The Second Act Is Murder by W Read online

  CORPSE ON A ROPE

  don’t think I could have done it alone.

  “Why, the body’s still warm,” he said.

  “The old guy hasn’t been dead long. Maybe he

  AT THE door, I paused to hold out my hand

  isn’t dead.”

  to Howe.

  He was dead. We tried everything to

  “Let me have your torch,” I said across

  revive him.

  my shoulder.

  Howe was like a man stunned. He was

  The Second Act Is Murder

  15

  of little help. Susan Foster was everywhere,

  “Then you don’t think Anthony

  doing all she could. We carried the body hanged himself? You think he was downstairs and placed it in Anthony’s bed.

  murdered?”

  Then we went back to the third floor and

  I shook my head.

  examined the room I had first entered.

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “The body

  The girl and I had not been wrong.

  is still warm. Certainly he hasn’t been dead

  Someone had been cutting into the floor. A

  long. He could have hanged himself while you

  square of carpet had been removed. A bit and

  were going for the deputy. By the way, has

  brace and a key-hole saw lay beside the hole.

  anyone seen the old watchman?”

  Most of the floor had been cut away

  No one had. Although we searched the

  for about a foot, exposing the joists and the

  entire building, routing out all the actors who lath of the ceiling. It would have been a were not already in the halls, we found no simple matter to poke out the plaster from

  trace of him.

  between the lath.

  The deputy stared at the hole with THE rest of the night passed slowly and I round eyes.

  thought that the next day would never end. It

  “Now what was the idea?”

  rained. Not as hard as it had on the preceding

  “Someone was trying to get in, to kill

  evening, but enough to make it uncomfortable

  Miss Foster,” I said, soberly. “Since her door out of doors.

  was locked, wouldn’t this be a way?”

  Howe went ahead as if nothing had

  He grunted. “Never heard of such a

  happened. That is, whenever the sheriff would

  thing.”

  let him. The sheriff, aided by the deputy and

  I hadn’t either. I didn’t know what the

  another man whom I did not know, searched

  murderer had had in mind. If he could have

  the hotel again and again. The sheriff seemed

  seen her, he might have meant to shoot the girl obsessed with the idea that there was a secret through the opening he was making. Or room or passage or something.

  perhaps he’d have thrown the heavy knife

  Finally, at five-thirty, the deputy came

  which he had used in trying to pin me to the

  into the kitchen where I was doing chores, and wall. I turned and inspected the knife. It had a asked for a cup of coffee. He sat at the long

  heavy, triangular blade, the type that is used in table and began to drink it.

  a kitchen and called a french knife. . . .

  “We’re looking for Jim,” he said. “It’s

  “But who was it?” the deputy asked

  not like him to go away without a word to

  me. “Could it have been the old guy? could he

  anyone.”

  have hung himself when he realized that he

  “Who?”

  was trapped and couldn’t escape?”

  “Jim Cobb, the old watchman.” He

  “Sounds reasonable,” Howe was still

  blew into his cup thoughtfully, poured some

  examining the hole. “The man was a little

  of the liquid into the saucer, and sampled it

  crazy. I know he hated Albright and he didn’t

  gingerly. Evidently it was still too hot for he like Miss Foster any too well.”

  set it back on the table.

  I shook my head. “He was crazy, but

  “Twenty years Jim stayed here, and I

  he wasn’t trapped. There’s a fire escape know for a fact that he never left the property outside the other room and the window without getting someone to watch in his leading to it was open.”

  place,” the deputy told me. “Took the job

  They all stared at me. Susan was seriously, he did. Couldn’t have looked after puzzled.

  things better if the joint had belonged to him.”

  Thrilling Detective

  16

  I would have liked to talk to him could tell the sheriff later.

  longer, but I had to go. Larry Swift was A moment afterward Susan Foster came supposed to be the cook that night, but Howe

  through the swinging doors.

  was busy, trying to whip him into shape to

  “Can you use some help?”

  take over Albright’s part.

  “Can I? The roast is done. The

  I had to hand it to Howe. Nothing

  potatoes aren’t. How do you make gravy?”

  stopped the little man. Death or no, he meant

  “Let mamma,” she said, and proceeded

  to go ahead with his plans, opening the Inn

  to take charge. In ten minutes she had

  Theater on schedule.

  everything straightened out. There was no

  For myself, I’d almost forgotten about

  service. We just stacked the food at the end of my play. What with the excitement of the

  one of the long tables in the dining room and

  night before and working in the kitchen all

  everyone lined up and helped himself.

  that day.

