Read Online Chinese Orange Mystery by Ellery Queen - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ellery Queen
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she might have been staring at a fallen waxworks figure.
“All right, Piggott, cover him up,” said the Inspector briskly. The detective stooped and the weird smiling face vanished. “Well, ladies and gentlemen, has any one anything to tell me?” No one replied. “Dr. Kirk!” snapped the old gentleman. The septuagenarian’s head came up with a jerk. “Who is this man?”
Dr. Kirk made a face. “I haven’t the faintest idea.”
“Miss Kirk?”
Marcella gulped. “N-nor I. It’s ghastly!”
“Miss Llewes?”
The woman shrugged her magnificent shoulders. “Nor I.”
“Mr. Macgowan?”
“I’m sorry, Inspector. I’ve never seen that face before.”
“By the way, Mr. Macgowan, some one told me you’re a collector of postage stamps yourself; eh?”
Macgowan looked interested. “Quite so. Why?”
“Have you ever seen this man around the stamp places? Think hard; it may come back to you.”
“Never. But what has that—”
The Inspector waved his delicate fingers. “You, there,” he said sharply. “The buttling man. What’s your name?”
Hubbell was startled. His pasty face became the color of wet sand. “H-Hubbell; sir.”
“How long have you worked for Mr. Kirk?”
“Not v-very long, sir.”
Donald Kirk sighed. “He’s been in my employ a little over a year.”
“Please. Hubbell, did you ever see this dead man before?”
“No, sir! No, sir!”
“You’re positive?”
“Oh, yes, sir!”
“Hmm. I’ve got the statements of the rest.” The Inspector nursed his chin thoughtfully. “I suppose you all realize what my position is. Here I have a murdered man on my hands who’s apparently a total stranger to the lot of you. Yet he came up here and asked for Mr. Kirk, who says he doesn’t know him from Adam. Now somebody knew he was in this room and killed him here. The door there to the corridor wasn’t locked and anybody could have walked in here, found him, and done the job. The person who did it may even have known he was coming here, and planned the whole thing ahead of time. But murders like this aren’t usually committed against strangers. There’s a connection between this man and his murderer. … I hope you see what I’m driving at.”
“Now look here, Inspector,” said Glenn Macgowan suddenly in his deep voice. “It seems to me you’re taking our possible part in this affair too seriously.”
“And how is that, Mr. Macgowan?” murmured Ellery.
“Why, anybody had access to this room by way of the emergency stairs and this empty corridor. The murderer may be any one of the seven million people in New York! Why one of us?”
“Hmm,” said Ellery. “That’s always a staggering possibility, of course. On the other hand, has it occurred to you, if we’re to take Mr. Kirk’s word for it that he never saw the man before, that the murderer— one of this group —suggested to the man that he come to see Kirk, with the deliberate intention of involving Kirk?”
The tall young publisher was staring wildly at Ellery. “But, Queen—by God, that can’t be true!”
“Any enemies, old chap?” said Ellery.
Kirk’s eyes fell. “Enemies? Not that I know of.”
“Nonsense,” said Dr. Kirk abruptly. “That’s piffle, Donald. You’ve no enemies—not enough brains to make ’em—so who in the world would want to involve you in a murder?”
“No one,” said Kirk dully.
“Well!” smiled the Inspector. “You’re easily eliminated, Mr. Kirk, if there’s any doubt. Where were you at six this evening?”
Kirk said very slowly: “Out.”
“Oh,” said the Inspector. “I see. Out where?”
Kirk was silent.
“Donald!” roared Dr. Kirk. “Where were you, boy? Don’t stand there like a lump!”
There was the most terrifying hush. It was shattered by Macgowan, who took a quick step forward and said in an urgent voice: “Don, old boy. Where were you? It won’t go any further—”
“Donald,” cried Marcella. “Please, Don! Why don’t
“All right, Piggott, cover him up,” said the Inspector briskly. The detective stooped and the weird smiling face vanished. “Well, ladies and gentlemen, has any one anything to tell me?” No one replied. “Dr. Kirk!” snapped the old gentleman. The septuagenarian’s head came up with a jerk. “Who is this man?”
Dr. Kirk made a face. “I haven’t the faintest idea.”
“Miss Kirk?”
Marcella gulped. “N-nor I. It’s ghastly!”
“Miss Llewes?”
The woman shrugged her magnificent shoulders. “Nor I.”
“Mr. Macgowan?”
“I’m sorry, Inspector. I’ve never seen that face before.”
“By the way, Mr. Macgowan, some one told me you’re a collector of postage stamps yourself; eh?”
Macgowan looked interested. “Quite so. Why?”
“Have you ever seen this man around the stamp places? Think hard; it may come back to you.”
“Never. But what has that—”
The Inspector waved his delicate fingers. “You, there,” he said sharply. “The buttling man. What’s your name?”
Hubbell was startled. His pasty face became the color of wet sand. “H-Hubbell; sir.”
“How long have you worked for Mr. Kirk?”
“Not v-very long, sir.”
Donald Kirk sighed. “He’s been in my employ a little over a year.”
“Please. Hubbell, did you ever see this dead man before?”
“No, sir! No, sir!”
“You’re positive?”
“Oh, yes, sir!”
“Hmm. I’ve got the statements of the rest.” The Inspector nursed his chin thoughtfully. “I suppose you all realize what my position is. Here I have a murdered man on my hands who’s apparently a total stranger to the lot of you. Yet he came up here and asked for Mr. Kirk, who says he doesn’t know him from Adam. Now somebody knew he was in this room and killed him here. The door there to the corridor wasn’t locked and anybody could have walked in here, found him, and done the job. The person who did it may even have known he was coming here, and planned the whole thing ahead of time. But murders like this aren’t usually committed against strangers. There’s a connection between this man and his murderer. … I hope you see what I’m driving at.”
“Now look here, Inspector,” said Glenn Macgowan suddenly in his deep voice. “It seems to me you’re taking our possible part in this affair too seriously.”
“And how is that, Mr. Macgowan?” murmured Ellery.
“Why, anybody had access to this room by way of the emergency stairs and this empty corridor. The murderer may be any one of the seven million people in New York! Why one of us?”
“Hmm,” said Ellery. “That’s always a staggering possibility, of course. On the other hand, has it occurred to you, if we’re to take Mr. Kirk’s word for it that he never saw the man before, that the murderer— one of this group —suggested to the man that he come to see Kirk, with the deliberate intention of involving Kirk?”
The tall young publisher was staring wildly at Ellery. “But, Queen—by God, that can’t be true!”
“Any enemies, old chap?” said Ellery.
Kirk’s eyes fell. “Enemies? Not that I know of.”
“Nonsense,” said Dr. Kirk abruptly. “That’s piffle, Donald. You’ve no enemies—not enough brains to make ’em—so who in the world would want to involve you in a murder?”
“No one,” said Kirk dully.
“Well!” smiled the Inspector. “You’re easily eliminated, Mr. Kirk, if there’s any doubt. Where were you at six this evening?”
Kirk said very slowly: “Out.”
“Oh,” said the Inspector. “I see. Out where?”
Kirk was silent.
“Donald!” roared Dr. Kirk. “Where were you, boy? Don’t stand there like a lump!”
There was the most terrifying hush. It was shattered by Macgowan, who took a quick step forward and said in an urgent voice: “Don, old boy. Where were you? It won’t go any further—”
“Donald,” cried Marcella. “Please, Don! Why don’t
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