The Second Act Is Murder by W Read online

  tonight.”

  She began to laugh. “That’s what you

  He shut the door and left me there,

  thought, brother. You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

  staring after him.

  How long I stood there, I’m not

  certain. I had a kind of eerie feeling. The

  CHAPTER II

  guy’s crazy, I thought. He’s lived in this hotel DEATH IN THE GARAGE

  a long time by himself. He probably resents

  our coming.

  The sound of running water in the bath

  THE room was large, well furnished and had

  recalled me. Evidently Albright had come

  two windows. I unpacked, straightened up my

  upstairs, although I had not heard him pass.

  The Second Act Is Murder

  7

  I walked over and knocked on the panes of the double windows in gusts which bathroom door. A voice inside told me to

  almost seemed to bend the glass.

  come in.

  “To the devil with it,” I thought, and

  I opened the door. Albright had his

  went to bed.

  shirt off and was at the basin, shaving. His

  I didn’t know how long I’d been

  shoulders were heavier than they had looked

  asleep. I had the impression that I’d barely

  under his coat and were heavily tanned. He

  closed my eyes. But when I glanced at my

  did not turn, merely glancing up and nodding

  traveling clock, I saw that it was after one.

  into the mirror.

  “How do you like the Inn theater?”

  I KNEW that it was a scream which had

  “I don’t know yet,” I said honestly.

  brought me out of my slumber, but I didn’t

  “Some things strike me as a little strange. I

  know whose it was or where it had come

  just had a call from the watchman.”

  from. The window was partly open and damp

  Albright grunted. “That bird’s racked.

  air blew across the room directly into my face He hates actors.”

  as I sat up.

  Looking at his broad back, I wondered

  Then the scream rose again. A

  if the watchman was as cracked as he seemed.

  woman’s voice, high and hysterical with

  There were certain mannerisms about this terror.

  good, looking actor that I found myself

  It seemed to come from outside, in

  disliking. Nothing I could put into words, just through the open window. Feet pounded in the

  a feeling, an instinct almost.

  hall and there were excited voices outside my

  “Funny time of day to shave.” I said it,

  door.

  not because I was particularly interested when I thrust my feet into slippers, grabbed a

  he chose to scrape his beard. He could shave

  robe and crossed the room in a couple of

  on the hour, every hour for all I cared.

  jumps. The corridor outside seemed filled with

  “Got a date.” He was rinsing his face

  people, all talking in excited voices. I saw the as he spoke and the water muffled his words.

  two old character actresses, huddled together

  “A date?” I was unpleasantly against the far wall, saw the blond Mary surprised. Automatically I assumed that his

  Jones, trying to comfort them. The old

  date was with Susan Foster and I found that I

  character actor, Mr. Anthony, was standing

  did not like the idea.

  uncertainly by the stairs, his thin shanks

  “I shouldn’t think there’d be any place

  protected by a long striped nightshirt, his gray to go, in this country or in this weather.”

  hair covered by his broad-brimmed black hat.

  He turned and gave me a nasty smile

  Bertrand Howe, Susan Foster and a

  above the towel.

  couple of men I hadn’t met were at the other

  “It’s all in the way you look at it, De

  end of the hall and I started toward them.

  Cloudt, my boy. It depends on the date.”

  “What’s up?” I shouted. “What’s

  I found that I liked, him less at the

  happened?”

  moment than before.

  Howe had taken charge. “It’s probably

  “Good night,” I said. “Have a good

  nothing, but we’d better find out. Get

  time.”

  Albright, will you, De Cloudt, and come on

  I shut the door and went over to the

  downstairs. Where’s that watchman? He’s

  typewriter, intending to write some letters, but always around, except when you want him.”

  I couldn’t think of anything to say. It was still I didn’t know where the watchman

  raining heavily, pouring down against the was and I didn’t care. Both Howe and Susan

  Thrilling Detective

  8

  were fully dressed. So were the men with

  Mary Jones’ sister, the one who had been

  them. I knocked on Albright’s door, calling

  playing bridge when I first reached the hotel.

  out as I did so, wondering why the racket had

  Her face was white and wet. Her eyes looked

  failed to wake the actor. There was no enormous and she was staring as if suffering response.

  from shock.

  I knocked again, then tried the knob.

  I shook her without meaning to.

  The door was not locked and I thrust it open.

