CHAPTER IX
THE TWILIGHT SLEEP
As I entered the laboratory I saw before him a peculiar, telescope-likeinstrument, at one end of which, in a jar of oxygen, something wasburning with a brilliant, penetrating flame.
He paused in his work and I hastened to tell him of the peculiarexperience I had had in the forenoon. But he said nothing, even at thesignificant actions of Dr. Preston.
"How about those things you found in the maid's room?" I asked atlength. "Do they explain Rawaruska's death?"
"The trouble with them," he replied, thoughtfully shaking his head, "isthat the effects of such things last only for a short time. They mighthave been used at first--but there was something used afterward."
"Something afterward?" I repeated, keenly interested, and fingering thetelescope-like arrangement curiously. "What's this?"
"One of the new quartz lens spectroscopes used by Dr. Dobbie of theEnglish Government laboratories," he answered briefly. "I thinkchemists, police officials, coroners and physicians are going to find itmost valuable. You see, by throwing the ultra-violet part of thespectrum from a source of light as I obtain from the sparking of iron inoxygen through the lenses of a quartz spectroscope, the lines of manydangerous drugs, especially of the alkaloids, can be distinctly andquickly located in the spectrum. Each drug produces a characteristickind of line. We use a quartz lens because glass cuts off theultra-violet rays. Why, even the most minute particle of poison can bedetected in this revolutionary fashion."
He had resumed squinting through the spectroscope.
"Well," I asked, "do you find anything there?"
He had evidently been using the piece of gauze on which he had preservedthe liquid from the peculiar little marks on Rawaruska's spine.
"Narcophin," he muttered, still squinting.
"Narcophin?" I repeated. "What is that?"
"A derivative of opium--morphine. There's another poison here, too," headded.
"What is it?"
"Scopolamine," he answered tersely, "scopolamine hydrobromide."
"Why," I exclaimed, "that is the drug they use in this new 'twilightsleep,' as they call it."
"Exactly," he replied, "the _daemmerschlaf_. I suspected something of thekind when I saw those little punctures on her back. Some people show amarked susceptibility to it; others just the reverse. Evidently she wasone of those who go under it quietly and quickly."
I looked at Kennedy in amazement.
"You can see," he went on, catching the expression on my face, "if itcould be used for medical science, it could also be used for crime.That's the way I reasoned, the way someone else must have reasoned."
He paused, then went on. "Someone thought out this plan of usingnarcophin and scopolamine to cause the twilight sleep, to keep Rawaruskajust on the borderland of unconsciousness, destroying her memory andproducing forgetfulness. That is the _daemmerschlaf_; perception isretained but memory lost. You are acquainted with the test? They show anobject to a patient and ask her if she sees it. Say, half an hour later,it is shown again. If she remembers it, it is a sign that a newinjection is necessary.
"Only in this case the criminal went too far, disregarded the danger ofthe thing. Scopolamine in too great a quantity causes death by paralysisof respiration--a paralysis, by the way, against which artificialrespiration and all means of stimulating are ineffective because of therigidity of the muscles. And so, you see, in this case Rawaruska died."
I could not help thinking of Preston, the young doctor who had beenstudying in Germany. More than likely he had heard of and hadinvestigated the Frieberg "twilight sleep" treatment. We had made someprogress, even though we did not know why or by whom the drugs had beenadministered.
Wade, of the Customs Service, had, as I have said, told us that he hadseveral secret agents about in the trade, constantly picking up bits ofinformation that might interest the Treasury Department. It did notsurprise Kennedy, therefore, late in the forenoon, to have Wade call upand tell him that among the early callers at Margot's, the jeweler, wasthe maid Cecilie.
"That was where she must have been before I reached the Vanderveer," Iexclaimed.
Kennedy nodded. "But why did she go there?" he asked. "And why was shetalking with Preston?"
Inasmuch as I couldn't answer the questions I didn't try, but waitedwhile Craig reasoned out some method of attack on them.
"Since it's known that we're working on the case of Rawaruska," heruminated half an hour later over an untasted lunch, "we might just aswell take the risk of seeing Margot himself. Let's go down and look hisshop over."
So in the middle of the afternoon, when Fifth Avenue was crowded withshoppers, we paused before Margot's window, looking over the entrancingdisplay of precious stones gleaming out from the rich black velvetbackground, and then sauntered in, like any other customers.
Kennedy engaged the salesman in talk about necklaces and lavallieres,always leading the conversation around to the largest stones that hesaw, and dwelling particularly on those that were colored. As Ilistened, trying to throw in a word now and then that would not soundabsolutely foolish, I was impressed by a feeling that Margot's, eventhough it was such a fashionable place, was what might be called only ahigh-class shyster's. In fact, I recalled having heard that Margot hadengineered several rather questionable transactions in gems.
"I'm much interested in orange stones," remarked Kennedy, casuallyturning up a flawless white diamond and discarding it as if it did notinterest him. "Once when I was abroad I saw the famous Invincible, and ahandsomer gem than it is I never hope to see."
