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Death at the Excelsior by pg Woodhouse
one. The room was the typical bedroom

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of the typical boarding house, furnished
in so far as it could be said

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to be furnished at all, with
a severe simplicity. It contained two beds,

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a pine chest of drawers, a
strip of faded carpet, and a

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wash basin. But there was that
on the floor which set this room apart

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from a thousand rooms of the same
kind. Flat on his back, with

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his hands tightly clenched and one leg
twisted oddly under him, and with his

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teeth gleaming through his gray beard in
a horrible grin, Captain John Gunner stared

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up at the ceiling with eyes that
saw nothing. Until a moment before he

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had had the little room all to
himself. But now two people were standing

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just inside the door, looking down
at him. One was a large policeman

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who twisted his helmet nervously in his
hands. The other was a tall,

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gaunt old woman in a rusty black
dress, who gazed with pale eyes at

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the dead man. Her face was
quite expressionless. The woman was Missus Pickett,

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owner of the Excelsior boarding House.
The policeman's name was Grogan. He

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was a genial giant, a terror
to the riotous element of the waterfront,

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but obviously ill at ease in the
presence of death. He drew in his

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breath, wiped his forehead, and
whispered, look at his eyes, ma'am.

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Missus Pickett had not spoken a word
since she had brought the policeman into

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the room, and she did not
do so now. Constable Grogan looked at

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her quickly. He was afraid of
Mother Picket, as was everybody else along

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the waterfront. Her silence, her
pale eyes, and the quiet decisiveness of

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her personality cowed even the tough old
salts who patronized the ex celsier. She

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was a formidable influence in that little
community of Sailorman. That's just how I

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found him, said Missus Pickett.
She did not speak loudly, but her

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voice made the policeman start. He
wiped his forehead again. It might have

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been apoplexy, he hazarded. Missus
Pickett said nothing. There was a sound

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of footsteps outside, and a young
man entered carrying a black bag. Good

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morning, Missus Pickett. I was
told that, good Lord. The young

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doctor dropped to his knees beside the
body and raised one of the arms.

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After a moment, he lowered it
gently to the floor and shook his head

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in grim resignation. He's been dead
for hours, he announced, When did

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you find him? Twenty minutes back, replied the old woman. I guess

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he died last night. He never
would be called in the morning, said

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he liked to sleep on. Well, he's got his wish. Oh what

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did he die of, Sir,
asked the policeman. It's impossible to say

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without an examination. The doctor answered. It looks like a stroke, but

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I'm pretty sure it isn't. It
might be a coronary attack, but I

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happen to know his blood pressure was
normal and his heart sound. He called

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in to see me only a week
ago, and I examined him thoroughly.

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But sometimes you can be deceived.
The inquest will tell us he eyed the

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body almost resentfully. I can't understand
it. The man had no right to

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drop dead like this. He was
a tough old sailor who ought to have

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been good for another twenty years.
If you want my honest opinion. Though

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I can't possibly be certain until after
the inquest, I should say he had

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been poisoned. How would he be
poisoned, asked Missus Pickett quietly. That's

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more than I can tell you.
There's no glass about that he could have

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drunk it from. He might have
got it in capsule form, But why

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should he have done it? He
was always a pretty cheerful sort of old

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man, wasn't he, Yes,
sir, said the constable. He had

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the name of being a joker in
these parts. Kind of sarcastic, they

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tell me, though he never tried
it on me. He must have died

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quite early last night, said the
doctor. He turned to Missus Pickett.

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What's become of Captain Muller? If
he shares this room? He ought to

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be able to tell us something about
it. Captain Muller spent the night with

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some friends at Portsmouth, said Missus
Pickett. He left right after supper and

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hasn't returned. The doctor stared thoughtfully
about the room, frowning. I don't

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like it. I can't understand it. If this had happened in India,

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I should have said the man had
died from some form of snake bite.

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I was out there two years,
and I've seen a hundred cases of it.

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The poor devils all looked just like
this, But the thing's ridiculous.

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How could a man be bitten by
a snake in a Southampton waterfront boarding house?

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Was the door locked when you found
him, Missus Pickett? Missus Pickett

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nodded. I opened it with my
own key. I had been calling to

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him and he didn't answer, so
I guessed something was wrong. The Constable

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spoke, you ain't touched anything,
ma'am. They're always very particular about that.

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If the doctor's right and there's been
anything up, that's the first thing

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they'll ask. Everything's just as I
found it. What's that on the floor

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beside him, the doctor asked,
only his harmonica. He liked to play

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it of an evening in his room. I've had some complaints about it from

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some of the gentlemen, but I
never saw any harm so long as he

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didn't play it too late. Seems
as if he was playing it when it

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happened. Constable Grogan said, that
don't look much like suicide, Sir.

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I didn't say it was suicide.
Grogan whistled, You don't think. I'm

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not thinking anything until after the inquest. All I say is that it's queer.

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Another aspect of the matter seemed to
strike the policeman. I guess this

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ain't going to do the Excelsior any
good, ma'am, he said sympathetically.

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Missus Pickett shrugged her shoulders. I
suppose I had better go and notify the

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coroner, said the doctor. He
went out, and after a momentary pause,

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the policeman followed him. Constable Grogan
was not greatly troubled with nerves,

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but he felt a decided desire to
be somewhere where he could not see the

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dead man's staring eyes. Missus Pickett
remained where she was, looking down at

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the still form on the floor.
Her face was expressionless, but inwardly she

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was tormented and alarmed. It was
the first time such a thing as this

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had happened at the Excelsior, and
as Constable Grogan had hinted, it was

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not likely to increase the attractiveness of
the house in the eyes of possible boarders.

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It was not the threatened pecuniary loss
which was troubling her as far as

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money was concerned. She could have
lived comfortably on her savings, for she

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was richer than most of her friends
supposed. It was the blot on the

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escutcheon of the Excelsior the stain on
its reputation, which was tormenting her.

