The Diamond Cross Mystery Being a Somewhat Different Detective Story

, as he often did on returning from his round of private visits, to see

ician. He was a politician, and politics and the police were no more divorced

he doctor's voice sh

s working with Kenne

m? No, I

ay, if he lets out anything we can use against Darcy-you know, legitimate stuff-pass it on to me and Thong

" and the two ended their half-whispered talk

to headquarters that

tate the object of his

man he had been loo

vio

u," was the colonel's greeting. "If you're not busy, sir, I'

litary men know that we doctors are in a sort o

and what I want to ask you, I can propound right here a

've h

r you may not, have formed an opinion as to who killed her, but I judge

t back of the right ear, and a stab wound in the left side

ell which

You understand, Colonel, that I am to go on the stand f

to use in his favor. This is simply in the matter of justice, the ends of which I know you wish to serve, as I do myself. So if I ask anything improper please stop me. But

the least

sure the stab w

n fact the victim usually lingers for several hours in an unconscious state. Not so, however, in the case of a stab wound in or near the heart. That is almost always fatal within a short space of t

been delivered by

blow on the head, foll

no other injur

aused by the fall to the floo

ing e

me see-no,

sure, Dr.

oice had a stra

rt of scratch or puncture, as though from a pin, but as she was in the jewelry business and, as I understand

ion in the left

t was so slight that I and my assistant only gave

is the hand in which the tickin

what became of him?" the doctor asked of Detective Carroll, who had strolle

as he had a perfectly good alibi, and we could fasten nothing on hi

hile ago. He has a pair of beautiful Benares candlesticks, in the form

your questions, Colone

all I can, in r

d me all I cared to kn

and I'm not sure ho

idn't do this job," cut in

nd looked uncompromisingly at the headquarters detective. "If I

eet job proving he didn't

nted the colo

cause he thinks she's keeping back part of his coin. Then he's sore because she made some cracks about his girl-that's enough to get any man riled. I

e prosecutor-to prove him guilty," said the colonel. "And

utter somehow. Only I hate to see you kid yourself along be

ll meet again," and, with a military salute, the colonel went out

y would change some of their theories then. Which reminds me that I have more irons in the fire than I suspected. I must not lose

or his beloved fishing rods and flies, at least on this trip t

ages, hardly able to concentrate his mind on what he read for much thinking of the

little fish that I had almost for

ed from the de

I must get after some of them. They may turn the scale in our favor. L

Shag entered, bowing and salutin

" he began, "but does yo

hat sort? Come, sp

me, when we come heah, not t' troub

his Darcy case, Shag. The prohibition is

Miss Darcy-leastways not much about her.

her m

treets yellin' extry papers

here? When di

kept a curiosity shop-de same place where yo' an' me

ott, Shag! You don't mean to

. Heah, I done brought yo' a paper," and Shag pulled out an extra from under his vest, whe

gh, there had been a murder. Shere Ali, Singa Phut's partner, had been foun

hand was a ticking wa

e over his face. He crushed the paper in his hand, and then spr

tch of