  “What is it? What’s happened? Did

  The room was in darkness but enough

  you scream?”

  light leaked around my shoulders from the hall For a full instant it was as if my words

  to show me the bed. It was empty and had not

  had no effect on her paralyzed brain. Then her been slept in.

  arms tightened behind me as if she feared that I turned back to the hall just as a third

  I would somehow escape and leave her by

  scream cut the night.

  herself.

  This takes a long time to tell, but

  “He’s dead,” she said. “He’s dead.

  actually the time between the second and third There’s blood!” Her voice rose.

  screams was not over a couple of minutes,

  I shook her again. She was close to

  perhaps not that long.

  hysteria. I had seen people with hysteria

  I raced along the hall and down the

  before. I almost slapped her. A shock helps

  stairs. Howe, Susan, and their two companions

  sometimes, but she was so small, so helpless,

  had just reached the bottom. Howe started to

  so white-faced.

  run across the lobby just as I started down the

  “Who is it?” said Howe. He was at my

  stairs. I moved faster than he did and caught

  side, playing the light directly into my face.

  him just as he reached the french doors at the

  “Who’s dead?”

  rear which led out to a kind of terrace.

  “Gerry,” she gulped. “Gerry Albright.

  “Albright’s not in his room,” I yelled

  He and I were out at the garage, talking. I got as we went out into the rain.

  cold and came in after a warmer coat. When I

  I’m not certain if he heard me. got back he was there, in Annabelle’s front Certainly he didn’t slacken his pace. I didn’t seat, dead.”

  know where we were headed and the night

  “I’ll take her,” said a matter-of-fact


  was inky save for the lobby lights which voice at my elbow.

  filtered out through the glass doors.

  I felt gravel under my feet as I jumped

  TURNING, I discovered Mary Jones and

  down from the terrace and plunged forward

  Susan Foster had followed us.

  through the darkness, following the sound that The younger girl shrank away from her

  Howe’s feet made. And then a young woman

  sister, clinging to me desperately.

  ran into my arms.

  “Don’t let her touch me. She killed

  I didn’t even see her before we him. She killed him. She said she would if I bumped together. My arms, closed about her

  didn’t stop seeing him.”

  small shoulders instinctively. It’s lucky they Susan Foster stepped forward and took

  did so, for she swayed and would have fallen.

  the sobbing girl into her arms.

  “Who’s this?” I asked. The words

  “Take it easy, honey. You’re all right.”

  burst from my lips. They stopped Howe and, a

  “Gerry’s dead!” It was a wail. “Mary

  moment later, I was bathed in the beam of a

  killed him. I know it, know it, know it!”

  flashlight that I hadn’t known he carried.

  “Come on,” said Howe. He seemed

  The light showed me that the girl was

  unmoved by the scene. “Take her into the

  The Second Act Is Murder

  9

  lobby, Sue. We’ll be with you in a jiffy.”

  I hadn’t thought of the police until that

  He moved away and I followed the

  moment. I hadn’t been thinking of much of

  beam of his flash across the wide circle of wet anything, but I got down on hands and knees

  gravel and into the big garage.

  and peered under the car. There was no gun.

  It looked tremendous and I realized

  We searched thoroughly before going back to

  that it had been built to house the cars of the the lobby.

  Inn’s guests. Now it held only Annabelle and

  Susan Foster was standing beside the

  an ancient delivery truck which, judging by

  big fire-place when we came in. She and the

  the sign on the side, had once belonged to a

  two character actresses were trying to quiet

  butcher.

  Ellen Jones and not having too much success.

  Howe turned to the Ford, flashing his

  The older sister sat across the room, her dark light inside the car. And there was Albright

  blue eyes never leaving her sister’s face. She slumped over the wheel, his elbows resting on

  looked tired, almost haggard without makeup,

  it, his head against the top rim, with blood

  and I had a passing thought that life had used matting the small hole in his temple.

  this girl hard in its uneven course.

  “He’s dead, all right.”

  “Larry called the sheriff,” Susan told

  I guess I sounded surprised. In a way, I

  us as we reached her. “He’ll be over soon.”

  was surprised. Only a few short hours before

  “She killed him. She said she would.”

  he’d stood with his back toward me, shaving,

  It was Ellen Jones. Her eyes were

  his bare shoulders looking alive and powerful.

  closed. Her face, despite the fact that it was At that time I’d have bet almost any sum that

  puffy from crying, looked strained and drawn.

  the man would live for at least twenty years.

