't see the connection"
Markham was puzzled. Brisbane was
the victim, not the murderer. Suppose
you elucidate-if possible"
81 live in 'opes," Vance grinned.
"Let me question Miss Lake bit fur
Their. / could bear bit Of amplifica-
ton as to Brisbane's delvings into
chronological lore" He sobered and
went toward the door. "What do you
say to using Archer's bedroom as the
scene of the interrogation?
Markham gave resigned sigh, and
we went upstairs. Heath sent Gam
BILE to ask Miss Lake to join US there;
and a few minutes later she came in,
staggering but chilly and, thought,
r suspicious.
Vance pushed a chair forward for
her.
eve wanted to ask you, Miss Lake.
he began gravely, "just what you
meant when you spoke of your Uncle
Brisbane's having 'dabbled in crimi-
nology'-I believe that was your
phrase. What form did his interest in
criminology take ?"
"Only reading. Criminal cases,
court cases, court records, detective
stories-the usual thing. There are
hundreds of volumes in his ROOM"
"Were you, too, interested in your
Uncle Brisbane's books?"
= "Oh, yes. There's nothing else in
teresting in the house."
"Then you, too, have 'dabbled in
riminology'
She shot Vance a quick look and
We forced laugh.
"You might call it that"
"Ah! Then perhaps you can halp
u.s." Vance's air became ocular. owe
crave to know how this door could
have been bolted on the inside. Obvi-
ously Archer couldn't have done it
with bullet in his head"
Cor a dagger through his lungs"
she supplemented and became sudden
ly serious. "But he might have done
IT before the bullet entered his head"
"But he was dead at that time"
Vance, too, had become serious and
was watching the woman closely.
"Have you never heard of cadaveric
spasm, or rigor mortis ?" she asked
contemptuously. "Men, with revolvers
in their hands at death, have been
known to fire them hours after they
were dead, as a result of muscular
contraction"
Vance nodded, without changing his
expression or shifting his gaze.
"Quite true. There was the famous
case in Prague of the suicide who
later shot the police inspector. And
there was more recent case in Penn
sylvania. But I hardly think that