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The Excelsior was her life. Starting
many years before, beyond the memory of

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the oldest border, she had built
up the Mudel Establishment, the fame of

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which had been carried to every corner
of the world. Men spoke of it

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as a place where you were fed
well, cleanly housed, and where petty

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robbery was unknown. Such was the
chorus of praise that it was not likely

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that much harm could come to the
Excelsior from a single mysterious death. But

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Mother Pickett was not consoling herself with
such reflections. She looked at the dead

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man with pale, grim eyes out
in the hallway. The doctor's voice further

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increased her despair. He was talking
to the police on the telephone, and

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she could distinctly hear his every word. Two. The offices of mister Paul

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Snyder's detective agency in New Oxford Street
had grown in the course of a dozen

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years from a single room to an
impressive, sweet bright with polished wood,

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clicking typewriters and other evidences of success. Where once mister Snyder had sat and

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waited for clients and attended to them
himself. He now sat in his private

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office and directed eight assistants. He
had just accepted a case, a case

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that might be nothing at all or
something exceedingly big. It was on the

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latter possibility that he had gambled.
The fee offered was judged by his present

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standards of cross prosperity small, but
the bizarre facts, coupled with something in

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the personality of the client, had
worn him over. He briskly touched the

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bell and requested that mister Oakes be
sent in to him. Eliot Oakes was

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a young man who both amused and
interested mister Snyder, for though he had

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only recently joined the staff, he
made no secret of his intention of revolutionizing

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the methods of the agency. Mister
Snyder himself, in common with most of

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his assistants, relied for results on
hard work and plenty of common sense.

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He had never been a detective of
the showy type. Results had justified his

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methods, but he was perfectly aware
that young mister Oakes looked on him as

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a dull old man who had been
miraculously favored by luck. Mister Snyder had

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selected Oakes for the case in hand, principally because it was one where inexperience

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could do no harm, and where
the brilliant guess work, which Oakes preferred

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to call his inductive reasoning, might
achieve an unexpected success. Another motive actuated

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mister Snyder in his choice. He
had a strong suspicion that the conduct of

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this case was going to have the
beneficial result of lowering Oakes's self esteem if

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failure achieved this end. Mister Snyder
felt that failure, though it would not

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help the agency, would not be
an unmixed ill. The door opened and

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Oakes entered tensely. He did everything
tensely, partly from a natural nervous energy

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and partly as a pose. He
was a lean young man with dark eyes

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and a thin lipped mouth, and
he looked quite as much like a typical

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detective as mister Snyder looked like a
comfortable and prosperous stockbroker. Sit down,

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Oakes said, mister Snyder, I've
got a job for you. Oakes sank

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into a chair like a crouching leopard
and placed the tips of his fingers together.

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He nodded curtly. It was part
of his pose to be keen and

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silent. I want you to go
to this address. Mister Snyder handed him

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an envelope, and look around.
The address on that envelope is of a

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sailor's boarding house down in Southampton.
You know, the sort of place.

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Retired sea captains and so forth lived
there, all most respectable in all its

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history. Nothing more sensational has ever
happened than a case of suspected cheating at

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halfpenny nap Well. A man had
died there, murdered. Oakes asked,

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I don't know. That's for you
to find out. The coroner left it

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open. Death by misadventure was the
verdict, and I don't blame him.

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I don't see how it could have
been murder. The door was locked on

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the inside, so nobody could have
got in the window. The window was

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open, granted, but the room
is on the second floor. Anyway,

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you may dismiss the window. I
remember the old lady saying there was a

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bar across it, and that nobody
could have squeezed through. Oakes's eyes glistened.

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He was interested. What was the
cause of death, he asked.

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Mister Snyder coughed snake bite, he
said. Oakes's careful calm deserted him.

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He uttered a cry of astonishment.
Why that's incredible. It's the literal truth.

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The medical examination proved that the fellow
had been killed by snake poison cobra

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to be exact, which is found
principally in India, cobra. Just so,

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in a Southampton boarding house, in
a room with a locked door,

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this man was stung by a cobra. To add a little mystification to the

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limpid simplicity of the affair, when
the door was opened, there was no

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sign of any It couldn't have got
out through the door because the door was

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locked. It couldn't have got out
of the window because the window was too

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high up and snakes can't jump,
And it couldn't have gotten up the chimney

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because there was no chimney. So
there you have it. He looked at

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Oaks with a certain quiet satisfaction.
It had come to his ears that Oakes

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had been heard to complain of the
infantile nature and unworthiness of the last two

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cases to which he had been assigned. He had even said that he hoped

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some day to be given a problem
which should be beyond the reasoning powers of

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a child of six. It seemed
to mister Snyder that Oakes was about to

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get his wish. I should like
further details, said Oakes, a little

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breathlessly. You had better apply to
Missus Pickett, who owns the boarding house.

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Mister Snyder said. It was she
who put the case in my hands.

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She is convinced that it is murder. But if we exclude go hosts,

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I don't see how any third party
could have taken a hand in the

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thing at all. However, she
wanted a man from this agency and was

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prepared to pay for him, so
I promised her I would send one.

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It is not our policy to turn
business away, he smiled Riley. In

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pursuance of that policy, I want
you to go and put up at missus

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Pickett's boarding house and do your best
to enhance the reputation of our agency.

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I would suggest that you pose as
a ship's chandler or something of that sort.

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You will have to be something maritime
or they'll be suspicious of you,

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And if your visit produces no other
results, it will at least enable you

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to make the acquaintance of a very
remarkable woman. I commend Missus Pickett to

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your notice. By the way,
she says, she will help you in

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your investigations, Oakes laughed shortly.
The idea amused him. It's a mistake

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to scoff at amateurs assistance, my
boy, said mister Snyder, in the

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benevolently paternal manner which had made a
score of criminals refused to believe him a

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detective until the moment when the handcuffs
snapped on their wrists. Crime investigation isn't

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an exact science. Success or failure
depends on a large measure on applied common

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sense and the possession of a great
deal of special information. Missus Pickett knows

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certain things which neither you nor I
know, and it's just possible that she

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may have some stray piece of information
which will provide the key to the entire

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mystery. Oakes laughed again. It
is very kind of missus Pickett, he

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said, But I prefer to trust
my own methods. Oakes rose, his

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face purposeful. I'd better be starting
at once, he said. I'll send

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you reports from time to time.
Good. The more detail, the better,

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said mister Snyder, genially. I
hope your visit to the Excelsior will

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be pleasant and cultivate Missus Pickett.
She's worth while. The door closed and

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mister Snyder lighted a fresh cigar.
Dash it, young fool, he murmured

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as he turned his mind to other
matters. Three a day later, mister

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Snyder sat in his office reading a
typewritten report. It appeared to be of

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a humorous nature, for as he
read, chuckles escaped him. Finishing the

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last sheet, he threw his head
back and laughed heartily. The manuscript had

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not been intended by its author for
a humorous effort. What mister Snyder had

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been reading was the first of Elliot
Oakes's reports from the Excelsior. It read

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as follows. I am sorry to
be unable to report any real progress.

