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Page 115
I shook my head, but Kennedy continued.
"As a matter of fact, the use of that drug is not less clever
than the use of the venom or the toxin; it is more so. Stop and
think a minute! The snake venom was employed in the case of Miss
Lamar's death because it offered about the least possible chance
of leaving telltale clues behind. The snake poison could be
inflicted with a tiny scratch, and in such a way that an outcry
from the girl would never be noticed. Nothing but my pocket lens
caught the scratch; only the great care I used in my examination
put us on the trail at all.
"Now remember how Werner met his death. The toxin gave every
symptom of food poisoning. Except that we discovered the broken
stem of the wineglass we would never have been able to prove the
tragedy anything but accident. Very possibly we have Shirley to
thank for the fact that our one clue there was not removed or
destroyed.
"In both cases the selection of the poison was suited to the
conditions. Therefore, if an attempt was made to kill Shirley--
and of the fact I am sure--we might expect that the agent
likewise would be one least apt to create suspicion. There are no
portieres, no opportunity for the use of another venom; and
besides, that has lost its novelty, and so its value. Similarly
there is no use of food or wine in the scene, precluding
something else along the toxin order.
"Our unknown realizes that the safest place to commit murder is
where there is a crowd. He has followed that principle
consistently. In the case of the heavy man, who has a bit of
business before the camera where he drinks the contents of a
little bottle, the very cleverest thing is to use belladonna,
because Shirley has employed it for his eyes, and because"--
maliciously, almost--"it leads immediately to the hypothesis of
suicide."
"Ye gods, Craig!" A sudden thought struck me and rather terrified
me. "Do you suppose Enid Faye suggested the use of the drug to
Shirley as part of the scheme to kill him? Is she--"
"I prefer," Kennedy interrupted--"I prefer to suppose that the
guilty person overheard her, or perhaps saw him buy it or learned
in some other way that he was going to use it."
Completely taken up with this new line of thought, I failed to
question Kennedy further, and it was just as well because most of
the people were on their way down to the projection room, not
only those we wished present, but practically everyone of
sufficient importance about the studio to feel that he could
intrude.
Kennedy turned to Mackay, who had taken no part in our
discussion, although an interested listener. "You have the bag
and all the evidence?"
"Yes!" Mackay picked it up. "Watkins, the camera man, watched it
for me while Jameson and I went after that drug."
Kennedy stooped down quickly, but it was locked and had not been
tampered with.
In the corridor by the dressing rooms we met Kauf, and Kennedy
stopped him.
"How long would it take to make a print from the scene where
Shirley took the poison?"
"We could have it ready in half an hour, in a case of grim
necessity."
"Half an hour?" I exclaimed at that, in disbelief. "You couldn't
begin to dry the negative in that time, Kauf."
He glanced at me tolerantly. "We make what is called a wet print;
that is, we print from the negative while it is still wet and so
we only have the positive to dry. Then we put it on drums in a
forced draught of hot air. The result is not very good, but it's
a fine thing sometimes to get a picture of a parade or some
accident in a theater right after it happens."
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