Wife or Death by Ellery Queen

her a cigarette she did not even shake her head.
    An interminable fifteen minutes later Corporal Childs reappeared. “Will you come with me now, please?”
    Corinne rose at once. Denton took her elbow as they crossed the lobby and went down the marble stairs. Her movements were wooden, but she seemed not to need the support. Nevertheless, he held on to her.
    They were met at the morgue door by a young intern.
    â€œI’m Dr. Knott. Are you sure you’re up to this, Mrs. Guest? It can wait, you know.”
    Her voice was quite steady. “I want to see him now.”
    The doctor took her other elbow and they led her to the sheet-covered figure on the squat table. The trooper remained in the doorway. A different attendant from the one on duty when Denton had viewed the body of Angel peeled the sheet back halfway.
    Denton had braced himself, remembering. But this one was different. Not bad, he thought; not so bad. Or maybe you got used to death, even this kind of death. The chest was caved in and there were several ragged gashes on the nude torso from which the blood had been washed away. The head was undamaged except for a big lump on the left side with a sort of equatorial crack running across it, a dark crevasse. It was not George, but it was George. The essential George was gone, leaving a waxwork of him.
    He felt Corinne tremble, or shudder. “It’s my husband … yes.” This time her voice was not steady at all.
    Denton and the intern led her back into the corridor. Her feet were dragging a little. “Are you sure you’re all right, Mrs. Guest?”
    â€œI’m just dandy,” Corinne said.
    She was a weak female after all, Denton thought. He caught her before she could fall, swung her up into his arms.
    â€œJust put her down there.” The intern pointed to a cart standing against the wall.
    Gently Denton lowered her onto it. The young doctor put a stethoscope to her heart, took her pulse, peeled back an eyelid.
    â€œJust a faint,” he said. He elevated her legs and depressed her head. “Is she all alone at home?” He began to work on her. “She ought to have someone around tonight.”
    â€œI could get hold of a woman-friend,” Denton said. “Although at this hour of the night—”
    â€œWhy not check her in here till morning?”
    â€œAll right,” Denton said. He felt a great relief, and a great impatience.
    When he had made all the arrangements and seen Corinne safely upstairs into a private room, Denton went back down to the lobby.
    The trooper was still waiting, as he had requested. “What did you want to talk to me about, Mr. Denton?”
    â€œThe accident, Corporal. Can you give me any details?”
    â€œAbout all we know is he went over a twenty-five-foot embankment. You know where it happened?”
    â€œApproximately.”
    â€œIt’s a perfectly straight piece of road there. Just beyond is a bad curve, but he went off a good fifty yards ahead of it. No skid marks, no smell of liquor, so it looks as if he fell asleep at the wheel. Of course it’s still possible he had a load on. If he did, a blood analysis’ll show it up.”
    â€œAny chance he might have been dead before he crashed?”
    â€œYou mean from a heart attack?”
    â€œI mean could he have been murdered, then pushed over the bank?”
    The trooper seemed startled. “You have any reason to think he might have been?”
    â€œYes,” said Denton wearily.
    The trooper’s entire bearing changed. “Then you’d better ride back to the barracks with me, Mr. Denton, and make a statement.”
    â€œNot tonight, please. Anyway, Chief Spile of Ridgemore knows the reasons as well as I do. Get his statement. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no question about it. All I want to know is—is there any way of proving it?”
    Corporal Childs gave him a queer look. “An autopsy ought to be