Obelists Fly High

by C. Daly King

  ‘I suppose so,’ the girl replied abstractedly. ‘Although I don’t see how you can find out much. It was confused after the way we came down. I wasn’t paying a great deal of attention to the others.’

  ‘Let’s just check up on what you did. You can tell me that.’

  ‘Yes, I unfastened my belt and went out the door. It was open. I started across the field, not quite in the right direction. Then I saw the house, and came over to it. That’s all.’

  ‘You got right up as soon as the ’plane landed? Right after I did?’

  ‘I think so. I didn’t notice you, I’m afraid.’

  ‘Well, let’s see.’ The detective bent over his book. ‘The ’plane landed at 8.28. You left your seat immediately, we’ll say 8.29; 8.30, out the door. It takes two or three minutes to reach the house from the ’plane; I’ve timed it. So you would have been on the field from 8.31 to 8.34, when you probably reached the house here. You walked directly across?’

  ‘Yes, except that I started in the wrong direction, as I said.’

  ‘In that case it may have taken you another minute or so. It might have been 8.36 when you were at the door of the front room?’

  ‘I imagine so. I don’t know.’

  Lord consulted his note-book: ‘Woman approaching house, 8.36 (keeper).’ He said, ‘Yes, I think we can say you reached the house at 8.36. That would give you a long time on the field, though – six minutes. You must have gone quite out of your way.’

  ‘I don’t know, really. I was thinking about the divorce and what I could do about it. I thought Uncle Amos was dead then, you know.’

  ‘And when you reached the house, who was ahead of you? I mean, who was already here when you arrived?’

  ‘I’m afraid I can’t tell you that, either. Oh, some people were in the room when I came in. The pilots, I guess. I think some others, too; but I’m not sure. I tell you I was thinking all the time about affairs in Reno.’

  Lord considered. Finally, ‘If you can’t remember, you can’t. It’s better than guessing and leading me astray by making me take your guesses seriously. Very well, Miss Mann, I should like to see that man Tinkham next, if you please.’

  Isa got to her feet, said, ‘I’ll send him in,’ and closed the door behind her. The detective turned a fresh page in his note-book and made parallel columns for each passenger, ruling off a space for every minute beginning with 8.28, when the ’plane had landed. He proceeded to fill in the columns so far as he could with the information he had now obtained. Presently he glanced around, to see Tinkham seated in turn on the bed opposite. The latter had come in so quietly that Lord had been unaware of his entrance. He observed the surgeon’s assistant speculatively, wondering how far he could trust the other’s hostile attitude.

  Tinkham’s bearing, however, had undergone a considerable change. To Lord’s surprise, the assistant when he saw that he had the detective’s attention smiled and began, ‘We may as well forget our quarrel, in view of what has occurred. I see why you objected to my examining Dr Cutter this morning. As I understand it now, you had administered some drug to him which rendered him unconscious, in order to put off any possibility of his being attacked by the person who sent him that threatening letter.’

  ‘You are perfectly correct,’ Lord admitted.

  ‘Under the circumstances, I realise why you could not afford to have an examination made. You must see, though, why I insisted, knowing nothing of the real situation. Probably you do not appreciate how much I admired Dr Cutter, or how concerned I was about his condition.’

  ‘Ah, I see. Well, we can forget the incident, so far as I am concerned.’

  ‘I owe Dr Cutter a very great deal,’ Tinkham continued earnestly. ‘My whole professional career up to now, practically speaking. That means something, Captain Lord. And, aside from these personal considerations, he was a man whom experimental surgery can ill afford to lose. My admiration for him was as great as my gratitude.’ The man’s voice held the sound of sincerity, and the detective could not but admit to himself the common sense of his statements.

  ‘Very well. Let’s forget it. I understand that you are prepared to help me now in any way you can.’

  ‘I certainly am.’

  ‘You can help me by giving me your movements after the ’plane landed and by telling me what you can of anyone else’s movements, but first your own.’

