Эллери Куин: Dutch Shoe Mystery

Ellery gulped down a mouthful of water. The room was still as death.

“From that moment the entire story was spread before my eyes. I asked for a map of the main floor, and sought to retrace the route by which she might possibly have engineered that daring crime in such a way that she was apparently her own self as a nurse, and the impostor of Dr. Janney at the same time.

“By study and careful piecing together of old elements I was able to work out a time-schedule such as Lucille Price must have used to accomplish this seeming miracle. Let me read it to you.”

Ellery dug into his breast-pocket and took out a tattered notebook. Harper became unusually busy with a pencil and a scrap of paper. Ellery read rapidly:

“10:29 — The real Dr. Janney called away.

“10:30 — Lucille Price opens door from Anteroom, slips into Anteroom lift, closes door, fastens East Corridor door to prevent interruptions, dons shoes, white duck trousers, gown, cap and gag previously planted there or somewhere in the Anteroom, leaves her own shoes in elevator, her own clothes being covered by the new. Slips into East Corridor via lift door, turns corner into South Corridor, goes along South Corridor until she reaches Anæsthesia Room. Limping all the time, in imitation of Janney, with gag concealing her features and cap her hair, she passes rapidly through the Anæsthesia Room, being seen by Dr. Byers, Miss Obermann and Cudahy, and enters Anteroom, closing door behind her.

“10:34 — Approaches comatose Mrs. Doorn, strangles her with wire concealed under her clothes; calls out in her own voice at appropriate time, ‘I’ll be out in a moment, Dr. Janney!’ or words to that effect. (Of course, she did not go into the Sterilizing Room as she claimed in her testimony.) When Dr. Gold stuck his head into the Anteroom he saw Miss Price in surgical robes bending over the body, her back to him. Naturally Gold did not see a nurse; there was none, as such, there.

“10:38 — Leaves Anteroom through Anæsthesia Room, retraces steps along South and East Corridors, slips into lift, removes male garments, puts on own shoes, hurries out again to deposit male clothes in telephone booth just outside lift door, and returns to Anteroom via lift door as before.

“10:43 — Is back in Anteroom in her own personality as Lucille Price.

“The entire process consumed no more than twelve minutes.”

Ellery smiled and put away his notebook. “The shoestring broke as she put on the men’s canvas shoes in the lift before committing the murder. All she had to do was to return to the Anteroom through the lift door, open the supply cabinet next to it, snip off a piece of adhesive tape with her pocket-scissors from a roll in the drawer, and go back to the lift. Any one could do this in twenty seconds if he knew, as she did, just where to look for the adhesive. Incidentally, it was the roll of adhesive from which the shoe piece had been cut, that I looked for after outlining the schedule roughly. It was not absolute certainty that the tape was taken from the Anteroom cabinet, but it was surely the logical place. And so I found, having compared the jagged edge left on the roll with the piece we found in the shoe. They jibed exactly. That’s evidence, Mr. District Attorney?”

“Yes.”

“Miss Price could have put the adhesive-roll in her own pocket after she used it, thereby disposing of it. But she didn’t think of it. Or if she did, she may have decided to risk a few extra seconds in order to avoid having the dangerous roll on her person.

“Remember that the Anteroom had been unused from the time the investigation started — and under guard. However, even if she had taken the roll away, this wouldn’t have affected the solution. Please bear in mind that I solved the crime before I thought of looking for the roll. And so I say — to sum up — the shoes and the trousers told me everything but the name of the murderess; the cabinet told me the name. And it was all over.”

He stopped and regarded them with a weary smile.

Puzzled looks were breaking out on the faces of his audience. Harper was quivering with excitement; he sat on the edge of his chair strained and tense.

Sampson said uneasily, “There’s something loose somewhere. It isn’t all... How about Kneisel?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Ellery at once. “I should have explained that the guilt of Lucille Price didn’t eliminate the possibility of an accomplice. She might have been the instrument, with a male brain directing her from the background. Kneisel might have been the owner of that brain. He had motive — with the deaths of Mrs. Doorn and Dr. Janney, he made certain of plenty of funds to carry on his work and absolutely sole possession of its proceeds. And all his pretty theories might have been so much sand thrown into our eyes. But—”

“Accomplice...” muttered the Police Commissioner. “So that’s why Swanson was nabbed this afternoon...”

“What!” exclaimed the District Attorney. “Swanson?”

Inspector Queen smiled faintly. “It was rush, Henry, and we didn’t get a chance to notify you. Swanson was arrested this afternoon as the accomplice of Lucille Price. Just a moment, please.”

He telephoned to Sergeant Velie. “Thomas, I want you to get those two together... Swanson and the Price woman... Nothing out of her yet?... See if that does it.” He hung up. “Well know very shortly.”

“Why Swanson?” objected Dr. Minchen mildly. “He certainly couldn’t have done either job himself: Janney alibied him for the first murder, and you yourselves alibi him for the second. I don’t see—”

Ellery said: “Swanson was my bête noire from the beginning. I simply couldn’t believe that pure coincidence made him claim Dr. Janney’s attention at precisely the time when Janney was being impersonated. Don’t forget that Lucille Price’s plan absolutely depended on getting Janney out of sight while she was posing as him. Then, getting Janney out of sight at the right time wasn’t coincidence, but planned. Swanson was the instrument, therefore. Was he innocently involved — did she get him to call on Janney without knowledge of what the call signified — or was he a guilty accomplice?

“But when Mr. Swanson visited the District Attorney’s office, giving himself a clear alibi from the most unimpeachable source in the city just as Dr. Janney was being murdered, I knew that he was a guilty accomplice. And I remembered that Swanson was the greatest gainer from the deaths of both Janney and Abby! Abby’s legacy to Janney; Janney’s death, leaving the money to Swanson — it fitted perfectly.”

The telephone rang and Inspector Queen snatched it from the desk. He listened with reddening face. Then he banged the receiver on its hook, shouting, “It’s all over! The minute Swanson and Lucille Price were brought together Swanson broke down and confessed! We’ve got ’em, by God!”

Harper leaped from his chair. His eyes pleaded wildly, beseeching Ellery. “Can I beat it now — or better, can I ’phone the office from here?”

“I think so, Pete,” smiled Ellery. “I keep my bargains.” Harper grabbed the telephone. “Shoot!” he cried when he had received his connection. And that was all. He sat back, grinning like an ape.

The Police Commissioner without a word rose and departed.

“Y’know,” said Harper thoughtfully, “I’ve wondered all along how it was possible for the murderer to have arranged such a complicated scheme of action in less than two hours after an accident which could not have been foreseen. And even aside from that, it seemed to me that the whole murder was sort of unnecessary. After all, Mrs. Doorn might have died as a result of the operation, and it sure would have saved a load of trouble for the murderer.”