The clerk, ever obliging, replaced the tray before us in the safe andretired toward the back of the shop.
"He suspects nothing, at least," whispered Kennedy.
A moment later he returned. "I'm sorry," he reported, "but we haven'tany such stones in the house. But I believe we expect some in a fewdays. If you could--"
"I shall remember it; thank you," interrupted Kennedy brusquely, as Icaught a momentary gleam of satisfaction in his eye. "That's mostfortunate. I'll be in again. Thank you."
We turned toward the door. In an instant it flashed over me that perhapsthey were recutting the big Invincible.
"Just a moment, please, gentlemen," interrupted a voice behind us.
A short, stocky man had come up behind us.
"I thought you did not look like purchasers, nor yet like crooks," hesaid defiantly. "Did I hear you refer to the Invincible?"
It was Margot himself, who had been hovering about behind us. Kennedysaid nothing.
"Yes," he went on, "I am cutting a large diamond, but it is not like theInvincible. It is much handsomer--one that was discovered right here inthis country in the new diamond fields of Arkansas. The diamond itselfis already sold. And you would nevair guess the buyer, oh, nevair!"
"No?" queried Kennedy.
"Nevair!" reiterated Margot.
"It could not be delivered to a woman who was once the maid ofRawaruska, the Russian dancer?" Craig asked abruptly.
Margot shot a quick and suspicious glance at us.
"Then you are, as I suspected, a detectif?" he cried.
Kennedy eyed him sharply without admitting the heinous charge. Margotreturned his look and I felt that of all sayings that about a dishonestman not being able to look you in the eye was itself the least credible.He laughed daringly. "Well, perhaps you are right," he said. "Butwhoever it is, he is lucky to have bought a stone like it so cheaply!"
The man was baffling. I could not figure it out. Had Margot been simplya high-class "fence" for the disposal and convenient reappearance ofstolen goods?
We returned uptown to our apartment to find that in the meantime Wadehad called up again. Kennedy got him on the wire. It seemed that shortlyafter we left Margot's Cecilie had called again and had gone off with asmall, carefully wrapped package.
"A strange case," pondered Kennedy, as he hung up the receiver. "Firstthere is a murder that looks like a suicide, then the sale of a di
amondthat looks like a fake." He paused a moment. "They have worked quicklyto cover it up; we must work with equal quickness if we are to uncoverthem."
With almost lightning rapidity he had seized the telephone again and hadour old friend First Deputy O'Connor on the wire. Briefly he explainedthe case, and arranged for the necessary arrests that would bring theprincipal actors in the little drama to the laboratory that night. Thenhe fell to work on a little delicate electrical instrument consisting,outwardly at least, of a dial with a pointer and several little carbonhandles attached to wires, as well as a switchboard.
I know that Kennedy did not relish having his hand forced in thismanner, but nevertheless he was equal to the emergency and when, afterdinner, those whom O'Connor had rounded up began to appear at thelaboratory, no one would ever have imagined that he had not the entirecase on the very tip of his tongue, almost bursting forth an accusation.
De Guerre had complied with the police order by sending Cecilie alone ina cab, and later he drove up with Miss Hoffman. Dr. Preston came inshortly afterward, shooting a keen glance at Cecilie, and avoiding morethan a nod to De Guerre. Margot himself was the last to arrive,protesting volubly. Wade, of course, was already there.
"I really must beg your pardon," began Kennedy, as he ignored thequerulousness of Margot, the late arrival, adding significantly, "thatis, of all of you except one, for monopolizing the evening."
Whatever might have been in their minds to say, no one ventured a word.Kennedy's tone when he said, "Of all of you except one," was too tenseand serious. It demanded attention, and he got it.
"I am going to put to you first a hypothetical case," he continuedquietly. "Let us say that the De Guerres of Antwerp decided to smuggle agreat jewel into America for safe keeping, perhaps for sale, during thetroublous times in their own country.
"Now, any man would know," he went on, "that he had a pretty slim chancewhen it came to smuggling in a diamond. Besides, everyone knew that theDe Guerres owned this particular stone, of which I shall speak later.But a woman? Smuggling is second nature to some women."
Quickly he ran over the strange facts that had been unearthed regardingthe death of the dainty Russian dancer.
"You were right, Monsieur De Guerre," he concluded, turningto the diamond merchant; "it was no suicide. Your wife waskilled--unintentionally, it is true,--but killed in an attempt to steala great diamond from her while she was smuggling it."
De Guerre made no answer, save a hasty glance at Wade that did not carrywith it an admission of smuggling.
"You mean to say, then, Mr. Kennedy," Margot demanded, "that whileRawaruska was smuggling in the big diamond of which you speak someoneheard of it and deliberately _murdered_ her?"
"Not too fast," cautioned Craig. "Think again before you use thosewords, 'deliberately murdered.' If it had been murder that was intended,how much more surely it might have been accomplished by more brutalmethods--or by more scientific. No, murder was never deliberatelyintended."