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I have formed several theories which I
will put forward later, but at present

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I cannot say that I am hopeful. Directly I arrived here, I sought

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out missus Wicket, explained who I
was, and requested her to furnish me

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with any further information which might be
of service to me. She is a

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strange, silent woman who impressed me
as having very little intelligence. Your suggestion

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that I should avail myself of her
assistance seems more curious than ever, now

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that I have seen her. The
whole affair seems to me, at the

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moment of writing, quite inexplicable.
Assuming that this Captain Gunner was murdered,

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there appears to have been no motive
for the crime whatsoever. I have made

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careful inquiries about him and found that
he was a man of fifty five,

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00:17:36,079 --> 00:17:38,960
had spent nearly forty years of his
life at sea, the last dozen in

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command of his own ship, was
of a somewhat overbearing disposition, though with

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a fund of rough humor, had
traveled all over the world, and had

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been an inmate of the Excelsior for
about ten months. He had a small

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00:17:53,079 --> 00:17:57,839
innuity and no other money at all, which disposes of money as the motive

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00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:03,359
for the crime. In my character
of James Burton, a retired ship's chandler,

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00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:07,039
I have mixed with the other boarders
and have heard all they have to

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00:18:07,079 --> 00:18:12,480
say about the affair. I gathered
that the deceased was by no means popular.

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00:18:14,119 --> 00:18:17,519
He appears to have had a bitter
tongue, and I have not met

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00:18:17,559 --> 00:18:21,960
one man who seems to regret his
death. On the other hand, I

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00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:26,400
have heard nothing which would suggest that
he had any active and violent enemies.

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00:18:26,119 --> 00:18:32,079
He was simply the unpopular boarder there
is always one in every boarding house,

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00:18:32,279 --> 00:18:36,160
but nothing more. I have seen
a good deal of the man who shared

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00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:40,880
his room, another sea captain named
Muller. He is a big, silent

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person and it is not easy to
get him to talk. As regards the

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00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:48,000
death of Captain Gunner, he can
tell me nothing. It seems that on

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00:18:48,039 --> 00:18:52,480
the night of the tragedy he was
away at Portsmouth with some friends. All

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00:18:52,519 --> 00:18:56,599
I have got from him is some
information as to Captain Gunner's habits, which

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00:18:56,680 --> 00:19:03,440
leads nowhere. The dead man seldom
drank except at night when he would take

228
00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:07,000
some whiskey. His head was not
strong, and a little of the spirit

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00:19:07,119 --> 00:19:12,240
was enough to make him semi intoxicated
when he would be hilarious and often insulting.

230
00:19:14,119 --> 00:19:18,720
I gather that Muller found him a
difficult roommate, but he is one

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00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:22,279
of those placid persons who can put
up with anything. Key and Gunner were

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in the habit of playing drafts together
every night in their room, and Gunner

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00:19:26,359 --> 00:19:32,160
had a harmonica which he played frequently. Apparently he was playing it very soon

234
00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:37,279
before he died, which is significant
as seeming to dispose of the idea of

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00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:41,920
suicide. As I say, I
have one or two theories, but they

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00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:45,240
are in a very nebulous state.
The most plausible is that on one of

237
00:19:45,279 --> 00:19:49,359
his visits to India, I half
ascertained that he had made several voyages there.

238
00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:55,400
Captain Gunner may in some way have
fallen foul of the natives. The

239
00:19:55,440 --> 00:20:00,119
fact that he certainly died of the
poison of an Indian snake supports this theory.

240
00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:04,319
I am making inquiries as to the
movements of several Indian sailors who were

241
00:20:04,359 --> 00:20:10,079
here in their ships at the time
of the tragedy. I have another theory.

242
00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:15,319
Does missus Pickett know more about this
affair than she appears to I may

243
00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:21,799
be wrong in my estimate of her
mental qualities, her apparent stupidity may be

244
00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:26,720
cunning. But here again the absence
of motive brings me up against a dead

245
00:20:26,799 --> 00:20:30,839
wall. I must confess that at
present I do not see my way clearly.

246
00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:38,160
However, I will write again shortly. Mister Snyder derived the utmost enjoyment

247
00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:42,519
from the report. He liked the
substance of it, and above all he

248
00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:48,319
was tickled by the bitter tone of
frustration which characterized it. Oakes was baffled,

249
00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:53,240
and his knowledge of Oaks told him
that the sensation of being baffled was

250
00:20:53,359 --> 00:20:59,079
gall and wormwood. To that high
spirited young man, whatever might be the

251
00:20:59,119 --> 00:21:03,519
result of this investoration, it would
teach him the virtue of patience. He

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00:21:03,599 --> 00:21:10,880
wrote his assistance a short note,
Dear Oaks, your report received. You

253
00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:15,240
certainly seem to have got the hard
case which I hear you were pining for.

254
00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:18,599
Don't build too much on plausible motives
in a case of this sort.

255
00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:23,759
Fauntleroy, the London murderer, killed
a woman for no other reason than that

256
00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:29,519
she had thick ankles. Many years
ago, I myself was on a case

257
00:21:29,799 --> 00:21:33,119
where a man murdered and intimate friend
because of a dispute about a bet.

258
00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:38,319
My experience is that five murderers out
of ten act on the whim of the

259
00:21:38,359 --> 00:21:44,039
moment, without anything which, properly
speaking, you could call a motive at

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00:21:44,039 --> 00:21:48,839
all. Yours very cordially, Paul
Snyder, p. S. I don't

261
00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:52,839
think much of your picket theory.
However, you're in charge. I wish

262
00:21:52,880 --> 00:22:00,640
you luck. Four Young mister Oakes
was not enjoying himself. For the first

263
00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:06,480
time in his life. The self
confidence which characterized all his actions seemed to

264
00:22:06,519 --> 00:22:11,079
be failing him. The change had
taken place almost overnight. The fact that

265
00:22:11,079 --> 00:22:15,720
the case had the appearance of presenting
the unusual had merely stimulated him at first,

266
00:22:17,319 --> 00:22:22,079
but then doubts had crept in and
the problem had begun to appear insoluble.

