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Page 97
"I think our evidence is safest in plain sight, Walter. We'll
carry it about with us."
Lloyd Manton seemed to be a genuinely unhappy individual. After
some moments he excused himself, nervously anxious about the turn
of affairs at the studio. Immediately I faced Kennedy and Mackay.
"Manton's the only one who knew just where we put the bag," I
remarked. "When he left us in the basement he had plenty of time
to run up and steal the towel and return."
"How about the itching salve?"
"In his hurry he might have left the towel in the paper,
intending to destroy it later."
Kennedy frowned. "That's possible, Walter. I had not thought of
that. Still"--he brightened--"I'm counting on human nature. I
don't believe anyone guilty of the crime could have that towel in
his possession, after the hints I have thrown out, without
examining it so as to see what telltale mark or stain would be
apt to betray his identity."
"You can see that Manton's the logical man?"
"It would be easy for anyone else to follow and observe us."
"Then--?"
"First of all we must keep an eye out for any person showing
signs of the itching concoction. We must observe anyone with
noticeably clean hands. Principally, however, another thing
worries me."
"What's that, Mr. Kennedy?" asked Mackay.
"Walter and I found a cigarette case belonging to Jack Gordon in
the basement; also a butt smoked three-quarters of the way down
and left directly in the negative room. The fire doors between
the different film vaults, which are arranged like the safety
compartments in a ship, were all open. I want to know why Gordon
was down there and--well, I seem to sense something wrong."
"Good heavens! Craig," I interposed. "You don't attach any
importance to the fact that those doors were open!"
"Walter, in a case of real mystery the slightest derangement of
matters of ordinary routine is a cause for suspicion."
I had no answer, and as we re-entered the studio I devoted my
attention to the various people we had tabulated as possible
suspects, noticing that Kennedy and Mackay did likewise.
Jack Gordon was in the ballroom scene in make-up. Kauf still was
concerned with technical details of the set and lighting, and,
although the cameras were set up, they were not in proper place,
nor was either camera man in evidence. With Gordon was Enid. From
a distance they seemed to be engaged in an argument of real
magnitude. There was no mistaking the dislike on the part of each
for the other.
Marilyn was the most uneasy of all of the principals. She was
pacing up and down, glancing about in frank distress of mind. I
looked at her hands and saw that she had crushed a tube of grease
paint in her nervousness. Not only her fingers were soiled, but
there were streaks on her arms where she had smeared herself
unconsciously. As we watched she left the studio, hurrying out
the door without a backward glance. Marilyn, at least, showed no
indications of the salve, nor of painfully recent acquaintance
with water.
Both Manton and Phelps were in evidence, decidedly so, I
imagined, from, the viewpoint of poor Kauf. Manton, at the heels
of his new director, was doing all he could to help. Phelps,
following Manton about, seemed to be urging haste upon the
promoter. The result was far from advantageous to picture making;
it was concentrated distraction.
Millard was poring over the manuscript, perched upon a chair the
wrong way so that its back would serve as a desk, engaged busily
in making changes here and there in the pages with a pencil. Like
any author, it was never too late for minor improvements and
suggestions. I don't doubt but that if Manton had permitted it,
Millard would have been quite apt to interrupt a scene in the
taking in order to add some little touch occurring to him as his
action sprang to life in the interpretation of players and
director. At any rate, his hands seemed more clean than those of
either Manton or Phelps, proving nothing because he was at a
task not so apt to bring him into contact with dirt.
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