A. Merritt's Fantasy Magazine, December 1949 — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

three “stippo sedly unsolved deaths—” ~~ __ I repeated: “What do you know that Fae the police don’t know, Bill?” ot oe said: “That Dick was murdered!” = St looked at him, bewildered. “But if he Se ~ put the bullet through his own brain—” - Ses He said: “I don’t blame. you for being Se puzzled. Nevertheless—I know Dick Ral- aS Ne _ ston killed himself, and yet I know just erie eas certainly that he was murdered.” He sat down upon the bed. -“T need a drink,” he said. I brought out the bottle of Scotch the ae room for home-coming welcome. He _ poured himself a stiff one. He ‘repeated: “Pm glad you’re back! We’ ve got a =e job ahead of us, Alan.” _I poured myself a drink; I asked: = “What i is it? To find Dick’s murderer?” ____ _He answered: “Yes ~that. But more es oe that. To stop more murders.” I poured him and myself another drink; = a5 said: “Stop beating about the bush and — tell me what it’s all about.” He looked at me, thoughtfully; he an- -_ swered, quietly: “No Alan. Not yet.” He put down his glass. “Suppose you had discovered a new bug, an unknown — germ—or thought you had. And had Studied it and noted its peculiarities. And __$ttppose you wanted some one to check == up. What would you do—give him all - your supposed observations first, and then ask him to look into the microscope to Ee verity them? Or simply give him an out- a and ask him to look into the micro- ope and find out for himself?” He ~ ~ ™ de, ae course.’ a, < 2 ~ new bug—or a very old one, although it Ss ae nothing whatever to do ‘with germs. a - But I’m not going to tell you any more about it until I put your eye to the micro- scope. I want your opinion uncolored by mine. Send out for a paper, will you?” I catled the office and told him to get me the latest edition of the Sum. When it came, Bill took it. He glanced over the first page, then turned the sheets until he came to what he was looking for. “Dick's reduced from page one to page five,” he said. “But I’ve gotten it over. ‘Read the first few paragraphs—all the rest is rehash and idle conjecture. Very A. MERRITT’S: FANTASY idle—not worth the- time to read. it. t = —“Outline—and find out for himself, of “Now for the kicker,” “Exactly. Well, I think T have such a pointed to the next paragraph: I read: Dr. William Bennett, the eminent brain specialist and associate of Dr. Austin Low- ell, the distinguished psychiatrist, visited - police Headquarters this morning and iden- ~ tified himself. as the “Bill” of the unfinished letter found in the bedroom of Richard J. ~ Ralston, Jr., after the latter’s suicide yes-: abet terday morning, Dr. Bennett said that undoubtedly the letter had been meant for him; that Mr. Ralston had been one of his oldest friends and had recently consulted him for what he might describe roughly as insomnia and bad dreams. Mr. Ralston had, in fact been his guest at dinner the night before. He had wanted Mr. Ralston to spend the night with him, but after consenting, he had changed his mind and gone home to sleep. That was what he had referred to in the opening sentence of his letter. Professional confi- dence prevented Dr. Bennett from going into further description of Mr. Ralston’s symptoms. Asked whether the mental con- dition of Mr. Ralston might explain why he had killed himself, Dr. Bennett guardedly replied that suicide was always the result of some mental condition. t help smiling at that. The “Alan” referred to in the letter, Dr. Bennett said, is Dr. Alan Caranac, who was also an old friend of Mr, Ralston, and who | is due in New York today on the Augustus after three years in Northern Africa. Dr. Caranac is well-known in scientific circles for his ethnological research. Dr. Bennett said that Mr. Ralston had thought that some of his symptoms might be explained _- by Dr. Caranac because of the latter’s study of certain obscure mental aberrations among: primitive peoples. Dr. Bennett talked freely with the report- ers after his statement to the police, but could add no essential facts beyond those he had given them. He did say that Mr. Ralston had withdrawn large sums in cash from his accounts during the two weeks — In spite of my. perplexity and sorrow, I couldn said Bill, and before his death, and that there was no. : evidence of what had become of them. He seemed immediately to regret that he had given this information, saying that the cir- cumstances could have no bearing upon Mr. Ralston’s suicide. however, that the sum might be well over $100,000, and that the police were investi- == & gating. He reluctantly admitted, —