267
00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:26,359
True, he had only just taken
it up, but something told him

268
00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:29,720
that for all the progress he was
likely to make, he might just as

269
00:22:29,759 --> 00:22:33,680
well have been working on it steadily
for a month. He was completely baffled,

270
00:22:34,279 --> 00:22:38,440
and every moment which he spent in
the Excelsior boarding house made it clear

271
00:22:38,559 --> 00:22:44,599
to him that that infernal old woman
with the pale eyes thought him an incompetent

272
00:22:44,759 --> 00:22:48,720
fool. It was that, more
than anything, which made him acutely conscious

273
00:22:48,759 --> 00:22:55,160
of his lack of success. His
nerves were being sorely troubled by the quiet

274
00:22:55,240 --> 00:23:00,000
scorn of Missus Pickett's gaze. He
began to think that perhaps he had been

275
00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:03,960
a shade too self confident and abrupt
in the short interview which he had had

276
00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:10,039
with her on his arrival. As
might have been expected, his first act

277
00:23:10,319 --> 00:23:15,160
after his brief interview with Missus Pickett
was to examine the room where the tragedy

278
00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:19,079
had taken place. The body was
gone, but otherwise nothing had been moved.

279
00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:26,119
Oakes belonged to the magnifying glass school
of detection. The first thing he

280
00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:30,119
did on entering the room was to
make a careful examination of the floor,

281
00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:33,319
the walls, the furniture, and
the window sill. He would have hotly

282
00:23:33,319 --> 00:23:37,920
denied the assertion that he did this
because it looked well, but he would

283
00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:44,000
have been hard put to it to
advance any other reason if he discovered anything.

284
00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:48,519
His discoveries were entirely negative and served
only to deepen the mystery of the

285
00:23:48,559 --> 00:23:53,839
case. As missus Snyder had said, there was no chimney, and nobody

286
00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:59,640
could have entered through the locked door. There remained the window. It was

287
00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:03,799
small, and apprehensiveness, perhaps of
the possibility of burglars, had caused the

288
00:24:03,799 --> 00:24:10,200
proprietress to make it doubly secure with
an iron bar. No human being could

289
00:24:10,279 --> 00:24:15,119
have squeezed his way through it.
It was late that night that he wrote

290
00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:22,640
in dispatch to headquarters the report which
had amused mister Snyder. Five two days

291
00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:26,279
later, mister Snyder sat at his
desk, staring with wide, unbelieving eyes

292
00:24:26,319 --> 00:24:32,319
at a telegram he had just received. It read as follows, I have

293
00:24:32,559 --> 00:24:37,400
solved Gunner mystery. Returning Oakes,
mister Snyder narrowed his eyes and rang the

294
00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:42,599
bell. Send mister Oakes to me
directly. He arrives, He said he

295
00:24:42,759 --> 00:24:48,559
was pained to find that his chief
emotion was one of bitter annoyance. The

296
00:24:48,559 --> 00:24:53,400
swift solution of such an apparently insoluble
problem would reflect the highest credit on the

297
00:24:53,400 --> 00:25:00,160
agency, and there were picturesque circumstances
connected with the case which would make make

298
00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:03,240
it popular with the newspapers and lead
to its being given a great deal of

299
00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:10,480
publicity. Yet in spite of all
this, mister Snyder was annoyed. He

300
00:25:10,599 --> 00:25:15,279
realized now how large a part the
desire to reduce Oaks's self esteem had played

301
00:25:15,319 --> 00:25:19,079
with him. He further realized,
looking at the thing honestly, that he

302
00:25:19,119 --> 00:25:23,759
had been firmly convinced that the young
man would not come within a mile of

303
00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:30,279
reasonable solution of the mystery. He
had desired only that his failure would prove

304
00:25:30,319 --> 00:25:34,720
a valuable educational experience for him,
for he believed that failure at this particular

305
00:25:34,759 --> 00:25:38,920
point in his career would make Oakes
a more valuable asset to the agency.

306
00:25:40,799 --> 00:25:45,160
But now here Oakes was within a
ridiculously short space of time. Returning to

307
00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:51,880
the fold, not humble and defeated, but triumphant. Mister Snyder looked forward

308
00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:56,359
with apprehension to the young man's probable
demeanor under the intoxicating influence of victory.

309
00:25:57,519 --> 00:26:03,599
His apprehensions were well grounded. He
had barely finished the third of a series

310
00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:07,119
of cigars, which, like milestones, marked the progress of his afternoon.

311
00:26:07,559 --> 00:26:12,599
When the door opened and young Oakes
entered, mister Snyder could not repress a

312
00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:17,759
faint moan at the sight of him. One glance was enough to tell him

313
00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:23,079
that his worst fears were realized.
I got your telegram, said mister Snyder.

314
00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:30,200
Oakes nodded. It surprised you,
eh, he asked. Mister Snyder

315
00:26:30,279 --> 00:26:34,559
resented the patronizing tone of the question, but he had resigned himself to be

316
00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:41,319
patronized and keep his anger in check. Yes, he replied, I must

317
00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:45,519
say it did surprise me. I
didn't gather from your report that you had

318
00:26:45,559 --> 00:26:49,680
even found a clue. Was it
the Indian theory that turned the trick?

319
00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:56,480
Oakes laughed tolerantly. Oh, I
never really believe that preposterous theory for one

320
00:26:56,559 --> 00:27:02,279
moment. I just put it in
to round out my report. I hadn't

321
00:27:02,319 --> 00:27:07,119
begun to think about the case,
then, not really think. Mister Snyder,

322
00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:12,960
nearly exploding with wrath, extended his
cigar case. Light up and tell

323
00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:18,000
me all about it, he said, controlling his anger. Well, I

324
00:27:18,079 --> 00:27:22,559
won't say I haven't earned this,
said Oakes, puffing away. He let

325
00:27:22,559 --> 00:27:27,200
the ash of his cigar fall delicately
to the floor, another action which seemed

326
00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:33,480
significant to his employer. As a
rule, his assistants, unless particularly pleased

327
00:27:33,519 --> 00:27:41,160
with themselves, used the ashtray.
My first act on arriving, Oakes said,

328
00:27:41,599 --> 00:27:45,799
was to have a talk with missus
Pickett, a very dull old woman.

329
00:27:45,799 --> 00:27:51,680
Curious. She struck me as rather
intelligent. Not on your life.