  Afterwards another squad took over

  The deputy’s voice recalled me.

  and did the dishes. No one talked much after

  “Sheriff thinks that the old actor did

  dinner. The company gathered into little

  hang himself. He was nuts. He killed Albright

  groups in the lobby. I noticed that the younger and was getting ready to kill that Foster girl, Jones girl kept as far away from her sister as when old Jim probably discovered him she could, sitting by herself in a corner, white digging that hole in her ceiling. So that feller faced and tense.

  Anthony, he killed the watchman.”

  “That kid ought to be away from

  “What did he do with the body?” I was

  here,” I told Susan in an undertone.

  taking the roast out of the oven and didn’t

  turn.

  SHE nodded. “The sheriff won’t let her leave.

  “Could have dumped it in the lake.

  He won’t let anyone leave. The inquest is

  Might have carried it down the fire escape,

  tomorrow, although what they hope to find

  you know. That would account for the out, I don’t know.”

  window being open.”

  That reminded me. “Where’s the

  It would. I burned my hand on the

  sheriff?” I hadn’t seen him for dinner, nor for roaster because I was thinking more about the

  that matter the deputy.

  problem than about what I was trying to do.

  “They went back to town,” she said.

  The old watchman had been small. He “The deputy’s coming out again later. But it’s wouldn’t have been heavy. Anthony must just routine. They’ve made up their minds that have been seventy if he was a day. He Anthony killed Albright, tried to cut that hole certainly seemed frail to have been so active.

  into my room and hanged himself later.”

  All th
is made me think of something

  “Do you think so?”

  else. If Anthony had carried the watchman

  She looked at me squarely for an

  down the fire escape, he’d have gotten wet.

  instant, then turned and gazed thoughtfully

  No one could have gone out into that rain

  into the fire.

  without becoming pretty well soaked. And the

  “I don’t know. It seems—well—

  body hadn’t been wet at all. The clothes were

  absurd. He was so old.”

  perfectly dry when we found his body.

  “His clothes weren’t wet,” I said.

  I started to tell the deputy this, but the

  She looked back, startled.

  man had finished his coffee and was already

  “What’s that got to do with it?”

  on his feet, moving toward the door. Besides,

  I explained about the sheriff’s theory

  the roast needed my attention. I thought I

  that the murderer had gotten rid of the old

  The Second Act Is Murder

  17

  watchman, by carrying his body down the fire

  pulled it open and found the watchman.

  escape.

  He was sitting on the floor, his back

  “Anthony’s clothes would have been

  against the wall, his legs doubled up in a

  wet from the rain if he’d done that,” I strained position. For an instant I thought he explained. “Come to think of it, it wasn’t

  was asleep. But he wasn’t. He was dead.

  Anthony. This other man’s clothes did feel

  He’d been dead a long time. The body

  damp.”

  was cold and rigid. I couldn’t have

  “Now what are you talking about?”

  straightened out his legs had I wanted to.

  Her face grew concerned, as if she feared that He hadn’t been in my closet, however.

  I also was going crazy.

  He couldn’t have been because the sheriff and

  “The man in the darkness,” I his men had searched the whole hotel. Or had explained. “He tried to knife me. His clothes

  they? Albright’s room had been locked the

  were wet and he wasn’t as big as Anthony, for

  night before after his body had been removed.

  he had to reach up to grasp my throat.”

  They hadn’t searched Albright’s room,

  “It

  sounds

  silly.”

  thinking that no one could get in there. But

  “Probably,” I told her. “Want to take a

  what if the murderer had a key? He could have

  ride? I’d like to go into town for a little

  put the watchman’s body in there. And

  while.”

  Albright’s room opened into the same bath as

  “I can’t. We’re rehearsing. If it wasn’t

  mine.

  Anthony, who did it?”

  I crossed over and tried the connecting

  “I don’t know,” I said. “The watchman

  door. It wasn’t bolted. Then I went back and

  was smaller than I am. It might have been you.

  looked down at the watchman, wondering if I

  I assumed it was a man, but a woman could

  should move him. I decided not to. He would

  have been wearing a man’s coat. You could

  be as comfortable there as anywhere else. I got have circled the hall and come in through the

  my coat, closed the closet door and went

  other room.”

  downstairs.

