The Coolidge examiner., 1936-03-20
CHAPTER Ix-Continued


Is
When Simpson heard the details
of death in a locked room, he rubbed
his hands in satisfaction.
Secret passage?" he asked first.
mo, nor any Of the other regu-
lar and orthodox explanations.
We've been all over them and not
one fits"
Theoretically sealed room. eh?"
"Just exactly that. Now as
there's no sign of weapon in either
case, what can we look for but poi
SOM"
Looks like it. Autopsy this
timer"
''Yes. Medical examiner and To-
cal G. P. Both signed the certifi-
cate that there was no trace or
hint of poison of any sort, known
or unknown"
mo curare, no datura?"
"Just that. And no new, mex
plicable type of virulent poison that
can be imagined or invented"
HIN. And just what am 1 to
do?"
Help me in any way you can.
But mostly, dig up the cause of
DEATH"
rs."Organs?"
"Will he at your disposal when
you want them. Do you have to
have those of both?"
Don't be silly! Can l make
bricks without straw?"
"Oh. all right. Now most impor-
tant of all, can you get about the
matter at once? Can you do it up
posthaste? Can you tell me results
in few days if it will save an in
nocent young woman's arrest, and
probably trial and possibly convic-
tiun%
ssaWhewl That sounds serious"
ut is serious. Listen"
Stone sketched a brief history of
the inimical side, showed how bitter
and venomous the Maiden faction
was, and soon extracted Simpsons
promise to 60 at the business with
all possible dispatch.
Its too unbelievable" Simps
ruminated. Poison it's got to be,
because it can't be anything else.
But what poison? There can't be
a new poison available that no one
knows anything about. There can't
be a resultant death from poison
that leaves no trace whatever. They
say there is, but there isn't. Except
no, that won't do. Who had ac-
cess to these two victims that
knows - really knows - anything
about poison?"
Nobody knows anything about
pOisOns but you, old man; that's
why I'm here. And anyway, if
somebody did, he wasn't there to
administer it. You can't suspect
bride, on her wedding trip?"
II can't suspect anybody. Why
can't one suspect a bride?"
1--WE won't argue that; let's keep
to the point"
VERY we'll. Then how about the
murderer being some man in love
with the bride and also wanting her
fortune?"
Commonplace, but suppose it if
you want TO. / only want the way
it was done. Is there a poison,
which could kill some time after it
was administered"
perhaps. But only after a pain
Tul and lingering agony. None,
which would allow the victim to
slip to the hoor and die quietly, or
to die quietly in his bed"
You see resemblance, then? In
the cases, mean?"
Resemblance? They are identi-
cal. You see, the hotel room was
practically sealed because of the
fact the two people were shut in it
alone. And the second case, the
young man was in a sealed room,
you say. So we're hunting for a
method of death, which will not be
prevented or impeded by obstacles
of any sort"
bringing it back to the miracu-
lous."
IF you like. Do you suspect any
of the party or household or who
ever We're concerned?"
None of them knows anything
about medicine or toxicology."
Yet the deed was DONE"
"Yes, and it's up to me to dis
cover who did it, and how and WHY
Simps"
Il don't apprehend a new poison.
Stone. If it is poison, it is a new
way of using it, or an ingenious
method of application-oh, well.
when we have the post mortem We'll
know"
CHAPTER X