330
00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:56,279
She gave me no assistance whatever.
I then examined the room where the death

331
00:27:56,279 --> 00:28:00,799
had taken place. It was exactly
as you described it. There was no

332
00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:06,200
chimney, the door had been locked
on the inside. The one window was

333
00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:11,119
very high up. At first sight, it looked extremely unpromising. Then I

334
00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:15,240
had a chat with some of the
other boarders. They had nothing of any

335
00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:21,200
importance to contribute. Most of them
simply gibbered. I then gave up trying

336
00:28:21,240 --> 00:28:25,599
to get help from the outside and
resolved to rely on my own intelligence,

337
00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:32,759
he smiled triumphantly. It is a
theory of mine, mister Snyder, which

338
00:28:32,799 --> 00:28:37,319
I have found valuable that in nine
cases out of ten, remarkable things don't

339
00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:44,599
happen. I don't quite follow you
there, mister Snyder interrupted, I will

340
00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:48,319
put it another way if you like. What I mean is that the simplest

341
00:28:48,359 --> 00:28:53,400
explanation is nearly always the right one. Consider this case, it seemed impossible

342
00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:59,039
that there should have been any reasonable
explanation of the man's death. Most men

343
00:28:59,079 --> 00:29:03,119
would have warned them out guessing at
wild theories. If I had started to

344
00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:07,119
do that, I should have been
guessing now as it is here. I

345
00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:12,319
am. I trusted to my belief
that nothing remarkable ever happens, and I

346
00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:18,880
worn out. Mister Snyder sighed softly. Oakes was entitled to a certain amount

347
00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:22,279
of gloating, but there could be
no doubt that his way of telling a

348
00:29:22,319 --> 00:29:30,720
story was downright infuriating. I believe
in the logical sequence of events. I

349
00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:36,680
refuse to accept effects unless they are
preceded by causes. In other words,

350
00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:41,640
with all due respect to your possibly
contrary opinions, mister Snyder, I simply

351
00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:45,799
declined to believe in a murder unless
there is a motive for it. The

352
00:29:45,839 --> 00:29:49,079
first thing I set myself to ascertain
was what was the motive for the murder

353
00:29:49,119 --> 00:29:53,759
of Captain Gunner? And after thinking
it over and making every possible inquiry,

354
00:29:55,079 --> 00:30:02,119
I decided that there was no motive, therefore there was no murder. Mister

355
00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:06,759
Snyder's mouth opened, and he obviously
was about to protest, but he appeared

356
00:30:06,799 --> 00:30:11,680
to think better of it, and
Oakes proceeded. I then tested the suicide

357
00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:17,839
theory. What motive was there for
suicide? There was no motive, therefore

358
00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:25,119
there was no suicide. This time, mister Snyder spoke, you haven't been

359
00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:27,599
spending the last few days in the
wrong house, by any chance, have

360
00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:33,279
you? You'll be telling me next
that there wasn't any dead man. Oakes

361
00:30:33,279 --> 00:30:37,240
smiled, not at all. Captain
John Gunner was dead all right, as

362
00:30:37,279 --> 00:30:41,200
the medical evidence proved. He died
of the bite of a cobra. It

363
00:30:41,279 --> 00:30:48,079
was a small cobra which came from
Java. Mister Snyder stared at him.

364
00:30:48,079 --> 00:30:52,960
How do you know, I do
know, beyond any possibility of doubt.

365
00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:59,720
Did you see the snake? Oake
shook his head. Then, how in

366
00:30:59,759 --> 00:31:04,839
HEA's name I have enough evidence to
make a jury convict mister Snake without leaving

367
00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:11,119
the box. Then suppose you tell
me this, How did your cobra from

368
00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:17,400
Java get out of the room by
the window? Replied Oakes impassively. How

369
00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:22,279
can you possibly explain that? You
say yourself that the window was high up.

370
00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:26,119
Nevertheless, it got out by the
window. The logical sequence of events

371
00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:30,039
is proof enough that it was in
the room. It killed Captain Gunner there,

372
00:31:30,519 --> 00:31:36,880
and left traces of its presence outside. Therefore, as the window was

373
00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:41,119
the only exit, it must have
escaped by that route. It may have

374
00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:44,839
climbed, or it may have jumped, But somehow it got out of that

375
00:31:44,920 --> 00:31:51,680
window. What do you mean it
left traces of its presence outside. It

376
00:31:51,799 --> 00:31:56,559
killed a dog in the back yard
behind the house, Oakes said. The

377
00:31:56,640 --> 00:32:00,279
window of Captain Gunner's room projects out
over it. It is full of boxes

378
00:32:00,319 --> 00:32:05,279
and litter, and there are a
few stunted shrubs scattered about. In fact,

379
00:32:05,599 --> 00:32:08,519
there is enough cover to hide any
small object, like the body of

380
00:32:08,559 --> 00:32:14,039
a dog. That's why it was
not discovered at first. The maid at

381
00:32:14,039 --> 00:32:16,640
the Excelsior came on it the morning
after I sent you my report. While

382
00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:21,400
she was emptying a box of ashes
in the yard. It was just an

383
00:32:21,559 --> 00:32:27,200
ordinary stray dog without callar or license. The analyst examined the body and found

384
00:32:27,279 --> 00:32:31,319
that the dog had died of the
bite of a cobra. But you didn't

385
00:32:31,319 --> 00:32:37,079
find the snake. No. We
cleaned out that yard till you could have

386
00:32:37,119 --> 00:32:40,359
eaten your breakfast there, But the
snake was gone. It must have escaped

387
00:32:40,359 --> 00:32:45,079
through the door of the yard which
was standing ajar. That was a couple

388
00:32:45,119 --> 00:32:49,359
of days ago, and there has
been no further tragedy. In all likelihood,

389
00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:52,960
it is dead. The nights are
pretty cold now and it would probably

390
00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:58,599
have died of exposure. But I
just don't understand how a cobra got to

391
00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:04,359
Southampton, said the amazed mister Snyder. Can't you guess it? I told

392
00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:09,039
you it came from Java. How
did you know it did? Captain Muller

393
00:33:09,079 --> 00:33:13,920
told me not directly, but I
pieced it together from what he said.

394
00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:17,960
It seems that an old shipmate of
Captain Gunner's was living in Java. They

395
00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:22,359
corresponded, and occasionally this man would
send the Captain a present as a mark

396
00:33:22,440 --> 00:33:27,960
of his esteem. The last present
he sent was a crate of bananas.