He stopped, as if to emphasize the point, then slowly began todistribute to each of us one of the carbon handles I had seen himadjusting to the peculiar little electrical instrument.
"Let me reconstruct the case," he hurried on, giving a final twist ortwo to the instrument itself, now placed before him on a table, with itsdial face away from us. "Rawaruska had retired for the night. Where hadshe placed the diamond? It would probably take a long search to find it.Well, the twilight sleep was chosen because it was supposed to be asafe and sure means to the end. Even if she retained some degree ofconsciousness, she would forget what happened. That is partly the reasonfor the treatment, anyhow,--the loss of memory.
"Someone believed this was a safe and sure anesthetic. First perhaps awhiff of the secret service 'bad perfume' to insure that she would notcry out--then an injection of narcophin and scopolamine--another--andthe twilight sleep. A few minutes, and Rawaruska was unconscious.
"Then came the search. Perhaps she was restless. Another injectionsettled that. At last the great diamond was found. But the twilightsleep meant not forgetfulness but death to Rawaruska!"
Craig paused. It was almost as if one could see the word picture of thescene as he painted it.
"What was to be done? The diamond must be recut--anything to hide itsidentity, at once, and at any cost. And Margot? The story of theArkansas diamond and the sale is a blind. The case is perfect!"
Kennedy raised his eyes for the first time from the study of the littleelectrical machine before him, and caught the eye of Cecilie, holdingit, unwilling.
"Did you ever hear of the great diamond, the Invincible?" Kennedysmashed out.
I felt that it might not have been exactly chivalrous, but it wasnecessary.
Cecilie's breast, which had showed a wildly beating heart as Kennedytold of how her mistress had died, was calmer now. Her air of surpriseat the mention of the diamond was perfect. Elsa Hoffman was gazing ather, too, in tense interest. De Guerre was outwardly cool, Margotopenly cynical, Preston leaning forward in ill-suppressed excitement.
For a moment Kennedy paused again, as if allowing all to collectthemselves before he took them by assault.
"I have lately been studying," he remarked casually, "the experiments ofDr. Von Pfungen of Vienna showing the protective resistance of the humanskin against an electric current. Normally, this resistance averagesfrom seventy to eighty thousand ohms. In the morning, owing to theaccumulation of waste products, the resistance may mount to almostdouble. In persons suffering from nervous anxiety, it decreases to fivethousand and even down to a thousand ohms in cases of hysteria. VonPfungen has also measured a human being's emotional feelings by theelectric current. I have a copy of his instrument here. There is oneperson who sits gripping the carbon electric handle connected with thisgalvanometer who, to begin with, had a resistance of over sixtythousand. But when I began to tell of how Rawaruska met her death, ofthe hypothetical case I have built up by my observations and experimentshere in this very laboratory, the needle of the galvanometer started tooscillate downward. It went down until it reached thirty-eight thousandat the mention of murder. When I said the case was perfect, it had gotas low as under twenty thousand, swinging lower and lower as the personsaw hope depart!"
Kennedy was no longer paying any attention to the little instrument. AsI followed him, I became more and more impatient. What was it he haddiscovered? Who was it?
"Preston," cried Kennedy, suddenly wheeling on the young doctor,"through your regard--honorable, I am sure--for Rawaruska you have letyourself be drawn into doing a little amateur detective work. Let mewarn you. Instead of clearing up the case, you merely laid yourself opento suspicion. Fortunately the galvanometer absolves you. You should haveknown that Cecilie was only a tool. De Guerre, your black wallet, thatall diamond dealers carry--thank you, Wade--that's it."
Kennedy had turned from Preston to Cecilie, then to De Guerre sosuddenly that no one was prepared for the signal he gave to the customsofficer.
Wade had covered the surprised dealer and was now emptying out thecontents of the wallet.
There, on the table, gleaming in the light of the laboratory, lay awonderful brilliant, some three hundred carats--perfect in its blazingcrystalline orange beauty. There it lay, a jewel which might charm andarouse the cupidity of two hemispheres. It shone like a thing of life.Yet back of its orange fire lay a black tragedy.
Margot was on his feet instantly.
"That is not the--"
"Just a moment, Mr. Margot," interrupted Kennedy. "I think Mr. Wade willbe able to show that it is the Invincible when he matches up the partsthat have been hurriedly cut from--from the wonderful Arkansas diamond,"Craig added sarcastically. "Miss Hoffman, Dr. Preston tells us thatbefore you were a diamond saleswoman you had been a trained nurse!"
The look Elsa Hoffman flashed, as her calm exterior refused to concealher emotions longer, was venomous.
Kennedy was the calmest one of us all as he tapped the littlegalvanometer significantly with his ind
ex finger.
"De Guerre," he exclaimed, leaning forward slightly, "you and yourlover, Elsa Hoffman, planned cunningly to rob your own brothers. But,instead of robbers merely," he ground out, "you are murderers!"