  “Ellen should have a doctor,” Susan

  And now, he was dead. Howe turned

  said in a low voice. “We can’t get her quiet.”

  away from the car, and his voice had a funny

  I jerked my head toward the silent

  sound.

  sister.

  “That’s

  that.”

  “Anything in what the kid says?” I

  I stared at him. “What do you mean?”

  asked in a whisper.

  He shrugged and passed a small hand

  “I don’t know.” She was whispering

  across his eyes in a gesture of weariness.

  also. “I do know that Mary objected to the

  “My leading man,” his voice had a

  attentions that Gerry was paying her sister.

  bitter note. “Months of work. Shot. And we

  She’d known him in Hollywood, and what

  were going to open next Saturday.”

  she’d known was not good.”

  I did not mind his callousness. I knew

  I looked at Susan, wondering how

  how he must feel.

  Albright’s death was affecting her. I saw

  “What about the understudy, Larry nothing on her face save a tired strain that I Swift.”

  knew was mirrored in my own.

  “He’s just that,” Howe said, an edge of

  Anthony chose this moment to seize

  contempt in his voice. “An understudy. Gerry

  the center of the stage. The old ham must have Albright, for all his faults and weaknesses,

  found someone with a bottle, for he fairly

  was an actor. Swift is only a youngster. reeked of whisky although its effect was not Maybe five years from now he’ll be ready.”

  noticeable in either his walk or his voice.

  Howe gave a sigh of exasperation and began

  “It is the judgment of the gods. Pride

  to flash the light around the floor. “Don’t see goeth before a fall.”

  anything of a gun, do you? The cops will

  probably ask.”

  SUSAN FOSTER was frowning. Bertrand

  Thrilling Detective

  10

  Howe glanced at the old actor irritably.

  be shot.”

  “Shut up, Anthony.”

  He descended the rest of the steps and

  “You cannot hush the truth. By his

  went along the hall ahead of me with never a

  sins, ye shall know him, and by his sins, he

  backward glance.

  died.”

  Ellen Jones began to sob. I caught

  Susan’s eye and she spoke to me with a little

  CHAPTER III

  desperate note in her voice.

  KILLER AT BAY

  “Get him out of here. Hit him on the

  head or something.”

  I obeyed. I took Anthony by the arm

  LATER I wasn’t impressed by the sheriff nor

  and half forced him up the stairs and along the his deputy. Both were probably competent

  corridor to his room.

  peace officers for the average run of local

  “Will you stay here,” I demanded. By

  crime. But certainly nothing in their thinking, this time I was out of patience, for he had

  experience or training fitted them to handle

  argued with me the whole way. “Or must I

  this situation.

  lock you in?”

  Both were inclined to agree that the

  It was easy to see that he was deeply

  elder Jones girl was guilty, that she had

  hurt. He made me a curt little bow, standing

  resented Albright’s attentions to her sister and across his threshold.

  taken a quick, final way of ending them. The

  “I had expected better things of you,

  only obstacle to her immediate arrest was the

  boy, nobler things.” Then he went in and

  fact that one of the old character actresses

  slammed the door.

  swore that she’d heard Mary Jo
nes moving

  I started back along the hall but paused

  about her room at the time the shooting had

  when I heard a noise from the stairs which led taken place.

  to the third floor. Susan had told me that the It seemed that no one had heard the

  third and fourth, floors were closed off and

  shot. This was none too surprising when you

  were not being used. For an instant I own that consider the noise the wind and rain were

  my hair prickled, for someone was coming

  making and that the garage had probably

  down those stairs.

  muffled the explosion of the gun. I tried to tell I tried to recall who had been missing

  the law officers about the old watchman, but

  from the lobby, but could not. An instant later got nowhere. Both had known him for years

  I heaved a sigh of relief for it was the old

  and insisted on laughing him off as slightly

  watchman.

  cracked but really harmless.

  He paused at sight of me, standing

  The coroner was a doctor who lived

  three or four steps above hall level. Then he

  not far away. First he questioned Ellen Jones

  placed one finger beside his nose and and then gave her a sedative. Soon afterward chuckled as he rubbed it.

  he and the sheriff went back to town, taking