397
00:33:28,640 --> 00:33:32,240
Unfortunately, the snake must have got
in unnoticed. That's why I told you

398
00:33:32,279 --> 00:33:37,680
the cobra was a small one.
Well, that's my case against mister Snake,

399
00:33:37,039 --> 00:33:40,039
and short of catching him with the
goods, I don't see how I

400
00:33:40,039 --> 00:33:45,680
could have made out a stronger one. Don't you agree? It went against

401
00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:50,160
the grain for mister Snyder to acknowledge
defeat, but he was a fair minded

402
00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:53,319
man, and he was forced to
admit that Oakes did certainly seem to have

403
00:33:53,400 --> 00:33:59,559
solved the impossible. I congratulate you, my boy, he said, as

404
00:33:59,599 --> 00:34:02,839
heartily as he could to be completely
frank, when you started out. I

405
00:34:04,079 --> 00:34:07,039
didn't think you could do it.
By the way, I suppose Missus Pickett

406
00:34:07,039 --> 00:34:13,199
was pleased. If she was,
she didn't show it. I'm pretty well

407
00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:16,679
convinced that she hasn't enough sense to
be pleased at anything. However, she

408
00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:21,880
has invited me to dinner with her
tonight. I imagine she'll be as boring

409
00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:25,320
as usual, but she made such
a point of it I had to accept

410
00:34:27,679 --> 00:34:32,239
six. For some time after Oakes
had gone, mister Snyder sat smoking and

411
00:34:32,400 --> 00:34:37,800
thinking in embittered meditation. Suddenly there
was brought the card of missus Pickett,

412
00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:43,400
who would be grateful if he could
spare her a few moments. Mister Snyder

413
00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:47,000
was glad to see missus Pickett.
He was a student of character, and

414
00:34:47,079 --> 00:34:52,920
she had interested him at their first
meeting. There was something about her which

415
00:34:52,960 --> 00:34:57,559
had seemed to him unique, and
he welcomed this second chance of studying her

416
00:34:57,599 --> 00:35:02,239
at close range. She came came
in and sat down stiffly, balancing herself

417
00:35:02,280 --> 00:35:07,599
on the extreme edge of the chair
in which a short while before young Oakes

418
00:35:07,599 --> 00:35:14,000
had lounged so luxuriously. How are
you, missus Pickett, said mister Snyder

419
00:35:14,079 --> 00:35:17,000
genially. I'm very glad that you
could find time to pay me a visit.

420
00:35:17,679 --> 00:35:22,920
Well, so it wasn't murder after
all, sir. I've just been

421
00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:28,039
talking to mister Oakes, whom you
met as James Burton, said the detective.

422
00:35:28,559 --> 00:35:32,000
He has told me all about it. He told me all about it,

423
00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:38,039
said Missus Pickett dryly. Mister Snyder
looked at her inquiringly. Her manner

424
00:35:38,079 --> 00:35:44,599
seemed more suggestive than her words.
A conceited, headstrong, young fool,

425
00:35:44,840 --> 00:35:49,679
said Missus Pickett. It was no
new picture of his assistant that she had

426
00:35:49,760 --> 00:35:53,840
drawn. Mister Snyder had often drawn
it himself, but at the present juncture

427
00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:59,360
it surprised him. Oakes, in
his hour of triumph, surely did not

428
00:35:59,480 --> 00:36:06,159
deserve that this sweeping condemnation. Did
not mister oaks solution of the mystery satisfy

429
00:36:06,199 --> 00:36:10,480
you, Missus Pickett. No,
it struck me as logical and convincing.

430
00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:15,039
Mister Snyder said, you may call
it all the fancy names you please,

431
00:36:15,119 --> 00:36:21,360
mister Snyder, but mister Oak's solution
was not the right one. Have you

432
00:36:21,480 --> 00:36:25,559
an alternative to offer? Missus Pickett
tightened her lips. If you have,

433
00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:30,880
I should like to hear it.
You will at the proper time. What

434
00:36:31,039 --> 00:36:37,039
makes you so certain that mister Oaks
is wrong? He starts out with an

435
00:36:37,039 --> 00:36:40,960
impossible explanation and rests his whole case
on it. There couldn't have been a

436
00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:45,760
snake in that room, because it
couldn't have gotten out the window was too

437
00:36:46,039 --> 00:36:52,320
high. But surely the evidence of
the dead dog. Missus Pickett looked at

438
00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:58,599
him as if he had disappointed her. I had always heard you spoken of

439
00:36:58,639 --> 00:37:02,639
as a man with common sense,
mister Snyder. I have always tried to

440
00:37:02,760 --> 00:37:07,800
use common sense. Then why are
you trying now to make yourself believe that

441
00:37:07,920 --> 00:37:13,800
something happened which could not possibly have
happened just because it fits in with something

442
00:37:13,800 --> 00:37:19,199
which isn't easy to explain. You
mean there is another explanation of the dead

443
00:37:19,280 --> 00:37:24,639
dog, mister Snyder asked, not
another. What mister Oakes takes for granted

444
00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:30,079
is not an explanation, but there
is a common sense explanation. And if

445
00:37:30,119 --> 00:37:34,960
he had not been so headstrong and
conceited, he might have found it.

446
00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:40,480
You speak as if you had found
it, chided mister Snyder, I have.

447
00:37:42,480 --> 00:37:46,079
Missus Pickett leaned forward as she spoke
and stared at him defiantly. Mister

448
00:37:46,119 --> 00:37:52,599
Snyder started, you have, yes, what is it? You will know

449
00:37:52,760 --> 00:37:57,519
before tomorrow. In the meantime,
try and think it out for yourself.

450
00:37:58,159 --> 00:38:01,679
A successful and prosperous to tell active
agency like yours, mister Snyder ought to

451
00:38:01,719 --> 00:38:07,760
do something in return for a fee. There was something in her manner so

452
00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:13,440
reminiscent of the school teacher reprimanding a
recalcitrant pupil that mister Snyder's sense of humor

453
00:38:13,519 --> 00:38:17,280
came to his rescue. We do
our best, Missus Pickett, he said,

454
00:38:17,679 --> 00:38:22,880
but you mustn't forget that we are
only human and cannot guarantee results.

455
00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:30,840
Missus Pickett did not pursue the subject. Instead, she proceeded to astonish mister

456
00:38:30,880 --> 00:38:35,039
Snyder by asking him to swear out
a warrant for the arrest of a man

457
00:38:35,119 --> 00:38:39,519
known to them, both on a
charge of murder. Mister Snyder's breath was

458
00:38:39,599 --> 00:38:45,119
not often taken away in his own
office. As a rule, he received

459
00:38:45,159 --> 00:38:51,000
his client's communications calmly, strange as
they often were. But at her words

460
00:38:51,199 --> 00:38:55,440
he gasped. The thought crossed his
mind that Missus Pickett might well be mentally

461
00:38:55,519 --> 00:39:00,480
unbalanced. The details of the case
were fresh in his memory, and he

462
00:39:00,559 --> 00:39:06,239
distinctly recollected that the person she mentioned
had been away from the boarding house on

463
00:39:06,239 --> 00:39:09,920
the night of Captain Gunner's death,
and could, he imagined, produce witnesses

464
00:39:09,960 --> 00:39:15,440
to prove it. Missus Pickett was
regarding him with an unfaltering stare. To

465
00:39:15,519 --> 00:39:22,719
all outward appearances, she was the
opposite of unbalanced. But you can't swear

466
00:39:22,760 --> 00:39:27,679
out a warrant without evidence, he
told her. I have evidence, She

467
00:39:27,800 --> 00:39:32,719
replied, firmly, precisely what kind
of evidence? He demanded. If I

468
00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:36,480
told you now, you would think
that I was out of my mind.

