Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

Every Tuesday . Mac, who was standing in ths background, lost his temper. "Listen." he howled, "if you know what's going on here, I demand that you He broke off because Bob had opened one of the double-doors on to the corridor in the same instant that the lights were blazing once more. Bob disappeared, and Mac rushed out after him. All along the corridor to the stairs they ran. and down the stairs into the base- ment. But the basement was plunged into darkness as Bob made for the recess with the wire gates, and Mac was unfamiliar with the way. The lights kept flashing on and ofl as he stumbled along, and he had no idea that Hank had entered the basement to find out what was wrong. The two ran into one another, in pitch blackness, and Mac whipped out his gun. "Stand where you are!" he shouted. But Hank dropped to his knees, gripped the detective round the legs and brought him down with a thud. Bob had nearly reached the recess, and had seen that one of the wire gates was open, when the lights went out to stay out. It seemed to him that a shadowy figure flitted out from the recess and vanished into the adjacent cellar, but of this he could not be sure. He felt his way in at the gate and moved over to the switches. Mac and Hank were struggling furiously with one another on the floor when the whole basement became lit up, and Bob heard Hank crying triumphantly: "I got him! I got him!" Bob went out to them. Mac's gun was lying against a wall, and Mac himself was trying to force Hank off his prone body. "Well," said Bob dryly, "when you two boys figure out who's got who, you might get off the floor!" The two contestants sat up and glared at one another, and Bob returned to the switches. They followed him sheepishly, and they saw him cut off and restore the current twice in I'apid succession. Up in the theatre. Dr. Towne said to those with him: " I guess we can go ahead now." But Mac did not understand at all. "Whafre you doing there?" he howled at Bob. "Signalling Dr. Towne." Bob explained. "The killer figured that Dr. Towne would puncture Tony's eves when the lights were off, and I guessed that would happen if he wasn't warned, so I asked him not to go ahead with the actual operation till I gave him the signal. When these lights con- tinued to go on and off I knew there wasn't any automatic switch this tim?." He stooped suddenly and picked up a half-used packet of matches which he examined. " He got away," he went on, " but he left some evidence." "Evidence?" exclaimed Hank. "You mean them? They're only matches—what do they prove?" "They might prove a lot," said Bob. "Everybody uses matches, but everybody doesn't use them in the same way." "Now wait a minute," said Hank. "Who's the detective ai'ound here?" "That's what I'd like to know!" snorted Mac. "I asked him first," complained Hank. But Bob had nothing further to say about the matter. He pocketed the matches and led the way back to the stairs. The operation was performed, but whether it would prove a success or not time alone could determine. Tony was taken back to his ward, and the ward was guarded day aiid night. Police officers remained unobtrusively all over the build- ing for a foi-tnight, but Mac had other work to do and merely visited the hospital at frequent intervals. There came a day, however, when Bob escorted the detective up to the office that BOY'S CINEMA II " You ! " bellowed the detective, cov»/- Ing Bob with the gun. " That's wb.V you switched nuries, huh ? " had been Dr. Morton's, telling him he was about to witness something that might prove highly dramatic. Dr. Donald Fox, the young anaesthetist, was sitting in a chair near the wall mirror; Dr. Norman Kennedy was perched on a corner of the desk, and Carole was standing by a window when the door was opened by an officer in uniform, and Lila Haines trundled a wheelchair into the room and was followed by Dr. Towne. Ann Stokes and Dr. Gardner. Tony was in the wheelchair with pillows behind his shoulders. His arms were folded, and his face was so swathed in bandages that only the top of his head and the tip of his beak-like nose were visible. "How is he this morning, doctor?" Bob eagerly inquired. "I believe." replied the specialist in a formal manner, "that the patient can stand the shock of the light now. Shall I remove the bandages?" With the exception of Dr. Thornton, who was dead and buried, all those who had been in the theatre when Dr. Morton was killed were now in the room. Bob looked at Mac. "Any objection, sergeant?" he inquired. "Not from me," drawled the detective, concealing his excitement. "I'm just an idle bystaiider." "Then thank you, doctor." While the bandages over Tony's eyes were being removed, Lila Haines remained behind the wheelchair, looking more Oriental than ever because her face was utterly void of expression. Norman Ken- nedy took out a cigarette-case, extracted a cigarette from it, and put it between his lips. "Norman," said Bob incisively, "I think you'd be a little less nervous if you'd con- tinue to be left-handed. A match?" Kennedy held out his left hand for a match. He had used his right hand to take out the case and the cigarette. "I found these down in the basement," Bob said, witholding the packet he had taken from his pocket. "They were used bv the person who was turning those lights on and off while Tony was about to be operated on." Mac held out a hand. "Let me see those." Bob showed him the packet and asked him if he noticed anything about it. The detective shook his head, and Kennedy took the packet. The name of a tobac conist was printed on the cover, and only two unused matches were inside. "Nothing unusual about these," said Kennedy. "They're from the store across the street. Everybody in the hospital Carrie's them." He lit the cigarette and handed back the packet, whereupon Bob pointed to the stubs of the matches that had been torn out. " When a left-handed person uses packei- matches," he demonstrated, "they usually start tearing them off from the left side. Now these obviously were usea by a right-handed person—except the one Dr. Kennedy has just taken." Kennedy looked relieved, but Bob said to him: "Don't think that clears you altogether. Because Tony's going to tell us in a minute—we hope—whether this murder was committed left-handed deliberately, or whether there were two people involved." A second bandage was removed from Tony's eyes, and he blinked as though the light were too strong for them. Minute.s passed tensely as he screwed up the lids as though trying to see clearly. Boo motioned Lila aside and took the riandle of the wheelchair. "Maybe Tony can't see at that dis- tance," he said, and moved the chair for- ward till the front of it was nearly touch- ing the starched skirts of Ann Stokes "Ann, you had a perfectly good chance to sneak into the galleiT of the theatre and throw that scalpel just to cover up Norman!" Mac blinked. He hadn't given a thought to the gallery from which internes frequently watched operations. "No, I couldn't!" cried Ann "I was "Never mind." Tony's face was show- ing that he was not interested in the nurse, and Bob turned the chair and pushed it towards Dr. Gardiier. "Superintendent," he said to every- body's surprise, "you might have com- mitted the murder in the same way You know that Dr. Morton was going to asK the Board for your dismissal." "Ridiculous!" exploded Gardner. Tony made no sign, and the chair was propelled towards Dr. Donald Fox. l)eceml>tT inrt. l??0