  Tinkham leaned forward, regarding the floor between his feet. ‘Let me try to be as accurate as possible.’ He reflected for some moments, then said slowly, ‘I sat still for a minute or so after we landed. Then I unfastened my belt and went out on the field, intending to find the house that I heard was somewhere about. When I reached the ground I saw some tracks leading off in the snow, and I followed them. I had gone some distance, when I suddenly realised that I had come away without my bag. So I turned around and came back to the ’plane again. The bag was on my seat where I had left it; I suppose I had been somewhat shaken by the kind of landing we made. As soon as I had gotten the bag, I came across to the house. I think when I finally got here that everyone except yourself had already arrived – almost everyone, anyhow.’

  Under the column headed, ‘Tinkham,’ Lord had been making entries as the other talked. ‘8.28, seat 8.31, getting up. 8.32 out door. 8.33, field.’

  ‘How long would you say you were on the field before you turned back to get your bag?’ he asked. ‘It takes about three minutes to go from the ’plane to this house.’

  ‘I don’t believe I can say with any accuracy; but I must have been nearly over here when I discovered that I had come away without it.’

  ‘Suppose we say you turned back at 8.36, and reached the cabin again at 8.39? Do you think that likely?’

  ‘It’s possible.’

  ‘How long did it take you to find the bag?’

  ‘No time at all. It was right on my seat.’

  ‘Then you were on the field again at 8.40, if you left at once. That would bring you to the house at 8.43.’

  Tinkham said, ‘No. It probably took me a little longer than the average time. I forgot to tell you, but as you are calculating this in minutes I must say that I dropped the bag in the snow on the way over. The catch must have been unfastened. The bag came open and, as I was grabbing it, it fell out of my hand. It wouldn’t make much difference, of course, but picking it up and seeing that nothing had fallen out might have brought me here a minute later.’

  ‘Scientific detail,’ Lord smiled. ‘All right, we can put it down at 8.44, then. Now, whom did you notice as you were going back and forth on the field? There must have been plenty of the others out there with you during that time.’

  ‘There were,’ the assistant admitted. ‘But no one passed me close enough for me to recognise him or for him to recognize me, for that matter. It was snowing very hard, you will recall, when we got out of the ’plane –thick. I did see some figures through the snow both coming and going, but I couldn’t say for certain who they were.’

  ‘You are sure of that? Sure you didn’t recognise someone’s figure or gait? Can’t you recall anyone at all?’

  ‘No,’ Tinkham said after a pause. ‘There is no use my just guessing. Everyone on the ’plane is tall, even the girls. So height is no criterion, and I didn’t notice any peculiarities; they were just vague figures through the snow. I don’t believe I saw more than two, or three at the most. I simply couldn’t identify them to you. It wouldn’t be fair, and I really don’t know.’ He finished with a shrug.

  ‘That is all you can tell me?’

  ‘I’m sorry. That is every bit. I wasn’t concerned with watching anyone, you know. I had no idea that anything serious was happening at such a time. To tell you the truth, I found myself a little let down after the tension of whirling around in the air before the pilots managed to bring us in. I imagine everyone must have been more or less self-centred just then . . . Except the person who attacked you and Dr Cutter, of course.’

  ‘Can you recall definitely
who was here when you finally got to the house? You said everyone, I think. Are you positive about your being the last to arrive?’

  ‘Well – ‘

  ‘Well, what? You must understand that these questions may be vitally important.’

  Tinkham hesitated and when he spoke it was with obvious reluctance. ‘No, I was not literally the last to come in. Miss Fonda Mann got here several minutes after I did. She was the last; but you would not have any idea of suspecting her, I’m sure.’

  ‘Why not?’ asked Lord. ‘Why should I exempt anyone from possible suspicion? Don’t you consider her strong enough to have attacked me? I was hit from behind, you know; there was no struggle at all.’

  ‘What were you hit with? Do you know?’ The assistant’s voice was curious.

  ‘Yes, I do know. It was one of the blocks for the wheels. There are four spares carried under the fuselage. One of them was in the snow beside me. I see no reason why a healthy young woman could not have swung it at my head.’

