Part 21 (1/2)
Then I handed him the needle, telling him in a few brief words of my visit to Werner's apartment, of the hallboy's confirmation of a nocturnal trip of some sort, of my search of the desk and some other parts of the suite. ”I fixed it so that he won't hear of my visit, at least for some time. He won't suspect who it was, in any case.”
Kennedy examined the hypodermic.
”Not like the one used,” he murmured.
”I thought that,” I explained. ”It simply indicates he is a dope fiend and is familiar with the use of a needle. Here!” I produced the ink filler which I had used to bring a sample of the contents of the bottle. ”This seems to be what he uses. What is it?”
Kennedy sniffed, then looked closely at the liquid through the gla.s.s of the tube. ”It's a coca preparation,” he explained. ”If Werner uses this, he's unquestionably a regular drug addict.”
”Well,” I paused, triumphantly, ”the case against the chief director of Manton Pictures grows stronger all the time.”
”Not necessarily,” contradicted Kennedy, perhaps to draw me out.
”He's familiar with hypodermic syringes,” I repeated.
”Which doesn't prove that no one else would use one.”
”Anyhow, he was out until four A.M. last night and some one broke into Phelps's house to--”
”You can't establish the fact that he went out there. There are plenty of other places he could have been until four in the morning.”
”But I can a.s.sume--”
”If you are going to a.s.sume anything, Walter, why not a.s.sume he was the second man, the man who watched the actual intruder?”
I turned away, despairing of my ability to convince Kennedy. As a matter of fact I had forgotten the other prowler at Tarrytown.
Then I noticed that the one guinea pig in the separate cage was dead.
In an instant I was all curiosity to know the results of Kennedy's investigations.
”Did you make any progress?” I asked.
”Yes!” Now I noticed for the first time that he was in fine humor. ”I had quite finished the first stage of my a.n.a.lysis when you came in.”
”Then what was it? What was the poison that killed Stella Lamar?” I glanced at the stiff, p.r.o.ne figure of the little animal.
Kennedy cleared his throat. ”Well,” he replied, ”I began the study with the discovery I made, which I told you, that strange proteins were present.” He picked up the ampulla and regarded it thoughtfully. Then he fingered the bit of silk cut from the portieres. ”It is a poison more deadly, more subtle, than any ever concocted by man, Walter.”
”Yes?” I was painfully eager.
”It is snake venom!”
XVI
ENID a.s.sISTS
”A poison more subtle than any concocted by man!” repeated Kennedy.
It was a startling declaration and left me quite speechless for the moment.