469
00:39:37,320 --> 00:39:39,880
But Missus Pickett, do you realize
what you are asking me to do.

470
00:39:40,719 --> 00:39:45,199
I cannot make this agency responsible for
the arbitrary arrest of a man on the

471
00:39:45,239 --> 00:39:51,440
strength of a single individual suspicions.
It might ruin me. At the least,

472
00:39:51,480 --> 00:39:55,119
it would make me a laughing stock. Mister Snyder, you may use

473
00:39:55,159 --> 00:40:00,400
your own judgment whether or not to
make the arrest on that warrant. You

474
00:40:00,440 --> 00:40:04,199
will listen to what I have to
say, and you will see for yourself

475
00:40:04,239 --> 00:40:07,199
how the crime was committed. If
after that you feel you cannot make the

476
00:40:07,280 --> 00:40:13,079
arrest, I will accept your decision. I know who killed Captain Gunner,

477
00:40:13,239 --> 00:40:16,280
she said. I knew it from
the beginning. It was like a vision,

478
00:40:16,440 --> 00:40:21,679
but I had no proof. Now
things have come to light and everything

479
00:40:21,760 --> 00:40:28,039
is clear. Against his judgment,
mister Snyder was impressed. This woman had

480
00:40:28,039 --> 00:40:37,400
the magnetism which makes for persuasiveness.
It it sounds incredible. Even as he

481
00:40:37,480 --> 00:40:40,920
spoke, he remembered that it had
long been a professional maxim of his that

482
00:40:42,119 --> 00:40:46,920
nothing was incredible, and he weakened
still further. Mister Snyder, I ask

483
00:40:47,039 --> 00:40:53,119
you to swear out that warrant.
The detective gave in very well, he

484
00:40:53,199 --> 00:40:58,599
said, missus Pickett Rose, if
you will come and dine at my house

485
00:40:58,599 --> 00:41:00,760
to night. I think I can
prove to you that it will be needed.

486
00:41:01,199 --> 00:41:07,679
Will you come. I'll come,
promised mister Snyder. Seven. When

487
00:41:07,719 --> 00:41:13,199
mister Snyder arrived at the Excelsior,
and shortly after he was shown into the

488
00:41:13,239 --> 00:41:16,199
little private sitting room, where he
found Oakes, the third guest of the

489
00:41:16,280 --> 00:41:23,320
evening, unexpectedly arrived. Mister Snyder
looked curiously at the newcomer. Captain Muller

490
00:41:23,400 --> 00:41:29,320
had a peculiar fascination for him.
It was not mister Snyder's habit to trust

491
00:41:29,400 --> 00:41:32,960
over much to appearances, but he
could not help admitting that there was something

492
00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:37,960
about this man's aspect which brought Missus
Pickett's charges out of the realm of the

493
00:41:38,039 --> 00:41:45,039
fantastic into that of the possible.
There was something odd and unnatural aspect of

494
00:41:45,119 --> 00:41:51,000
gloom about the man. He bore
himself like one carrying a heavy burden.

495
00:41:51,760 --> 00:41:55,480
His eyes were dull, his face
haggard. The next moment, the detective

496
00:41:55,599 --> 00:42:00,480
was reproaching himself with allowing his imagination
to run away with his calmer judgment.

497
00:42:01,519 --> 00:42:06,760
The door opened and Missus Pickett came
in. She made no apology for her

498
00:42:06,800 --> 00:42:10,840
lateness to mister Snyder. One of
the most remarkable points about the dinner was

499
00:42:10,880 --> 00:42:16,239
the peculiar metamorphosis of Missus Pickett from
the brooding, silent woman he had known

500
00:42:16,639 --> 00:42:23,920
to the gracious and considerate hostess.
Oakes appeared also to be overcome with surprise,

501
00:42:24,519 --> 00:42:29,159
so much so that he was unable
to keep his astonishment to himself.

502
00:42:29,880 --> 00:42:34,800
He had come prepared to endure a
dull evening, absorbed in grim silence,

503
00:42:35,440 --> 00:42:38,920
and he found himself instead opposite a
bottle of champagne of a brand and ear

504
00:42:39,039 --> 00:42:45,519
which commanded his utmost respect. What
was even more incredible, his hostess had

505
00:42:45,559 --> 00:42:50,960
transformed herself into a pleasant old lady
whose only aim seemed to be to make

506
00:42:51,079 --> 00:42:55,159
him feel at home. Beside each
of the guest's plates was a neat paper

507
00:42:55,199 --> 00:43:00,760
parcel. Oakes picked his up and
stared at it in wonderment. Why this

508
00:43:00,920 --> 00:43:05,679
is more than a party souvenir,
Missus Pickett, he said, It's the

509
00:43:05,800 --> 00:43:10,000
kind of mechanical marvel I've always wanted
to have on my desk. I'm glad

510
00:43:10,079 --> 00:43:15,000
you like it, mister Oakes,
Missus Pickett said, smiling, You must

511
00:43:15,000 --> 00:43:19,960
not think of me simply as a
tired old woman whom age has completely defeated

512
00:43:20,599 --> 00:43:24,159
I am an ambitious hostess. When
I give these little parties, I like

513
00:43:24,239 --> 00:43:29,679
to make them a success. I
want each of you to remember this dinner.

514
00:43:30,760 --> 00:43:36,039
I'm sure I will. Missus Pickett
smiled again. I think you all

515
00:43:36,199 --> 00:43:42,159
will you, mister Snyder, she
paused, and you, Captain Muller.

516
00:43:43,480 --> 00:43:46,119
To mister Snyder, there was so
much meaning in her voice as she said

517
00:43:46,119 --> 00:43:51,719
this that he was amazed that it
conveyed no warning to Muller. Captain Muller,

518
00:43:51,760 --> 00:43:55,280
however, was already drinking heavily.
He looked up when addressed, and

519
00:43:55,440 --> 00:44:00,519
uttered a sound which might have been
taken for an expression of polite equi essence.

