Dr Gideon Fell 05 - Death-Watch by Carr John Dickson

Author:Carr,John Dickson [Carr,John Dickson]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective, Mystery, Detective, Fiction - Mystery, Suspense, Mystery & Detective - General, Mystery and detective stories, 20th Century English Novel And Short Story
ISBN: 9780060810405
Publisher: John Dickson Carr
Published: 1990-05-14T03:00:00+00:00

one clue to find six? Do you understand why you had only to open your mouth to hazard a theory, and somebody walked in that door and confirmed it? Then you know why this case frightened me and why I can believe in evil spirits. There's a real evil spirit here, who hates that girl with a patient, deadly, brilliant guile, hates her as a galley-slave hated the whipmaster and failure hates success. The whole design was to weave a rope for her neck and crack that neck, as somebody would like to do between two hands.... Now shall I go on, or are you afraid to hear my case?"

"You still can't prove—" began Hadley, but not loudly. He picked up his briefcase and his voice was growing thoughtful.

"Go on," said Melson, whose dogged hand kept on making notes.

Dr. Fell, wheezing heavily, stood looking from one to the other of them, his face more red and his thumb hooked in the armhole of his vast waistcoat. Beyond him the grey light through the windows showed the dreariness of sky and back yard. He went on more quietly:

"So, in taking those five points backwards, I come to the fourth. That is the recurring, vexing question of why both clock-hands were stolen and why they were not stolen when the clock was exposed. I will tell you why it was done. It was done because all evidence had to point to Eleanor as the murderer of Ames. Merely to steal one clock-hand did not point to anybody. But the hour-hand, the superfluous hand which could not be used as a weapon and whose removal was a pure waste of time—it had to be found in Eleanor's possession, as clear evidence of the thief. This also, but to a greater extent, was the reason for waiting until Wednesday night to steal the hands. It seems to have occurred to nobody here that the thief waited until Wednesday night because not until then had the clock been painted with gilt.

"Hasn't my learned friend realized the utter simplicity of that? The whole case is a track of gilt paint! It was meant to be. Where would have been your evidence against Eleanor as Ames's murderer if it had not been for those gold smears ostentatiously plastered over a pair of her gloves, one of them hidden behind the panel, and the other thrown down not too ostentatiously close to the dead man? And, if you care for further confirmation, consider that matter of the key. The real murderer had to steal that key from her. That little key, gentlemen, was the most important thing in the whole plan, because the plan would have been impossible without it. Eleanor was required to turn in early, and would have no alibi for any night you might choose— unless she went up to see her lover on the roof. That must be made impossible. She must be trapped without being able to get through that door. And, when

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