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Page 5
Kennedy stooped over, making a superficial examination of the
girl. I saw that some faint odor caught his nostrils, for he
remained poised a moment, inhaling reflectively, his eyes clouded
in thought. Then he went to the windows, raising the shades an
additional few inches each, but that did not seem to give him the
light he wished.
In the room were the portable arcs used in the making of scenes
in an actual interior setting. The connections ran to heavy
insulated junction boxes at the ends of two lines of stiff black
stage cable. Near the door the circuits were joined and a single
lead of the big duplex cord ran out along the polished hardwood
floor, carried presumably to the house circuit at a fuse box
where sufficient amperage was available. Kennedy's eyes followed
out the wires quickly. Then, motioning to me to help, he wheeled
one of the heavy stands around and adjusted the hood so that the
full strength of the light would be cast upon Stella. The arc in
place, he threw the switch, and in the sputtering flood of
illumination dropped to his knees, taking a powerful pocket lens
from his waistcoat and beginning an inch by inch examination of
her skin.
I gained a fresh realization of the beauty of the star as she lay
under the dazzling electric glow, and in particular I noticed the
small amount of make-up she had used and the natural firmness of
her flesh. She was dressed in a modish, informal dinner dress, of
embroidered satin, cut fairly low at front and back and with
sleeves of some gauzelike material reaching not halfway to her
elbow, hardly sleeves at all, in fact.
Kennedy with his glass went over her features with extreme care.
I saw that he drew her hair back, and that then he parted it, to
examine her scalp, and I wondered what infinitesimal clue might
be the object of his search. I had learned, however, never to
question him while he was at work.
With his eye glued to his lens he made his way about and around
her neck, and down and over her throat and chest so far as it
remained unprotected by the silk of her gown. With the aid of
Mackay he turned her over to examine her back. Next he returned
the body to its former position and began to inspect the arms.
Very suddenly something caught his eye on the inside of her right
forearm. He grunted with satisfaction, straightened, pulled the
switch of the arc, wiped his eyes, which were watering.
"Find anything, Mr. Kennedy?" Doctor Blake seemed to understand,
to some extent, the purpose of the examination.
Kennedy did not answer, probably preoccupied with theories which
I could see were forming in his mind.
The library was a huge room of greater length than breadth. At
one end were wide French windows looking out upon the garden and
summer house. The door to the hallway and living room was very
broad, with heavy sliding panels and rich portieres of a velours
almost the tint of the wood-work. Between the door, situated in
the side wall near the opposite end, and the windows, was a
magnificent stone fireplace with charred logs testifying to its
frequent use. The couch where Stella lay had been drawn back from
its normal position before the fire, together with a huge table
of carved walnut. The other two walls were an unbroken succession
of shelves, reaching to the ceiling and literally packed with
books.
Facing the windows and the door, so as to include the fireplace
and the wide sweep of the room within range, were two cameras
still set up, the legs of their tripods nested, probably left
exactly as they were at the moment of Stella's collapse. I
touched the handle of one, a Bell & Howell, and saw that it was
threaded, that the film had not been disturbed. The lights,
staggered and falling away from the camera lines, were arranged
to focus their illumination on the action of the scenes. There
were four arcs and two small portable banks of Cooper-Hewitts,
the latter used to cut the sharp shadows and give a greater
evenness to the photography. Also there were diffusers
constructed of sheets of white cloth stretched taut on frames.
These reflected light upward upon the faces of the actors,
softening the lower features, and so valuable in adding to the
attractiveness of the women in particular.
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