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Authors: Ellery Queen
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them.”
“Was he the only person in the room?”
“Only one I could see. Of course, the patient must have been on the table; but as for any one else, I can’t say.”
The Inspector cut in gently. “You said, ‘Oh pardon me!’, didn’t you?”
“Yes, sir!”
“And what did the man reply?”
“Why, nothing. Didn’t even turn around, although I saw his shoulders sort of twitch when I spoke. Anyway, I stepped back, closed the door and went away. The whole business didn’t take more than ten seconds.”
Ellery approached Dr. Gold, tapped him on the shoulder. “One thing more. Might this man have been—Dr. Janney?”
The young interne drawled, “Oh-h, I suppose so. But it might have been a dozen others, too, from what I saw. … Anything wrong, Doctor?” He twisted his head to stare at the surgeon, who did not reply. “Well, I guess I’ll be going if that’s all. …”
The Inspector cheerily waved him out
“Get Cobb—the doorman.” Hesse sauntered out.
“Good God,” said Janney quite tonelessly. No one paid the slightest attention.
The door opened to admit Hesse and Isaac Cobb, the crimson-faced ‘special.’ His cap was jauntily set on his head and he looked around expansively, as if he felt a kinship with these men of the police.
The Inspector wasted no words. “Cobb, stop me if I say something that isn’t so. … You approached Dr. Janney while Mr. Queen and Dr. Minchen were talking with him in the corridor. You told him that a man wanted to see him. He refused at first, but when you handed him the man’s card—bearing the name ‘Swanson’—he changed his mind and followed you down the corridor toward the Waiting Room. What happened then?”
“The Doctor says ‘Hello’ t’ this man,” replied Cobb in a conversational tone, “an’ then they went out of the Waiting Room, turned t’ the right—ye know Dr. Janney’s office is that way—an’ they went into the Doctor’s office. An’ they closed the door—I mean the Doctor. So I went back t’ my station in the vestibule an’ I stood there all th’ rest of the time until Dr. Minchen came along an’ said …”
“One moment, one moment!” said the Inspector testily. “Granted that you didn’t leave your post for a moment. Suppose—” he glanced at Dr. Janney, who was hunched up in his corner, suddenly tense, alert—“suppose Dr. Janney or his visitor had decided to leave Dr. Janney’s office to go toward the, let us say, operating-rooms, could he have passed without your seeing him?”
The doorman scratched his head. “Sure! I guess so. I don’t always face the inside. Sometimes I open th’ door and look out into th’ street.”
“Did you look out into the street this morning?”
“Well—sure! I guess so.”
Ellery interrupted. “You say Dr. Minchen came along and told you to lock the door. How long before this did Dr. Janney’s visitor—this man Swanson—leave the building? By the way, he left the building, didn’t he?”
“Oh, sure!” Cobb grinned broadly. “Even gave me—I mean wanted to give me a quarter. But I wouldn’t take it—against the regulations. … Yes, I’d say this feller passed out into th’ street about ten minutes or so before Dr. Minchen gave me the order.”
“Did any one else,” continued Ellery, “go out of that front door between the time Swanson left and the time you locked the door?”
“Nary a soul.”
Ellery confronted Dr. Janney, who immediately straightened and looked off into space. “There’s a little matter, Doctor,” Ellery began softly, “that we haven’t had time to settle. You recall, don’t you? I believe you were about to tell me who your visitor was when the Inspector came in and .…” He broke off with a tightening of his lips as the door banged open and Sergeant Velie stalked in, flanked by two detectives.
“Ah, well,” said Ellery with a slight smile, “we seem doomed to defer the fatal question. … Carry on, sire. Messer
“Was he the only person in the room?”
“Only one I could see. Of course, the patient must have been on the table; but as for any one else, I can’t say.”
The Inspector cut in gently. “You said, ‘Oh pardon me!’, didn’t you?”
“Yes, sir!”
“And what did the man reply?”
“Why, nothing. Didn’t even turn around, although I saw his shoulders sort of twitch when I spoke. Anyway, I stepped back, closed the door and went away. The whole business didn’t take more than ten seconds.”
Ellery approached Dr. Gold, tapped him on the shoulder. “One thing more. Might this man have been—Dr. Janney?”
The young interne drawled, “Oh-h, I suppose so. But it might have been a dozen others, too, from what I saw. … Anything wrong, Doctor?” He twisted his head to stare at the surgeon, who did not reply. “Well, I guess I’ll be going if that’s all. …”
The Inspector cheerily waved him out
“Get Cobb—the doorman.” Hesse sauntered out.
“Good God,” said Janney quite tonelessly. No one paid the slightest attention.
The door opened to admit Hesse and Isaac Cobb, the crimson-faced ‘special.’ His cap was jauntily set on his head and he looked around expansively, as if he felt a kinship with these men of the police.
The Inspector wasted no words. “Cobb, stop me if I say something that isn’t so. … You approached Dr. Janney while Mr. Queen and Dr. Minchen were talking with him in the corridor. You told him that a man wanted to see him. He refused at first, but when you handed him the man’s card—bearing the name ‘Swanson’—he changed his mind and followed you down the corridor toward the Waiting Room. What happened then?”
“The Doctor says ‘Hello’ t’ this man,” replied Cobb in a conversational tone, “an’ then they went out of the Waiting Room, turned t’ the right—ye know Dr. Janney’s office is that way—an’ they went into the Doctor’s office. An’ they closed the door—I mean the Doctor. So I went back t’ my station in the vestibule an’ I stood there all th’ rest of the time until Dr. Minchen came along an’ said …”
“One moment, one moment!” said the Inspector testily. “Granted that you didn’t leave your post for a moment. Suppose—” he glanced at Dr. Janney, who was hunched up in his corner, suddenly tense, alert—“suppose Dr. Janney or his visitor had decided to leave Dr. Janney’s office to go toward the, let us say, operating-rooms, could he have passed without your seeing him?”
The doorman scratched his head. “Sure! I guess so. I don’t always face the inside. Sometimes I open th’ door and look out into th’ street.”
“Did you look out into the street this morning?”
“Well—sure! I guess so.”
Ellery interrupted. “You say Dr. Minchen came along and told you to lock the door. How long before this did Dr. Janney’s visitor—this man Swanson—leave the building? By the way, he left the building, didn’t he?”
“Oh, sure!” Cobb grinned broadly. “Even gave me—I mean wanted to give me a quarter. But I wouldn’t take it—against the regulations. … Yes, I’d say this feller passed out into th’ street about ten minutes or so before Dr. Minchen gave me the order.”
“Did any one else,” continued Ellery, “go out of that front door between the time Swanson left and the time you locked the door?”
“Nary a soul.”
Ellery confronted Dr. Janney, who immediately straightened and looked off into space. “There’s a little matter, Doctor,” Ellery began softly, “that we haven’t had time to settle. You recall, don’t you? I believe you were about to tell me who your visitor was when the Inspector came in and .…” He broke off with a tightening of his lips as the door banged open and Sergeant Velie stalked in, flanked by two detectives.
“Ah, well,” said Ellery with a slight smile, “we seem doomed to defer the fatal question. … Carry on, sire. Messer
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