The existence of such is common, although they are not easy to uncover until their religious insanity takes on the last stage of open, violent dementia.
What of the illicit romance of the clergyman and the choir singer having fallen under such fanatical eyes, under an espionage directed by the frequently amazing cunning of the insane?
What of a decision being made by such conspirators that by blood atonement must the false priest and the “painted woman” pay for their transgressions? And the special marks of such atonement on the Lorelei who had lured the priest from his sanctity and trust?
That tongue shall beguile no more! The voice of the sinful must no longer be allowed to sound in the choir of the House of God!
And the knife severed the tongue and slit the throat of the dead woman in sign of it.
Here was a direction of investigation that was never followed, though the wound in the throat of the murdered woman cried out the way.
The Staples Case
by Victor Maxwell
He longed to see his name emblazoned among the stars, and so he set out to achieve his goal.
I
“There’s your eight-point buck,” said Detective Sergeant Riordan, dumping a splendid animal on the floor of Captain Brady’s office. “You said you wanted one, and I was particular to get it. How’s things been since I was away?”
Captain Brady swung round from his desk and gazed in frank admiration at the stag his chief aid had dropped upon the floor. Then his eyes rose, and he surveyed Riordan, clad in high-top boots, corduroy knickers, a gorgeously colored flannel shirt open at the neck, and an old army hat. Getting up, he extended his hand, and his lieutenant gripped it warmly.
“Boy, boy, I’m sure glad to see you back,” said Brady. “And I’m sure glad to get that buck. I didn’t suppose you’d have any luck when you went away; season being so dry, and one thing or another. Have a good trip?”
“I’ll say we did, chief. Got a-plenty, too. Aside from game, I ran off the road coming back and busted a wheel and had to lay over at Springers till I could get a new one shipped out.
“I couldn’t wire; out there in the wilderness they don’t know what a telegram is, and the forest fire put the telephone out of business. So I just came in as fast as I could. Want me to take that there venison out to your house for you? It won’t be far out of my way as I drive home to shave and get into civilized clothes again.”
“Never mind that, boy. Never mind changing your clothes or anything. I got a job for you right now.”
“But, chief, I can’t go out like this. I’d scare all the city people—”
“Who said anything about your going out,” interrupted Captain Brady. “You sit down an’ let me talk to you. I want to fill you up. Then you can go home and shave, and while you’re doing it you can think. What I need right now, boy, is your head, not your clothes.”
Riordan dropped into his chair, and taking a pipe from one of the pockets distributed about his hunting clothes, lighted the already well-filled bowl. “Something bust, has it?” he asked.
“Just about that, boy. Yes, I’d say something’s bust. You know old man Staples?”
“The nut on orchids?”
“Uh-huh. Nut is right. Well, he’s murdered.”
“When?”
“Now hold your horses, boy. You’ve been away on vacation, and I don’t suppose you’ve seen a paper since you’ve been gone, have you? Well, I’ll start at the beginning and tell it to you.”
Captain Brady swung to his desk for a moment and picked up a file of reports, then turned to face his aid again, holding them in his lap.
“This thing broke on Tuesday, the eighth. The sergeant on the desk downstairs, about eleven in the morning, sent me up a ‘missing person’ report to the effect that old man Staples hadn’t been home since the previous Saturday. That would be the fifth.
“The sergeant said he figured maybe I’d be interested, seeing Staples was pretty well known. The report was put in by Staples’s secretary — here it is. I’ll read it to you:
“ ‘Vincent Mallory, private secretary to Willard P. Staples, 90 Glenn Avenue, reports that his employer, Willard P. Staples, has been missing from his home, same address as informant, since about noon on Saturday, the fifth. When last seen the missing person was wearing a dark gray suit, light gray overcoat, black derby hat, black shoes and socks, and was carrying a Malacca cane. Missing person is described as about sixty years of age, five feet, eight: weighs about one hundred and fifty pounds, narrow face, high forehead, grayish hair, short gray beard, no mustache, no marks or scars, light blue eyes, wears gold-rimmed spectacles, slightly deaf. Business of missing person, retired capitalist, formerly associate professor of botany at the State university. If located please notify secretary or Keefe, Sanderson & Keefe, his attorneys.’
“Well, I told the sergeant he had a promising head on him, and that he did just right to notify me. Old Staples, you know, boy, must be worth somewhere around a million dollars or so, and that place of his out on Glenn Avenue is one of the show spots of the city.
“After I’d soaked up the report I called up Keefe, Sanderson & Keefe, and got hold of the younger partner, Walter Keefe, and asked him if he had any ideas. He said he was very much alarmed about Staples and that he hoped we’d bend every energy we had, and all that sort of stuff, to find him.
“That was when I began to wish you were here, boy, instead of out shooting deer for me. If I’d thought I could have got a wire to you I’d have sent one, but I knew it was no use. So I got hold of Willis and told him to go out and see what he could see.
“Willis went out to Staples’s place and came back in about two hours just as wise as when he went out. All he knew was that the secretary was worried, and that Staples had gone out before lunch the previous Saturday, saying he had an appointment with a. man about some orchids, and that he’d probably take him to lunch somewhere down town and wouldn’t be back till dinner time.
“The secretary usually takes his weekends by himself, and he told Willis he went out himself along about two o’clock, down to Bayshore, where his sister has a place, and stayed there till Sunday night, when he came back to town, met some fellows he knew, and they all made a night of it. He spent Sunday night at the St. Charles Hotel, and went out to Staples’s place Monday morning about nine, only to find out that the old man hadn’t been home. He questioned the help out at the house, then called up Keefe, Sanderson & Keefe, and they advised him to report the matter to the police. Which he did.
“Well, on his way back Willis checked at the St. Charles Hotel, and Mallory had registered there Sunday night about midnight, and was called at half past seven Monday morning, checking out soon after. Otherwise there didn’t seem to be anything showing.
“After Willis reported that much I sent him back to drill the secretary about this man the old boy had a date with to discuss orchids, but Mallory said he didn’t know who it was; that the first Staples had said to him about it was that he was going out to meet him. Didn’t have any idea who it was.
“Said old Staples often did that: some traveler or flower shop would write him they had a new and rare orchid, and the old boy would light out and dicker for it, and wouldn’t be happy till he bought it and brought it home to put in his collection. Sometimes some skipper on a ship, or some mate, would have the orchid, and the old man would go down and buy it. Didn’t usually say anything about it till he came home with the prize.
“Willis not being able to turn up any more, I put Halloran and Curtis to work. I told Halloran to make the water front and see if he could pick up any news of guys coming in with rare orchids, and I had Curtis drill the florists and greenhouses.