Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, December 1956 — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

the fingers of his left hand. “I can show a motive,” he said, “and I can prove opportunity and ability.” - He stopped pacing suddenly and turned to Sim and me. “Let’s do this thing by the numbers. Sim, round up the coroner and the Chief. Get them in here. Let’s lay all our cards on the table and see what we've got.” As Sim was leaving, Dolan turned to me. “It’s circumstantial without a confession. I can get first-degree without it,” he said with a smile, “but I’d rather have the confession.” Charley Bartel trailed Pete Hardy into the den. Sim tagged along behind them. Dolan leaned against the closet door where Liz had. hung a short while before. Gib looked at the coroner. “You’ve finished your examination?” Hardy nodded. “It didn’t take long.” “What’s your conclusion?” Hardy tipped his head and raised his eyebrows. “There ain’t a mark of violence on the body. Outside of the rope marks around her neck, I mean.’ “Are you going to order an. au- topsy?” The coroner blinked. ‘ { ain t give it much thought, Gib. I can,’ Dolan lit a cigarette and nodded to me. oth “Charley,” I asked, looking at the little Chief, “how did you know Liz was pregnant?” He shrugged. “Heard it around somewhere, I guess. I don’t know.” _ “Her roommate hadn’t heard, She didn’t know a thing about it.” He shrugged again. “She would- n't.” “Her friends at the Vint Cafe, where she worked, hadn’t heard about it.” “They wouldn’t either.” “But you would?” “T did,” he answered defiantly. “What time did you get here this morning?” Bartel squinted at the ceiling. “Oh... must've... been seven, I guess.” Dolan ashed his cigarette deli- cately. “Who called you?” | “Nobody.” Dolan frowned. “Then what were you doing out here at seven in the morning?” Bartel smiled. “I come out here every day while Ed’s been away. Look things over, see that the fur- nace is okay, make sure everything is in working order. Why?” “We know. Ed told us,” I said. “But there are a few questions I’d like to ask you.” He seemed curious. “Such as?” “How. did you know that rope was tied around the door knob?” “What the hell are you talking about, anyway?” “About this morning, Charley. When Sim and I first came. I asked you how it looked to you. You told me then that the rope was tied around the inside door knob. How did you know?” . 36 ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S MYSTERY MAGAZINE EOPMICLOOOKS sO around .