Doctor X (Warner Bros.) (1932)

aes DOCTOR “X” Chapter V—The Eternal Feminine From the Sensational First National Mystery Picture Doctor Xavier seemed much taken aback. ‘Please, gentlemen,” he said, “remember that Dr. Rowitz has given years and years of his life to scientific study. Such men are naturally strange. Sometimes, in the development of one part of the brain, another part is weakened.” He gave a quick, nervous shrug. “However, I don’t believe Rowitz could commit a crime. Why, he’s the author of several volumes of poetry!” But this statement failed to impress Stevens and O’Halloran, who followed him silently into his office once more. : There Stevens spoke suddenly and decisively. “Doctor, if I permittea you to conduct your own investigation, how long would it take?” The eyes of Doctor Xavier lighted up eagerly. “If you leave me alone I can conduct a series of tests which in forty-eight hours will conclusively prove whether the killer is a member of this academy!” Perhaps the representatives of the law were impressed; at any rate they seemed to be, but these gentlemen have a habit of concealing their true thoughts. At any rate there was someone else who was impressed— someone of whose presence they were utterly unaware—someone who was peering in at one of the windows from a fire-escape outside. It was that indefatigable young journalist, Lee Taylor. Keep him out? Better men than they had tried to do it before, and had failed. He’d show them! And he was pressing his head further and further into the curtains, and listening more and more intently, when suddenly he heard a voice from behind and below him. “What are you doing up there?” It was a clear feminine voice, and as he turned he saw that a young girl was standing below in the driveway at the foot of the fire-ladder, looking up at him. Lee made his way down to the ground. “I’m a somnambulist,” he explained, “and I just ran up there to have my head examined.” He smiled, but the girl did not return the smile. “I asked you,” she repeated, “what were you doing up there?” She was pretty; there could be no possible mistake about that; and she wore her fur coat most becomingly. But the shape of something protruding from beneath the coat made Lee more careful in his reply than he “might otherwise have been. It looked _* #for all the world like a small auto matic pistol. Lee showed his badge for a bare — _insfent. “Police Commis “swans Sa “{ eptec a Ts <a Vm Joan officer. Xavier,” she said quietly. “We live across the campus. | I saw all the people arrive and wondered what was going on.” “I assure you it’s nothing for you to worry about. You run along home before you catch cold.” But she asked suddenly: “What do they want with my father?” and the genuine concern in her voice Startled Lee. “Don’t you understand?” she added. “Father hasn’t been himself lately. He’s sick!” The young man patted her arm reassuringly. “I'll have to insist that you go home. I’m sure they won’t upset your father.” “It’s kind of you to say that,” re plied the girl. “I’ve always had a terror of policemen. Good-night.” So she left him, walking easily and freely with a sparkle of gallant grace in every movement; and Lee stood looking after her, thinking the thoughts of a young man who has just met a girl who seems to possess all the specifications for becoming the girl. So she was Joan Xavier. What sort of girl, really, was she? And what sort of man was that strange person. her father? And what had they, if anything, to do with the strange series of killings in the full moon which had shocked and terrified the greatest city in the world? Lee roused himself and turned to the fire-escape again, then gave a cry of angry dismay. The ladder had swung up out of reach. Chapter VI Doctor X Begins His Experiment Commissioner Stevens was delivering his ultimatum. “All right! We'll agree to lay off for forty-eight hours. But I give you my word if you don’t succeed we'll walk in here, seal every door, place ‘everybody under arrest, take fingerprints, conduct a rigid inspection— and I don’t care if the whole world knows it! There have been six murders committed all under the same circumstances and the evidence points here; therefore, unless you can help us, you'll have to submit to a regular investigation.” Doctor Xavier was a picture of reasonable appeal as he faced the other men. “All I want is a chance,” he said quietly. 1 as a police “You’ve got it for forty-eight hours. Good-night, Doctor.” “Good-night, gentlemen,” said Doctor Xavier. Perhaps Stevens and O’Halloran might have been interested had they seen the Doctor’s face as they turned their backs upon him. It became hard, contemptuous, sneering, and he muttered: “Meddling fools!” before swinging round again into his office. * e& A young man stovd on the steps of Doctor Xavier’s residence holding a large bouquet of flowers. His ring brought a maid-servant to the door —a woman in her late thirties, goodnatured of manner but plainly distrustful of strangers. “How do you do?” said the young man. “I’m Mr. Taylor.” “You ain’t a reporter, are you?” asked the maid fearfully. “T should say not! Is Miss Xavier in?” “What did you want Miss Xavier for?” “My grandmother sent me.” The