The Argosy, June 1904 — page 60: what you’re looking at

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

046 “Well, is the cat of any help?” “Will be, possibly,” the detective an- swered. “It was a cat which was at- tached to the household of a well-to-do man.” The unexpected answer caused us to look up, wondering how he could pos- sibly have gathered that. Kane was more unpulsive than I. We blurted out: “You found that out?” ‘Not a very difficult thing to do,” the detective answered. “ The bell is of solid silver; the silk which goes round the neck is a band—the yellow band— which encircles a bundle of cigars; the cigars were of a very expensive brand. The inference is obvious.” He shrugged his shoulders as he ceased speaking, as if his deductions were such as a child might have made. “ Now,’ he went on, “show me the room in which the man’s body was found. Take me to it direct—from here -—where we’re standing.” Kane led the way, slowly followed by Watson Ward; the latter with his eyes bent on the ground. A minute’s inspec- tion seemed to satisfy him. “And now the room in which the eat was found.” “Oh, just facing you,” said Kane, “there. This desirable flat is not a mansion where. you can lose yourself.” He pointed as he spoke to the room leading out of the one in which we were standing. | “When you found the cat in the room was this door closed or open?” “To the best of my recollection, both doors were open. They usually are.” “Now as to other tenants—your neighbors. Which of you gentlemen has lived the longest in these buildings?” “ Oh, I have lived here practically all my life,’ replied Kane. “I am looked on as the genuine Oldest Inhabitant.” “Then you are more likely to know the nature—the character of the ten- ants. Is there a well-to-do man living along this block?” “Two or three, so far as I know.” “ Just give me their names.” Kane rattled them off. He seemed to know all the tenants in the place. Ward made a note of them in a little book he carried in his pocket. As he did so, Kane spoke: PRODUCED BY UNZ.ORG GOMIG ELECTRONIC REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED THE ARGOSY. “That story about the keys of the rooms of number one doesn’t furnish a clue to the incident which occurred in my rooms.” 4 Why 2 g9 ; “Well, I admit the possibility of du- plicating keys in that a “ More than possibility,” said Watson Ward, turning to me with a smile. “Our friend here showed them to us— tied together with a piece of string.” “Texactly. But he explained that when he took possession of his rooms he didn’t change the locks on his doors. He received the keys from the steward of the Inn and was content. There are a dozen ways by which other persons could have obtained duplicates to fit his doors.” “That’s so.” “ Well, it is not so in my case, I took the precaution, despite the fact that members of my family had preceded me here in occupation, of putting on Bramah locks, and here is the key of the two doors.” He tapped his finger as he spoke. There was a ring on it, and hinged into it was a key which he displayed. He continued : “Now, unless an impression of this key was taken when I was asleep—and very soundly asleep—there can be no key in existence like it. That ring never leaves my finger, night or day.” Watson Ward wore an amused smile at the earnest manner in which Kane was speaking of his precautions—and his evident pride in them. At length he said: “Well, what does that go to show?” “Show! Why, that my door wasn’t opened with a key. And I am given to understand that a Bramah lock is about the most difficult thing in the world for a cracksman to pick.” “So far,’ said Watson Ward, still smiling, “I don’t think I have suggest- ed that your lock was tampered with or your door opened.” “What? I say, how then could the body have been put in here?” “ Let me rather tell you how it could not have been put here.” <4 Yes ? 99 “It wasn’t brought through the door.” DOO! S C@