Evening Star Newspaper, November 3, 1930, Page 20

The Scarab Murder se By S. S. Van Dine’ INSTALLMENT XXIIL \HE Egyptian entered the room with a resigned, martyr-like air, In one hand he held a small circular tin container bfl:elx a white paper label. He pl it solemnly on the table and lifted heavy eyes to Vance. “I found the opium, effendi.” “Where?” The word was spoken softly. Hani hesitated and dropped his gaze. “It was not in the cabinet,” he said. “The place on the shelf where it was generally kept, was empty. . . . And ‘Then I remembered.” “Most convenient” There was a sneer in Vance's tone. “You remembered that you yourself had taken the opium some time ago—eh, what? . .. Couldn't sleep—or something of the kind.” “The effendi understands many things.” Hani's voice was flat and expressionless. “Several weeks ago I was lying awake —1I had not slept well for nights—and I went to the cabinet and took the opium to my room. I placed the con- tainer in the drawer of my own cab- inet.” Copyright. 1930, by 8. THE EVENING tics in common )| with the ostrich, which is erroneously sald to bury its head in the sand when {]in danger. You have merely your head in a tin of opium.” “Vance effendi is too erudite for my Van Ding | interior comprehension. . .'. X | “You're extr'ordin'rily tiresome, Henl.” Vance turned his back and walked to ‘Where did | the other end of the room. * Go away, S . o plea: quite away.” nse. find that tin of oplum?” yo‘l‘hnlfla.l'u'lnk nwnyotpnd his arms fell| At this moment there was a disturb- to his sides. “Where did you find the | ance in the hall outside. We could oplum?” Vance repeated the question.|hear angry voices at the end of the “I have explained, effendi.” Despite | corridor. They became louder, and &:, md&eu o:‘ H‘lnl' e was not convincing. explained—but you ggvzn't told the (firmly by the arm. The doctor, fully truth. The cpium was not in your|clothed and with his hat on, was pro- rcom—although you have & reason for | testing volubly. His face was pale and wanting us to think so. . . . A rea-|his eyes had a hunted, frightened look. son! What is it? . . . Perhaps I can “What's the meaning of this?” }j! guess that reason. You lied to me be- | addressed no one in particul 1 cause you found the oplum——" wanted to g} out to get a bit of fresh “Effendi! . . . Don't continue. You [&ir and this bully dragged me down- are_ being deceived. . . .” stairs— am not being deceived by you,{ Snitkin looked toward Markham. Hani (I had rarely seen Vance so “1 was told by Sergt. Heath not to earnest.) ‘““You unutterable ass! Don't |let any one leave the house, and this you understand that I knew where you'd [guy tries to make a getaway. Full of find the oplum? Do you think I'd| hauchoor, too * * * Whaddya want have sent you to look for it if I hadn't [done with him?” been pretty certain where it was? And “I see no reason why the doctor you've told me—in your circuitous | shouldn’t take an airin’, don’t y’ know.” Egyptian way you've informed me most | Vance spoke to Markham. “We shan't lucidly.’ Vance relaxed and smiled.| wint to confer with him till late: “But my real reason for sending you “It's bully with me,” Heath agreed. to search for the sleeping powder was to ascertain to what extent you were involved in the plof buried | you. nner, his | presently Snitkin appeared at the door | es! You've | of the breakfast room holding Dr. Bliss | > STAR, WASHINGTON, kham nodded to Snitkin, an hour or so. We'll want to question “I'll be back before that—I only want the park for a while” and distraught. “T feel unusually heavy and suffoca My ears are ringing frightfully. “And, I take it,” put in Vance, “you've been inordinately thirsty.” The doctor regarded him with mild surprise. “I've consumed at least a gallon of water since going to my room. I hope I'm not in for an attack of ma- At - “I hope mot, sir. I believe youll feel perfectly normal later on.” Bliss hesitated on the door sill. “Anything new?” he asked. . Vance spoke without “But we'll talk of that Bl frowned and was about to ask another question, but he changed his mind, and bowing, went away, Snitkin trailing after him sourly. (FRIDAY, JULY 13, 3:345 PM.). It was Hanl who broke the silence after Bliss' departure. “You wish me to go away, effendi?” he asked Vance, with a respect that struck me as overdone. “Yes, yes.” Vance had become dis- trait and introspective. I knew some- thing was preying on his mind. He D. C, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1930.' stood near the table, his hands in his pockets, regarding the samovar intently. “Go upstairs, Hani. Take some sodium bicarbonate—and meditate. bend yourself, so to speak; indulge in & bit of ‘holy exercise,’ as Shakespeare calls it in—is it Richard III?" “Yes, effendi—in Act III. Catesby uses the phrase to the Duke of Buck- ingham.” “Astonishin’!” Vance studied the Egyptian critically. “I had no ides the fellahin were so well versed in the classics.” “For hours at a time I read to Meryt- Amen when she was young—" ‘We'll send for you when we need In the meantime wait in your % Hani bowed and moved toward the al “Do not be deceived by appearances, effendi,” he sald solemnly, lg:nin( at the door. “I do not fully understand the things that have happened in this house today; but do not forget——" “Thanks awfully,” Vance waved his hand in