maid, perplexed, admitted him, and as he stood waiting in the attractive living room he noticed a portrait of Doctor Xavier, which he _ proceeded to take out of its frame and pocket. He might need it for the paper later on. Also there was a portrait of Joan, and he was about to take it also when he heard her clear voice behind him. “I beg your pardon.” Lee turned in confusion. There she was, prettier than ever, and with a tischievous light in her eyes. “Were you really going to take it?” she asked. ae —— anne OO — “Just who are you, anyway?” asked Joan, looking straight into his eyes. He told her, and saw her cheeks mantle with anger. “You deliberately fooled me last night into believing you were an officer.” “All I did was to show you ~‘y police press badge.” “1 want you to leave this house immediately.” “Honestly,” said Lee, “I’m ashamed of myself.” “Will you do as I ask?” “Please say that again. It’s the closest to anything coaxing you’ve said yet.” But all his charm and _ blarney would not avail. “Get out!” said Joan furiously. And hecause in her fury she was not only pretty but something far more precious and intoxicating than that, Lee found himself bereft of words and marched silently out of the house. But he {eft the flowers behind him. And as Joan stood alone in the tiving-room the anger presently left her cheeks, and a smile came slowly and reluctantly to her lips. ad * * That same day Doctor Xavier and his colleagues all went down to the Doctor’s country place at Cliff Manor, on Long Island, where he was to make his great experiment to find the murderer. Naturally Lee Taylor went too, but not with the others. Concealed behind a tree outside the strange, spooky-looking old house where Doctor Xavier made his retreat far from the madding crowd, he _ observed the arrival of the interesting people who were to be concerned in the Doctor’s strange test. Twilight was falling, and he waited until all was dark before starting toward the house himself. He felt like a burglar; but he had felt that way before, many times, when engaged upon his journalistic tasks. And he knew that, of all these tasks, none had been so eerie and mysterious, none so fraught with sinister and nameless peril, as that upon which he was now engaged. And he also knew, somehow, that Joan was menaced. It was not only his duty to his paper that was calling him to gain entrance to this mysterious place. He was very definitely in love. (To be continued) here, gentl DOCTOR “X” Chapter VII—In the Old House by the Sea From the Sensational First National Mystery Picture In the gloomy library Dr, Rowitz found his host waiting for him, with Wells standing nearby nursing his empty sleeve, and Joan by the window, where a gleam of moonlight came through the heavy curtains. : The German scientist bowed stiffly. periments to make?” “Very interesting,” faculty to participate in them.” Rowitz looked sharply at Wells. “You have some interesting ex replied Doctor Xavier. “I have invited the entire “You are assisting?” “Doctor Xavier has been good enough to take me into his confidence.” There was a loud knock at the heavy front door, and Otto, the butler, a noiseless, furtive man with half-veiled eyes, opened it for Professors Haines and Duke. Haines smilea fawningly upon Doctor Xavier, then took the first opportunity to cross co where Joan was standing. “It’s nice to see you again,” he said. An expression of distaste came to the girls face. “Thank you. You came just in time for me to say good-night.” And she moved quickly toward the door, but the man followed her. “Did you like the flowers?” he asked, pressing close to her when they were alone together in the next room. “They were nice. But you shouldn’t do it.” Haines smiled like a satyr in pursuit of a flying nymph. “I’ve brought you something you’ll enjoy: a very old book of Japanese erotica.” She pushed the volume away. “Thank you—but I never read things like that.” Haines fingered the book suggestively. “The drawings are a little naughty.” He was positively leering at her as Doctor Xavier appeared suddenly from the library, looking grimly at the man as Jvan slipped out of the room. “I thought,” said the Doctor, “that we had come to an understanding about this.” Haines’s manner had changed utterly as his chief entered. He was now sad, apologetic, an abused and misjudged figure. “I see you still misunderstand me, Doctor,” he said resignedly, and returned to the library, with the older man behind him. Doctor Xavier, with his faculty before him, spoke plainly and directly to them all. “Now that we are all 5 recent moon-killer murders which have aroused the public and press to a state of hysteria. Investigation has proven that in every murder the killer made use of a scalpel—a type of scalpel which can only be found in our laboratory. I should prefer to believe everyone in this room innocent; but circumstances force me to assume that one of us is guilty!” Professor Duke broke out angrily: “But, confound it, Xavier—to bring us away up here on a night like this! Why couldn’t you have told us this at the academy?” “For a very simple reason. I wish to conduct an investigation of my own —quietly.” “But T’m a sick man,” snarled Duke. Doctor Xavier disregarded