at the factory. The chief inspector had examined it and sealed the breach with his tag. It couldn’t have happened at the store because it had never been out of the box. But it did happen, Joe.”
“I remember the case,” I said. “Well, suppose, then, that the fire was an accident—and I’ve felt like you that it must have been. But—”
“The two things go together, Joe. Elizabeth’s death was undoubtedly caused by the fire. It’s true that the post mortem, such as it was, was not very revealing. The body—excuse me, Joe—was pinned beneath the remains of that metal table and other wreckage. But we were able to ascertain that the fire and nothing but the fire caused her death. That’s all we need to know.”
“I see,” I said.
“She actually died of the fire, Joe. Therefore, in the absence of any incendiary materials or mechanism, we know that her death was an accident.”
“Yeah—yes,” I said.
He spread his hands. “Well, you see, Joe? I didn’t take the case as lightly as you seemed to think I did. I didn’t go around with a lot of fuss and bluster—”
“Now, Web,” I said. “I wasn’t criticizing.”
“That’s all right. I know this man Appleton has got you all stirred up. We may as well talk the thing out now that we’ve started. When I say that the fire caused Elizabeth’s death I’m not overlooking the possibility that she could have been stunned and left to die in the fire. You were going to ask me about that, weren’t you?”
“Well,” I said, “it did occur to me that—”
“But where is your motive, Joe? You’ve got to have a motive, haven’t you? Now, you—excuse me—profited by the death. But you weren’t there, and, as I’ve said, there was no trace of a delayed-mechanism device; tallow or anything of that kind. And there always is some trace where anything of the kind has been used. Could she have been the victim of robbery or assault by some person unknown? We know that she couldn’t. There wasn’t time for it. The fire broke out almost as soon as she got home.
“Then there’s—what’s her name?—Carol Farmer. She was the last to see Elizabeth alive, and she was on the grounds. But what do we find there? Why, she and Elizabeth were on the best of terms. Elizabeth had taken her in and given her work. She’d just treated her to a holiday. She’d driven all the way to Wheat City to bring her home.
“We’re friends, Joe, but I’ve always put duty ahead of friendship. I even considered the possibility—ha, ha—the impossibility, I should say, that you were attracted to Miss Farmer. Ha, ha. I’d hate to go before a jury with a theory of that kind. One look at her, and they’d lock me up. They’d send for a strait jacket—ha, ha, ha!”
I laughed right along with him. I think I’ve already said that no one saw in Carol what I saw. It suited me fine if they never did.
He went on talking while I ate, working himself into a good humor. As we were leaving the place we ran into Rufe Waters. Appleton had been in to needle him about something or other, and he was hopping mad. He was threatening to punch him in the nose if he came near him again.
I told Web and Rufe so-long, and drove over to the show. I parked in front of Bower’s old house, feeling fairly good. Appleton was getting nowhere fast. In a few days he’d probably decide to pay off and clear out.
I got out of the car and started across the street. Then something nailed to the box office of Bower’s old place caught my eye, and I turned around and went up on the sidewalk. It was one of Andy Taylor’s signs. It said:
FOR RENT
Taylor Inv. & Ins. Co.
I was standing there staring at it, not knowing whether to laugh or get sore, when Andy came up. I guess he must have been standing a few doors down the street, waiting for me.
“What’s the idea, Andy?” I said. “You know you can’t rent this building. I’ve got it under lease.”
“But not the right kind of lease, Joe.”
“I remember the case,” I said. “Well, suppose, then, that the fire was an accident—and I’ve felt like you that it must have been. But—”
“The two things go together, Joe. Elizabeth’s death was undoubtedly caused by the fire. It’s true that the post mortem, such as it was, was not very revealing. The body—excuse me, Joe—was pinned beneath the remains of that metal table and other wreckage. But we were able to ascertain that the fire and nothing but the fire caused her death. That’s all we need to know.”
“I see,” I said.
“She actually died of the fire, Joe. Therefore, in the absence of any incendiary materials or mechanism, we know that her death was an accident.”
“Yeah—yes,” I said.
He spread his hands. “Well, you see, Joe? I didn’t take the case as lightly as you seemed to think I did. I didn’t go around with a lot of fuss and bluster—”
“Now, Web,” I said. “I wasn’t criticizing.”
“That’s all right. I know this man Appleton has got you all stirred up. We may as well talk the thing out now that we’ve started. When I say that the fire caused Elizabeth’s death I’m not overlooking the possibility that she could have been stunned and left to die in the fire. You were going to ask me about that, weren’t you?”
“Well,” I said, “it did occur to me that—”
“But where is your motive, Joe? You’ve got to have a motive, haven’t you? Now, you—excuse me—profited by the death. But you weren’t there, and, as I’ve said, there was no trace of a delayed-mechanism device; tallow or anything of that kind. And there always is some trace where anything of the kind has been used. Could she have been the victim of robbery or assault by some person unknown? We know that she couldn’t. There wasn’t time for it. The fire broke out almost as soon as she got home.
“Then there’s—what’s her name?—Carol Farmer. She was the last to see Elizabeth alive, and she was on the grounds. But what do we find there? Why, she and Elizabeth were on the best of terms. Elizabeth had taken her in and given her work. She’d just treated her to a holiday. She’d driven all the way to Wheat City to bring her home.
“We’re friends, Joe, but I’ve always put duty ahead of friendship. I even considered the possibility—ha, ha—the impossibility, I should say, that you were attracted to Miss Farmer. Ha, ha. I’d hate to go before a jury with a theory of that kind. One look at her, and they’d lock me up. They’d send for a strait jacket—ha, ha, ha!”
I laughed right along with him. I think I’ve already said that no one saw in Carol what I saw. It suited me fine if they never did.
He went on talking while I ate, working himself into a good humor. As we were leaving the place we ran into Rufe Waters. Appleton had been in to needle him about something or other, and he was hopping mad. He was threatening to punch him in the nose if he came near him again.
I told Web and Rufe so-long, and drove over to the show. I parked in front of Bower’s old house, feeling fairly good. Appleton was getting nowhere fast. In a few days he’d probably decide to pay off and clear out.
I got out of the car and started across the street. Then something nailed to the box office of Bower’s old place caught my eye, and I turned around and went up on the sidewalk. It was one of Andy Taylor’s signs. It said:
FOR RENT
Taylor Inv. & Ins. Co.
I was standing there staring at it, not knowing whether to laugh or get sore, when Andy came up. I guess he must have been standing a few doors down the street, waiting for me.
“What’s the idea, Andy?” I said. “You know you can’t rent this building. I’ve got it under lease.”
“But not the right kind of lease, Joe.”
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