dismissal. “I at least shall not forget that your name is Anupu.” With a black look the man went out. Markham was growing more and |la more impatient. “Everything in this case seems to ter out,” he complained. “Any one n the household could have put the opium in the coffee—which leaves us just where we were before we came here to the breakfast room . . . By the way, where do you think Hani found the can of opium?” Vance dropped the mat- o “Oh, that? Why in Salveter’s room, of course . . . Rather obvious, don't y* know.” “I'm damned if I see anything ob- vious about it. Why should Salveter have left it there?” ‘There’s a dues ex machina in our midst, and he's troublin’ himself horribly about the situation. The plot has been far too clever, and there' tutelary genius who's attempting to simplify “matters or Htl:h made a throaty noise of violent “Well, 'm here to tell you he's mak- ing & hell of a job of it.” Vance smiled sympathetically. “A hellish job, let us say, sergeant.” Markham regarded him with a quiz- zical frown. “Do you believe, Vance, that Hanl was in this room after Mrs. Bliss and Salveter had gone upstairs?” “It's ble. In fact, it seems more likely that it was Hani than either Mrs. Bliss or Salveter.” “If the had been un- front door " Markham offered, “it might concelvably been some one from the outside.” for a bit of caffein nlmullnmfla takling his victim in the museum.” He did not give Markham time to reply, but went to the door. ‘“Come. Let's chivy the occupants of the draw- ing room. We need more data—oh, many more data.” He led the way upstairs. As we walked along the heavily carpeted upper hall toward the drawing room door the sound of an angry, high- pitched voice came to us. Mrs, Bliss ‘was _speaking: and I caught the final words of a sentence. “...should have waited." ‘Then Salveter answered In a horse, tense tone: “Meryt! You're insane - Vance cleared his throat, and there was silence. Before we entered the room, how- ever, Hennessey, beckoned mysteriously to Heath from the front of the hall. ‘The sergeant forward past the drawing room door, and the rest of :r;nunlin[ some revelation, followed | “You know that bird Scarlett who you told me:to let go"” Hennessey re- ported in a stage whisper; “well, just | a8 he was going out he turned suddenly and ran upstairs. I was going to chase him, but since you O. K'd him, I thought it was all right. A couple minutes later he came down and went away without a word. Then I got to thinking that maybe I shoulda followed him upstairs i “You acted correctly, Hennessey.” Vance spoke before the sergeant could reply. “No reason why he shouldn't have gone _upstairs—probably went there to speak to Doctor Bliss.” Hennessey appeared relleved and looked hopefully toward Heath, merely grunted disdainfully. “And, by the continued; “wl upstairs the low voice: “That's why I sent Hanl upstairs alone. I had an ides he'd grasp the opportunity to commune with Mrs. Bliss.” He again gfln to Hennessey. “How long was Hanl in the drawing room?” “A minute or two maybe—not long.” The detective was growing apprehen- sive. “Shouldn’t I have let him go n?" Oh, certainly . . . And then what happened?"” “The guy comes outa the room, look= ing worried, and goes upstairs. Pretty soon he comes down again carrying a tin can in his hand. ‘What you got there, Abdullah?' I asks. ‘Bome!.hml Mr. Vance sent me to get. Any objec- tions?’ he says. ‘Not if you're on the level; but I don't like your looks, T answers. And then he give me the high hat and goes downstairs.” “Perfect, Hennessev.” Vance nodded encouragingly and, taking Markham by the arm, walked back toward the draw= ing room. “I think we'd better ques- tion Mrs. Bliss.” (To be continued.) i c Coal consumption in France continues to decline. tal 4 L4 \d “And forgot to return it,” Vance concluded. “I do hope it cured your insomnia.” He smiled ironically. “You are an outrageous liar, Hani. But I do not blame you altogether- “I have told ypu the truth.’ “Se non ¢ vero, ¢ molto ben trovato.” Vance sat down, frowning. . “I do not speak Italian....” “A quotation from Bruno.” He in- spected the Egyptian _speculatively. “Clawed into the vulgate, it means that, although you have not spoken the r.mlllh. you have invented your lie very | well.” “Thank you, effendi.” Vance sighed and shook his head with simulated weariness. Then he said: “And you found out, effendi?” There were both awe resignation in the D TOMORROW WooDwWARD & LLOTHRO 10™ 11™ F AND G STREETSs “You were not gone long enough to have made any extensive search for the opium. You probably found it in the first place you looked—you had a fairly definite idea where you'd find it. . . ."” “As 1 told you—-" “Dash it all! . You're becoming very borin’. . .. . Menacingly, Vance rose and stepped toward the Egyptian. His eyes were The Men’s Store Presents a Noteworthy Selection of MEN’S WINTER OVERCOATS ... reflecting exceptionally good taste at prices reflecting exceptionally good value e (ascarets; THEY WORK s WHI'E YOU SLEEP \VOODW};\RD & LoTHROP TEU™ P ane 6 Staceve Learn to Play Backgammon and Contract Bridge In Public Classes or Private Lessons Here The general tendency with all new overcoats this season is towards a semi-form-fitting style—while form-fitting, they are not snug or tight-fitting. 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