  ‘Of course she is strong enough,’ Tinkham said slowly. ‘She plays a good game of tennis, plays a great deal; a hard game develops powerful arm muscles and fine coordination, but, seriously, you can’t really suspect her; it’s out of reason that a girl like that should murder her uncle in cold blood. Why, I wouldn’t credit it for an instant!’

  ‘Well, she is only one out of six. We needn’t get excited about it yet. All I mean is that everyone is a suspect until I can prove him innocent. As far as I have gone, though, no one seems to have much of an alibi.’

  ‘Alibis will be scarce, I think,’ Tinkham hazarded. ‘As it seemed to me, we all scattered and came over more or less separately. I don’t remember seeing anything but isolated figures myself.’

  The detective said, ‘Yes, it’s unfortunate. I’ll see what Pons has to contribute next. It can’t be possible that everyone lost sight of all the others. Something may turn up yet.’

  He watched Tinkham rise and make his exit. At the door the latter paused and turned. ‘If I can help you in any way, you will call on me?’ He was gone, carrying his bag, which he had brought with him, in his left hand. Lord’s pencil made a further note about the bag.

  Some minutes passed before Dr Pons’ large figure appeared in the entrance. The psychologist came in with a sandwich in one hand, from which a bite had already been taken. As he crossed the room he swallowed, then asked, ‘How are you, Michael? That looks like a nasty crack you got.’

  ‘I have one hell of a headache,’ the detective admitted, ‘but it seems to be getting a little better. It’s nothing serious. Where did you get that sandwich?’

  ‘The stewardess – Majorie – brought over some eats from the ’plane. She is serving everyone out there. Shall I have her bring something in to you?’

  ‘Not just yet. I’ll get some later. I want to finish up these interviews first. I’m relying on you, doctor, for a little real information. I haven’t gotten much as yet.’

  Pons disposed of his sandwich with a final gulp. He said, ‘What happened, anyhow? Haven’t you any idea who hit you? Where was it?’

  ‘You tell me your story first,’ the detective invited. ‘I don’t want to put any suggestions into your head. What happened to you between the time the ’plane came down and the time you got to the room out there?’

  ‘All right,’ Pons acquiesced. ‘We’ll do it that way . . . Let’s see, now. First of all I can tell you I sat a good long time right in my seat after we finally got down. My goodness,’ the doctor ejaculated, ‘that was a regular whirlwind we got into in these mountains. I didn’t think we would get down safely at all; I don’t see yet why the ’plane wasn’t torn apart. I was dizzy; I was very nearly sick. If I hadn’t thought we were all going to be killed I think I would have been sick. I was so glad to be on the ground again that I just sat still and recovered myself.’

  Lord asked, ‘How long do you think this recuperation lasted?’

  ‘A good long time. Five or ten minutes.’

  ‘Really? As long as that?’

  ‘I know it’s a long time,’ Pons agreed. ‘But I’m familiar with time intervals from experimental work. I am certain I sat there between five and ten minutes. I can’t get it closer than that, because I wasn’t paying special attention to the time.’

  ‘Well, nearer to which? Nearer five, would you say, or nearer ten?’

  ‘It was well over five, I’m sure. And I’m quite sure it wasn’t as much as ten. If I were doing it, I’d split the difference – say seven. That’s the highest probability.’

  Lord returned to his note-book, under ‘Pons.’ ‘8.28, seat. 8.35, getting up.’

  ‘So you got out of your seat at 8.35, we’ll say? Then what?’

  ‘When I got up I walked directly to the back of the cabin and came across the field to the house. I was the last person to leave the cabin, if that is of any use to you. Everyone else had gone – except the stewardess, that is. She was still there, fiddling around with the storage compartment by the door.’

  ‘Yes. 8.36, out the door; 8.37 on the field. Did you walk over rapidly or slowly?’

  ‘Neither. Just an ordinary walk.’

  ‘Say eight-forty for your arrival here, then. Now, can you remember whether the tracks in the snow that the others had made were all together, or was there no beaten track?’

