"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 114 - The Strange Disappearance Of Joe Cardona" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

done it in about fifteen minutes."


WESTON considered Cardona's summary; then put a sharp question:
"The motive?"
"To grab some plan that Tabor had," returned Cardona, promptly. "To cover
whatever he took, he grabbed a lot of other things, too. That leaves us out of
luck, commissioner."
"There is another possibility," decided Weston. "The murderer may simply
have rifled the place to make it look as though he sought some of Tabor's
building plans."
"Maybe," agreed Cardona, "but in either case, he's covered whatever he
was
after. It looks to me, commissioner, as though our first step is to get the
time
element straight."
"Did you hear that, professor?" inquired Weston. "Do you think you can
help us?"
"I can," announced Murkden. "Especially if there is actually a trace of
poison in the coffee cup."
"We're sure of that," put in Cardona. "A purple color has shown up in the
little coffee that we found there. But there's none in the thermos bottle
That's how we know that the poison was put in the cup. The thermos bottle is
less than half full. It looks clear."
Professor Murkden raised his hand; waved a bony forefinger, as he stated:
"I have already learned enough from previous cases to make tests with
what
we might term synthetic compounds, resembling this purple poison. A prompt
analysis of the coffee will enable me to check my previous experiments.
"More important, however, is the matter of fresh blood. My previous tests
have been made too late to learn the exact rate of coagulation, which may be
variable. If I begin to-night, with tests of this new victim's blood, I feel
sure that I shall succeed in establishing the exact time of death."
"Good," decided Weston. "The body is already on its way to our
headquarters laboratory. Doctor, take Professor Murkden there. Detective Lewis
will bring the coffee samples. We shall lose no time with this."
Turning to Murkden, Weston made added query:
"Tell me, professor, when can we count upon your first report?"
Murkden considered, then replied:
"To-morrow evening. Let us say after my usual lecture."
"At what time do you lecture?"
"From eight o'clock until nine."
"Very well, professor. I shall call personally at nine o'clock."


MURKDEN left with the surgeon and one of the detectives, who took along
the thermos bottle and carried the coffee from the cup in a bottle that the
police doctor provided. Cardona dismissed the lunch room proprietor, then
turned to speak to Weston. He saw the commissioner staring at a partly opened
skylight in the slanted ceiling of the studio.