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Page 20
Phelps's attitude became frankly malicious. "If I had, or if any
of us had, we wouldn't have found it necessary to send for Prof.
Craig Kennedy, or"--turning to me--"the representative of the New
York Star."
Kennedy, undisturbed, walked to the side of Mackay. "I'll leave
Mr. Phelps and his house in your care," he remarked, in a low
voice.
Mackay grinned. I saw that the district attorney had little love
for the owner of this particular estate in Tarrytown.
Kennedy led the way into the living room. Immediately the various
people he had questioned clustered up with varying degrees of
anxiety. Had the mystery been solved?
He gave them no satisfaction, but singled out Manton, who seemed
eager to get away.
"Where is Millard? I would like to talk to him."
"I'll try to get him for you. Suppose--" Manton looked at his
watch. "I should be in at the studio," he explained. "Everything
is at a standstill, probably, and--and so, suppose you and Mr.
Jameson ride in with me in my car. Millard might be there."
Kennedy brightened. "Good!" Then he looked back to catch the eye
of Mackay. "Let everyone go now," he directed. "Don't forget to
send me the samples of the body fluids and"--as an afterthought--
"you'd better keep a watch on the house."
VI
THE FIRST CLUE
Manton's car was a high-powered, expensive limousine, fitted
inside with every luxury of which the mind of even a prima donna
could conceive, painted a vivid yellow that must have made it an
object of attention even on its familiar routes. It was quite
characteristic of its owner, for Manton, as we learned, missed no
chance to advertise himself.
In the back with us was Werner, while the rest of the company
were left to return to the city in the two studio cars which had
brought them out in the morning. The director, however, seemed
buried with his reflections. He took no part in the conversation;
paid no attention to us upon the entire trip.
Manton's mind seemed to dwell rather upon the problems brought up
by the death of Stella than upon the tragedy itself. The Star's
photoplay editor once had remarked to me that the promoter was 90
per cent "bull," and 10 per cent efficiency. I found that it was
an unfair estimation. With all his self-advertisement and almost
obnoxious personality, Manton was a more than capable executive
in a business where efficiency and method are rare.
"This has been a hoodoo picture from the start," he exclaimed,
suddenly. "We have been jinxed with a vengeance. Some one has
held the Indian sign on us for sure."
Kennedy, I noticed, listened, studying the man cautiously from
the corners of his eyes, but making no effort to draw him out.
"First there were changes to be made in the script, and for those
Millard took his own sweet time. Then we were handed a lot of
negative which had been fogged in the perforator, a thing that
doesn't happen once in a thousand years. But it caught us just as
we sent the company down to Delaware Water Gap. A whole ten days'
work went into the developer at once. Neither of the camera men
caught the fog in their tests because it came in the middle of
the rolls. Everything had to be done over again.
"And accidents! We carefully registered the principal accomplice
of the 'Black Terror,' a little hunchback with a face to send
chills down your back. After we had him in about half the scenes
of a sequence of action he was taken sick and died of influenza.
First we waited a few days; then we had to take all that stuff
over again.
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