A. Merritt's Fantasy Magazine, April 1950 — page 57: what you’re looking at

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

THE NINTH LIFE 57 hardly exist unseen in a place like that. Alternatively, had such an animal ex- isted unseen in Kefra’s flat, it could not have got at the child down on the ground floor, or could it, in Vincent’s absence? Is my magic strong? The half-mocking question came back to his mind as he waited there with the placid, unimaginative constable. All his life he had made a hobby rather than a study of old religions and cults, always keeping the open mind he found so useful. Of a truth her magic had been strong. Was Saleh a partner in it, master of or servant to her, or was he the agent and human vehicle of that still stronger magic of Sekhmet? At that point Crampton appeared in the entrance hall, followed by his sergeant, who carried a rather soggy-looking roll of carpet under his arm. Gees looked a ques- tion. “Found it in the bathroom, hung up to dry,” Crampton explained. “Somebody washed it out and hung it there, but didn’t wash quite hard enough. I’m taking it to see if tests will tell us whether what’s left of the stains is human blood.” “Tt would have been burnt, if that were so,’ Gees said. Crampton shook his head. “These flats are all-electric,”-he pointed out. “You ‘ couldn’t burn anything here without leav- Sing traces.” ' “Finding a carpet in the bathroom doesn’t prove it was ever laid,” Gees re- marked. “I don’t see this getting you much farther.” “This isn’t a carpet, but a rug,” Cramp- ton said, “and—well, since you seem rather dubious, come and have a look here.” Gees followed him to a large room opening directly on to the entrance lounge, one in which, except for a low divan im- mediately opposite the door, and three little octagonal tables of ebony, inlaid with silver and ivory, was no furniture as the western mind regards it. On a pile carpet of delicate, greenish blue were heaped cushions of crimson, blue of a slightly deeper shade than the carpet, and silver tissue, two heaps to each of the ond tables. One picture, a distant view of the island of Philaein sunset light, hung over the divan. The almost empty simplicity of the room had an effect of sensuousness. Then, looking where Crampton’s finger pointed, Gees saw an oblong, about eight feet by six, in front of the divan, within which the heave pile of the carpet was flattened down smoothly as if by continuous pres- sure on it. “That’s where the rug was taken from,” Crampton said, with satisfaction in his tone. “It’s exactly the size of that flat patch.” — “Ts that so?” Gees managed to keep all concern of every kind out of the comment. “Well, thank you for my look-see, In- spector, and now I must hit the trail. But 1 think, if there were-any chance of your finding what you expect on that rug, you’d have found something of the same sort on either cushions or carpet in here.” “Did you read the account of the post- mortem ?” Crampton asked. “’Fraid I didn’t,” said Gees, and shook his head. “The child’s body was practically blood- less—something hellish about the whole thing,” Crampton told him. ‘“Drained dry of blood. I don’t know—anyhow, I’m going to get that rug tested, even though we can’t find a sign of anything else in the place.” “Good luck to you. Tn off, now. Got to hurry to keep an appointment with In- spector Tott. He'll be interested to hear about this. See you later, perhaps.” He went with no further word—a glance at his wrist watch showed him that he had less than twenty minutes in which to go back to his flat and get what he needed, and go on to pick up Tott. A promise of an extra half-crown to a . taxi driver shortend his transit to Little Oakfield Street, and he saw his car await- ing him before he hurried up the stairs. Inside his own door he halted and stood gazing along the corridor, tensed for long seconds of anticipation, half- incredulous, half-fearful. Kefra’s scent was in the place, unmis- takable though faint. And again he could hear, just hear, the purring of a cat! _ He went along the corridor to his bed- room and entered, for there, as before, the purring seemed loudest. As he thrust the _ comicbooks.com