him. “I want each of you to submit to a pathological test—an experiment I have devised which I hope will prove each and every one of us innocent.” Haines sprang to his feet. “This is insulting! I refuse!” But here Duke plunged in again “Good! Then the police will give it to you with a rubber hose.” “I consider it a privilege, Doctor,” said Rowitz, “to have an opportunity of proving my innocence. J am ready.” “And you, Professor Haines?” asked Doctor Xavier. “Well, if the others are,” sneered Haines. “But it’s a lot of nonsense.” “Good!” exclaimed Doctor Xavier quickly. “Suppose you gentlemen go to your rooms and unpack. In ten minutes we shall all meet in the laboratory.” Chapter VIII Death Strikes Again Lee Taylor had a hard time getting into the house. It had begun to rain, and when he tried to climb one of the pillars supporting the roof of the porch he found it so slippery that it was quite impossible to reach the top and enter by the second floor. Going around to the side of the house he tried a kitchen window and found it locked. For a moment he was stumped. The kitchen door, of course, must be locked; no use trying that. But pres ently he decided to try it just the same. It opened, and with a grin— the grin of the triumphant news detective—he cautiously entered Cliff Manor. sume all of you are familiar with the The kitchen was pitch-dark. With his flashlight gleaming intermittently Lee groped his way into a large halJway and presently found himself on the threshold of a large room which, there could be no doubt, was the laboratory of Doctor Xavier. An eerie place it was, dimly lighted from the ceiling. Directly in the center of the room four chairs had been placed in a row in front of an apparatus of coils, transformers, tubes and plates, surmounted by four large glass thermal tubes, each half fillea with a heavy, cily fluid. From this apparatus four wires ran to the four chairs. A small stage or rostrum was at one side of the room, commanded by heavy electric reflectors from various points. Now, what, thought Lee, could all this mean? And as he was asking himself the question there came a sound of people approaching, and he hid himself quickly in a closet at one side of the room. Two persons entered—the maid, Mamie, whom he had seen in town when he took the flowers to Joan Xavier, and the butler, Otto, whe was carrying a long cape and several objects of women’s apparel. Strange? But everything was strange in this morbid place, thought Lee, listening intently. Mamie was evidently in a state of nerves, and the butler seemed to be taking a fiendish delight in frightening her. “Doesn’t this room give you the creeps, Mamie?” he asked with a chuckle. She shuddered. “The only thing in this room right now that does that, & ! Ou GG UO are going to enact the last murder by the socalled moon killer in front of an audience I have suggested. Otto knows all about it and will instruct you in the part. Your part is that of the scrubwoman—the one who met death last night. Otto will impersonate the killer. Now you both may go behind the stage and get ready.” Unwilling Mamie followed Otto behind the stage a moment before approaching footsteps heralded the arrival of Rowitz, Wells, Haines and Duke, the last hobbling on ifs crutches as usual. sa, NOW, gentlemen,” said Doctor Xavier, if _you_ will kindly be seated in these chairs, I will give you a brief idea of my experiment. And with your permission I'll ask Wells to clamp a contact wire to each of your bare arms—my own included.” a Amid grumbles and snarls the wires were clamped upon the arms of the seated men. As he completed his task the full moon shone _ brilliantly through the window of the laboratory.’ Wells gazed with startled eyes at Doctor Xavier. Close | those curtains,’ cried Professor eo That moon’s shining right in my “You may close th “ sd Doctor y em, Wells,” said the ells obeyed, then snapped on a switch The room was plunged in darkness, and through the blackness the voice of Doctor Xavier was heard, while the thermal tubes gave out a strange, penetrating glow and the fluid in each tube began pulsing up and down, no two of them the same. One of us in this circle,” said Doctor Xavier, may be a murderer! derer who kills in the light of a full moon —leaving hi ictim’: Piacoa 0 S victim’s body mutilated—a with the tube tube is yours. reflected before you. faster, so d The curtains on the st. : I age parted. dim green light reflected fhe ae ite like figure of a young girl. and was followed old man; then a middle-aged woman; then ind now,” came the voice of Xavier in the darkness, “the last on You are to see re-enacted the murder of an old scrubwoman—the killer’s latest victim! She is coming home from work. A eyes ghee down upon her——” ie stage appeared Mamie, i along in the dim light. Behind: were weird figure in a black cape and hood appeared. A lunge—a screen from Mamie ee pee ee Doctor Xavier's voice: . one tube! gui et ed Rowitz!”’ Se Oa ees “The lights!’? screamed Duk re body turn on the lights!” 7 = SOME Suddenly the lights went on. Otto, the butler, was standing by the switch. oe at = ghastly object—a igure—its i i ene ead resting in a pool It was Dr. Rowitz. (To be continued) Page Twenty-one