  She shuddered. “You’re not very

  Susan Foster was just disappearing

  funny.”

  through the door which led to the theater and I

  “I wasn’t trying to be,” I told her. “I’m

  called to her. She waited until I reached her

  just pointing out possibilities. It might have side and I pressed a small, twenty-five

  been Mary Jones. They tried to blame her for

  automatic into her hand. It wasn’t much of a

  killing Albright, or Larry Swift.”

  gun. I’d picked it up in Honolulu more as a

  “Or you,” she said. “Maybe there souvenir than anything else, but it would wasn’t a man in there at all. Maybe you just

  shoot.

  stuck the knife through your sleeve.”

  Her eyes got wide as she realized what

  “We heard the sound as we came it was.

  upstairs,” I pointed out.

  “What’s this for, Mark?”

  “There,” she said. “I told you you were

  “Stay with the crowd until I get back,”

  trying to be funny. I was with you then, so it I said in a low voice. “If you’re alone and

  couldn’t have been me.”

  anything suspicious happens, shoot first and

  I left her and went over to ask Howe if

  ask questions afterwards.”

  I could borrow the Ford. I don’t believe he

  even heard me. He was busy lining up the

  cast. I took his nod for assent and went after a CHAPTER V

  coat. The door of my wardrobe was closed. I

  EVIL UNMASKED

  Thrilling Detective

  18

  FROM the telephone exchange I called We were rehearsing. He was standing in the Boyton Fenner, the dramatic critic of the wings. A curtain weight nearly fell on him. It Dispatch. He was an old friend and I asked

  just missed.”

  him to find out some things for me, telling

  “You’re

  sure?”

  him that I’d call back in two hours. Hanging

  “Sure?” It was her turn to stare. “Why,

  up I went in search of the sheriff, I found him of course.”

  at his home. At first he refused to listen. In

  “I mean, you’re certain that the weight

  fact he showed not the slightest interest in

  was meant for Howe, not for someone else?” I

  what I had to say until I told him about finding stammered a little.

  the old watchman in my closet. That struck

  “It must have been Howe,” she told

  home. He’d known Jim Cobb for years and I

  me. “He was in the wings, by himself. All the

  judged from what he said that they’d been

  rest of us were on stage. We could see him,

  friends of a sort.

  but the one of us closest to him was more than I left his place finally, went back to the

  twenty feet away.”

  telephone office, and called Fenner He had

  I turned and walked toward the door of

  used his paper’s connections. He hadn’t found

  the converted ballroom. The stage was nearly

  out much but it had to do. I thanked him and

  empty. Howe. Larry Swift and Mary Jones

  hung up.

  were standing at the far side. I mounted the

  It was well after eleven when I turned

  four steps and crossed toward the wings. A

  the old Ford into the big garage. I’m not

  small canvas sack of sand lay on the boards.

  particularly timid, but I pulled the thirty-eight one side split a little so that the sand leaked from my pocket and laid it in my lap before

  out. Attached to it was a short length of rope.

  parking the car in the garage.

  I picked this up, examining the end.

  Nothing happened and I moved Obviously the fibers had been cut with a sharp quickly toward the hotel. It had stopped knife. But the cut had not parted one strand raining. Here and there a star was trying to

  entirel
y. Some of the fibers were rough and

  fight its way through the overcast. I pushed

  irregular as if they had been broken rather

  the french doors open and stepped in, knowing

  than cut.

  as I did so that something had happened in my

  I turned. Howe and the others were

  absence. Occupants of the room were tense

  coming toward me. Larry Swift was white and

  with suppressed excitement.

  nervous.

  My first thought and fear was for

  “You should have been here, De

  Susan. Relief flooded through me as I saw her

  Cloudt,” Swift said. “That weight came

  slim, straight figure before the fire-place. Not crashing down without warning, and from

  until that moment had I stopped to realize how where I stood I don’t see how it missed

  much this girl had come to mean to me.

  Bertrand. I swear it was only by an inch.”

  “Mark!” She’d heard me come in.

  I glanced at Howe for confirmation,

  Turning, she moved quickly toward me. but he shook his head.

  “Mark, I’m glad you’re here.”

  “I don’t know how close it came. To

  I caught her by the shoulders. “What is

  tell you the truth, I didn’t see it. I was looking it?”

  the other way. It took me a full minute to

  “Someone tried to kill Bertrand,” she said.

  realize what had happened.”