Read Online QED by Ellery Queen - Free Book Online Page A

right,” said Ellery, and his tone was so odd that even Ellen stirred. “If you won’t talk, I will.
    â€œLet’s start all over again. What did Godfrey mean by writing M-U-M? Ignore what I’ve said before about it. I’ve now come to a final conclusion.
    â€œA man clear-headed enough to leave a dying message is clear-headed enough to avoid ambiguity. Since MUM involved most of you—and in more ways than one, farfetched as most of them are—then I have to conclude that Godfrey did not intend MUM to indicate the identity of his murderer.
    â€œConsequently, once more I have to go back to what Godfrey did promise to leave you—the combination of his safe.”
    â€œBut you went through all that,” exploded Newby. “And it washed out—the safe was empty.”
    â€œNot a complete washout, Newby. I translated MUM into numbers because of the twenty-six numbers on the dial, and that proved correct as far as it went. But what if it didn’t go far enough? Remember the doubles? One was that the safe cost Godfrey about double what it should have. What if there was a good, solid, practical reason for that double cost? Suppose there’s more to that safe than meets the eye— some feature that cost the extra money . Double cost … how about double safe? ”
    That brought their mouths open, and he continued swiftly. “If it was a double safe, there would be two combinations. One would work by the numbers 13-21-13, as it does, and would open the orthodox safe. The other combination would open another safe!—which obviously must be contained within the safe, making an inner, smaller safe. And suppose—since that’s the word Godfrey wrote down just before he died—suppose that not only is MUM the combination for the outer safe, but MUM is also the combination for the inner safe. One MUM translating into numbers, the second remaining exactly what it is— a word of three letters .”
    â€œBut there aren’t any letters on the dial,” protested Newby.
    â€œRight. But remember what’s etched on the rim of the knob? The name and address of the manufacturer: VULCAN SAFE & LOCK COMPANY , INC . NEW HAVEN , CONN . And you’ll note that, contained in those words, are an M and a U!
    â€œShall we try it?”
    Ellery went over to the oil painting and slid it to one side. He revolved the dial a few times, then turned it until the M of COMPANY lay directly under the alignment notch; then he turned right to the U of VULCAN , aligning that, then left, back to the M of COMPANY.
    He pulled on the knob.
    The safe door did not swing open. Instead, the knob came out in his hand! And behind the knob, within the thickness of the safe door, where the tumblers and mechanism lay, appeared a small compartment—a safe within a safe. And in the compartment, flashing like a minor sun surrounded by sixteen glowing planets, was the Imperial Pendant.
    â€œAlagazam,” Ellery said softly, holding it aloft so that the light from the old-fashioned crystal chandelier blazed from the pendant in a thousand coruscations. “When Mr. Mumford put the necklace away, his back must have been to you, and it was a broad back. It was into the knob-safe that he put this, not into the regular one. That’s why he probably never bothered to put the pendant in a bank vault, Christopher. Even if someone tried to burgle this safe, could he dream that the real safe was behind the knob? It was, if you’ll excuse the pun, very safe indeed. Here, Newby, I imagine you’d better take charge of this until the will is probated and certain other matters are cleared up.”
    And Ellery tossed the pendant to Newby, while the others’ heads moved in unison, like the heads of spectators at a tennis match.
    â€œQ.E.D.,” said Ellery. “One half of our mystery is solved. It remains only to solve the other half.
    â€œWho killed Godfrey