  The psychologist answered without reflection, ‘Yes, I can tell you that, because I couldn’t see the house, and I looked for a trail to it, but there wasn’t any. There were footprints leading off in different directions, but most of them pointed in a general way toward here. They went out rather like a fan, and I took a course midway between the outside tracks. That was just about right; I came almost directly toward the house.’

  ‘Did you notice anyone coming back to the ’plane as you were leaving? Tinkham says he returned to it later to get his bag. Or perhaps he came back before you had left?’

  ‘No, he didn’t do that; nor did I see him when I left, but I believe his bag was on a seat. I think I recall seeing it when I came down the cabin.’

  ‘Anything else before you got to the house?’

  ‘Yes. I met the Englishman just as I came to the door here. He came up from the right. I don’t know where he had been; the ’plane was not in that direction at all. We went in together . . . And someone else came in right after us. Raven, or whatever his name is, closed the door and I heard it open again a second later, but I don’t know who it was. I didn’t look around; I was cold after coming across and I went right over next to the stove. When I did look around the room everyone was there except the two good-looking girls.’

  ‘Who are the two good-looking girls, doctor?’

  ‘The captivatress, of course, and Marjorie.’

  ‘Fonda Mann and the stewardess, you mean?’

  ‘Uh-huh. They came in quite a few minutes later.’

  Pons waited until his friend had brought the notebook entries up to date; then he said, ‘You probably know, Michael, that I’ve had an idea something was going on behind the scenes. I’ll have to confess, though, that I hadn’t guessed just what you were up to.’

  ‘Yes,’ Lord remarked, T am aware you smelled a rat. That was fairly plain when you refused to concoct any theory about the “poisoned” bulb. I did get some quite interesting theories from the others, though. I’d be glad to know just what put you on your guard, because the criminal evidently saw through the scheme, too. I must have made a bad mistake somewhere.’

  ‘I’m not so sure I can help you there. I got it because you must remember that I’ve seen you at work before. Your attitude this time was entirely different than it was on the “Transcontinental,” for instance. You didn’t seem to me to be in earnest in the same way. There could be only two reasons for that: either you knew who the criminal was and were only waiting to grab him, or else there wasn’t any criminal and thus there wasn’t any crime. I couldn’t see any reason for not making the arrest at Chicago if the first alternative were true;
but you didn’t, and so I plumped for the second, even though I didn’t entirely understand it. The way you received the other theories confirmed it, too. I have heard you listen to some pretty wild ideas on other occasions, but you have given them far more serious consideration than you did to the ones you invited this time. It seemed to me you were only half listening sometimes; it was more like passing an hour or so than like seeking a necessary solution . . . Just the same, I can’t believe that the real murderer could have gotten on to you as I did, unless he knows you well. Certainly the people who offered you solutions for something that didn’t need one were all taken in, and, if they were, I don’t quite see how the criminal found you out.’

  ‘I must have made a stupid slip somewhere,’ Lord repeated. ‘If I can put my finger on it, it may point to the person who took advantage of it.’

  ‘It’s time you told me what happened after we landed,’ the psychologist suggested.

  ‘There isn’t much to tell. Naturally I was worried about Cutter after all those whirligigs we had done. I got out as soon as we stopped. Found Philips at the door and told him to let no one out of the cabin. So I thought everything was fixed and paid no attention to anything except getting to Cutter. I had a little trouble with the door of the baggage compartment, and I had just gotten it open when I was hit. When I came to, it was some time later. As soon as I could I crawled into the compartment – the door was still open – and found that my man had been stabbed in the throat. There wasn’t much blood; in fact there was almost none, but his neck had been slashed deeply with some sort of sharp instrument. The wounds are curious. I could swear that no ordinary knife had been used; the slashes weren’t clean enough for that. It was something sharp, but not as sharp as a knife; the flesh was torn in places as well as cut. Of course I searched for the weapon carefully, but I couldn’t find a sign of it. I’m certain it was taken away by the murderer. After that I locked up the compartment again and came over here. The only thing I know about the criminal is that he – or she – came around the tail of the ’plane from the cabin door. I came around the nose, and there was a track in the snow leading around the other end of the ’plane, but the prints, of course, were too vague to imply anything.’