The Greatest Murder Mysteries of S. S. Van Dine - 12 Titles in One Volume (Illustrated Edition). S.S. Van Dine
some conditions, yes; under others, no.” Markham controlled his fury admirably. “You need not answer me, of course; but, if you choose to be frank, you may possibly save yourself the humiliation of being questioned publicly by the People’s attorney in a court of law.”
Doctor Lindquist winced and considered the matter at some length.
“And if I admit that my affection for Miss Odell was other than paternal—what then?”
Markham accepted the question as an affirmation.
“You were intensely jealous of her, were you not, doctor?”
“Jealousy,” Doctor Lindquist remarked, with an air of ironic professionalism, “is not an unusual accompaniment to an infatuation. Authorities such as Krafft-Ebing, Moll, Freud, Ferenczi, and Adler, I believe, regard it as an intimate psychological corollary of amatory attraction.”
“Most instructive,” Markham nodded his head appreciatively. “I am to assume, then, that you were infatuated with—or, let us say, amatorily attracted by—Miss Odell, and that on occasions you exhibited the intimate psychological corollary of jealousy?”
“You may assume what you please. But I fail to understand why my emotions are any of your affair.”
“Had your emotions not led you to highly questionable and suspicious acts, I would not be interested in them. But I have it on unimpeachable authority that your emotions so reacted on your better judgment that you threatened to take Miss Odell’s life and also your own. And, in view of the fact that the young woman has since been murdered, the law naturally—and reasonably—is curious.”
The doctor’s normally pale face seemed to turn yellow, and his long splay fingers tightened over the arms of his chair; but otherwise he sat immobile and rigidly dignified, his eyes fixed intently on the District Attorney.
“I trust,” added Markham, “you will not augment my suspicions by any attempt at denial.”
Vance was watching the man closely. Presently he leaned forward.
“I say, doctor, what method of extermination did you threaten Miss Odell with?”
Doctor Lindquist jerked round, thrusting his head toward Vance. He drew in a long rasping breath, and his whole frame became tense. Blood suffused his cheeks; and there was a twitching of the muscles about his mouth and throat. For a moment I was afraid he was going to lose his self-control. But after a moment’s effort he steadied himself.
“You think perhaps I threatened to strangle her?” His words were vibrant with the intensity of his passionate anger. “And you would like to turn my threat into a noose to hang me?—Paugh!” He paused, and when he spoke again his voice had become calmer. “It is quite true I once inadvisedly attempted to frighten Miss Odell with a threat to kill her and to commit suicide. But if your information is as accurate as you would have me believe, you are aware that I threatened her with a revolver. It is the weapon, I believe, that is conventionally mentioned when making empty threats. I certainly would not have threatened her with thuggee, even had I contemplated so abominable an act.”
“True,” nodded Vance. “And it’s a rather good point, don’t y’ know.”
The doctor was evidently encouraged by Vance’s attitude. He again faced Markham and elaborated his confession.
“A threat, I presume you know, is rarely the forerunner of a violent deed. Even a brief study of the human mind would teach you that a threat is prima facie evidence of one’s innocence. A threat, generally, is made in anger, and acts as its own safety-valve.” He shifted his eyes. “I am not a married man; my emotional life has not been stabilized, as it were; and I am constantly coming in close contact with hypersensitive and overwrought people. During a period of abnormal susceptibility I conceived an infatuation for the young woman, an infatuation which she did not reciprocate—certainly not with an ardor commensurate with my own. I suffered deeply; and she made no effort to mitigate my sufferings. Indeed, I suspected her, more than once, of deliberately and perversely torturing me with other men. At any rate, she took no pains to hide her infidelities from me. I confess that once or twice I was almost distracted. And it was in the hope of frightening her into a more amenable and considerate attitude that I threatened her.—I trust that you are a sufficiently discerning judge of human nature to believe me.”
“Leaving that point for a moment,” answered Markham non-committally, “will you give me more specific information as to your whereabouts Monday night?”
Again I noted a yellow tinge creep over the man’s features, and his body stiffened perceptibly. But when he spoke it was with his habitual suavity.
“I considered that my note to you covered that question satisfactorily. What did I omit?”
“What was the name of the patient on whom you were calling that night?”
“Mrs. Anna Breedon. She is the widow of the late Amos H. Breedon of the Breedon National Bank of Long Branch.”
“And you were with her, I believe you stated, from eleven until one?”
“That is correct.”
“And was Mrs. Breedon the only witness to your presence at the sanitarium between those hours?”
“I am afraid that is so. You see, after ten o’clock at night I never ring the bell. I let myself in with my own key.”
“And I suppose that I may be permitted to question Mrs. Breedon?”
Doctor Lindquist was profoundly regretful.
“Mrs. Breedon is a very ill woman. She suffered a tremendous shock at the time of her husband’s death last summer, and has been practically in a semiconscious condition ever since. There are times when I even fear for her reason. The slightest disturbance or excitement might produce very serious results.”
He took a newspaper cutting from a gold-edged letter-case and handed it to Markham.
“You will observe that this obituary notice mentions her prostration and confinement in a private sanitarium. I have been her physician for years.”
Markham, after glancing at the cutting, handed it back. There was a short silence broken by a question from Vance.
“By the bye, doctor, what is the name of the night nurse at your sanitarium?”
Doctor Lindquist looked up quickly.
“My night nurse? Why—what has she to do with it? She was very busy Monday night. I can’t understand. . . . Well, if you want her name I have no objection. It’s Finckle—Miss Amelia Finckle.”
Vance wrote down the name and, rising, carried the slip of paper to Heath.
“Sergeant, bring Miss Finckle here to-morrow morning at eleven,” he said, with a slight lowering of one eyelid.
“I sure will, sir. Good idea.” His manner boded no good for Miss Finckle.
A cloud of apprehension spread over Doctor Lindquist’s face.
“Forgive me if I say that I am insensible to the sanity of your cavalier methods.” His tone betrayed only contempt. “May I hope that for the present your inquisition is ended?”
“I think that will be all, doctor,” returned Markham politely. “May I have a taxicab called for you?”
“Your consideration overwhelms me. But my car is below.” And Doctor Lindquist haughtily withdrew.
Markham immediately summoned Swacker and sent him for Tracy. The detective came at once, polishing his pince-nez and bowing affably. One would have taken him for an actor rather than a detective, but his ability in matters requiring delicate handling was a byword in the department.
“I want you to fetch Mr. Louis Mannix again,” Markham told him. “Bring him here at once; I’m waiting to see him.”
Tracy bowed genially and, adjusting his glasses, departed