520
00:44:00,159 --> 00:44:06,639
Then he filled his glass again.
Mister Snyder's parcel revealed a watch charm

521
00:44:06,760 --> 00:44:12,280
fashioned in the shape of a tiny
candid eye camera that said, Missus Pickett

522
00:44:12,719 --> 00:44:17,360
is a compliment to your profession.
She leaned toward the Captain. Mister Snyder

523
00:44:17,480 --> 00:44:22,920
is a detective. Captain Muller,
he looked up. It seemed to mister

524
00:44:22,960 --> 00:44:25,480
Snyder that a look of fear lit
up his heavy eyes. For an instant.

525
00:44:27,119 --> 00:44:30,559
It came and went, if indeed
it came at all so swiftly that

526
00:44:30,639 --> 00:44:37,960
he could not be certain so said
Captain Muller. He spoke quite evenly,

527
00:44:38,400 --> 00:44:45,159
with just the amount of interest which
such an announcement would naturally produce. Now

528
00:44:45,239 --> 00:44:50,199
for yours, Captain, said Oakes, I guess it's something special. It's

529
00:44:50,239 --> 00:44:53,760
twice the size of mine. Anyway. It may have been something in the

530
00:44:53,800 --> 00:44:59,719
old woman's expression as she watched Captain
Muller slowly tearing the paper that sent a

531
00:44:59,719 --> 00:45:04,880
thrill of excitement through mister Snyder.
Something seemed to warn him of the approach

532
00:45:04,960 --> 00:45:09,920
of a psychological moment. He bent
forward eagerly. There was a strangled gasp,

533
00:45:10,239 --> 00:45:14,840
a thump, and onto the table
from the Captain's hands there fell a

534
00:45:14,920 --> 00:45:20,000
little harmonica. There was no mistaking
the look on Muller's face. Now his

535
00:45:20,119 --> 00:45:24,079
cheeks were like wax, and his
eyes so dull till then blazed with a

536
00:45:24,159 --> 00:45:30,159
panic and horror which he could not
repress. The glasses on the table rocked

537
00:45:30,199 --> 00:45:36,000
as he clutched at the cloth.
Missus Pickett spoke, why Captain Muller has

538
00:45:36,039 --> 00:45:39,480
it upset you? I thought that, as his best friend, the man

539
00:45:39,519 --> 00:45:45,400
who shared his room, you would
value a memento of Captain Gunner. How

540
00:45:45,639 --> 00:45:50,239
fond you must have been of him
for the sight of his harmonica to be

541
00:45:50,440 --> 00:45:54,920
such a shock. The Captain did
not speak. He was staring, fascinated

542
00:45:54,920 --> 00:45:59,840
at the thing on the table.
Missus Pickett turned to mister Snyder. Her

543
00:45:59,840 --> 00:46:05,400
eyes eyes as they met his,
held him entranced. Mister Snyder, as

544
00:46:05,440 --> 00:46:08,760
a detective, you will be interested
in a curious and very tragic affair which

545
00:46:08,800 --> 00:46:13,480
happened in this house. A few
days ago. One of my boarders,

546
00:46:13,679 --> 00:46:17,679
Captain Gunner, was found dead in
his room. It was the room which

547
00:46:17,719 --> 00:46:22,639
he shared with Captain Muller. I
am very proud of the reputation of my

548
00:46:22,719 --> 00:46:27,400
house, mister Snyder, and it
was a blow to me that this should

549
00:46:27,440 --> 00:46:31,519
have happened. I applied to an
agency for a detective, and they sent

550
00:46:31,639 --> 00:46:37,480
me a stupid boy with nothing to
recommend him except his belief in himself.

551
00:46:38,320 --> 00:46:44,400
He said that Captain Gunner had died
by accident, killed by a snake which

552
00:46:44,400 --> 00:46:49,320
had come out of a crate of
bananas. I knew better. I knew

553
00:46:49,400 --> 00:46:53,159
that Captain Gunner had been murdered.
Are you listening, Captain Muller. This

554
00:46:53,199 --> 00:46:58,559
will interest you, as you were
such a friend of his. The Captain

555
00:46:58,599 --> 00:47:01,920
did not answer. He was staring
straight before him as if he saw something

556
00:47:02,079 --> 00:47:08,079
invisible in eyes forever closed in death. Yesterday we found the body of a

557
00:47:08,119 --> 00:47:13,000
dog. It had been killed,
as Captain Gunner had been, by the

558
00:47:13,039 --> 00:47:16,960
poison of a snake. The boy
from the agency said that this was conclusive.

559
00:47:17,840 --> 00:47:22,840
He said that the snake had escaped
from the room after killing Captain Gunner

560
00:47:22,079 --> 00:47:27,199
and had in turn killed the dog. I knew that to be impossible,

561
00:47:27,639 --> 00:47:30,000
for if there had been a snake
in that room, it could not have

562
00:47:30,159 --> 00:47:37,679
made its escape. Her eyes flashed
and became remorselessly accusing it was not a

563
00:47:37,760 --> 00:47:45,000
snake that killed Captain Gunner, it
was a cat. Captain Gunner had a

564
00:47:45,280 --> 00:47:50,199
friend who hated him. One day, in opening a crate of bananas,

565
00:47:50,719 --> 00:47:55,239
this friend found a snake. He
killed it and extracted the poison. He

566
00:47:55,360 --> 00:48:01,880
knew Captain Gunner's habits. He knew
that he played a harmonica. This man

567
00:48:01,960 --> 00:48:07,360
also had a cat. He knew
that cats hated the sound of a harmonica.

568
00:48:07,960 --> 00:48:13,239
He had often seen this particular cat
fly at Captain Gunner and scratch him

569
00:48:13,280 --> 00:48:17,360
when he played. He took the
cat and covered its claws with the poison,

570
00:48:17,960 --> 00:48:22,239
and then he left it in the
room with Captain Gunner. He knew

571
00:48:22,320 --> 00:48:28,639
what would happen. Oakes and mister
Snyder were on their feet. Captain Muller

572
00:48:28,679 --> 00:48:32,880
had not moved. He sat there, his fingers gripping the cloth. Missus

573
00:48:32,920 --> 00:48:37,880
Pickett rose and went to a closet. She unlocked the door. Kitty,

574
00:48:38,159 --> 00:48:43,960
she called, kitty, Kitty.
A black cat ran swiftly out into the

575
00:48:44,039 --> 00:48:47,199
room with a clatter and a crash
of crockery and a ringing of glass.

576
00:48:47,280 --> 00:48:52,320
The table heaved, rocked and overturned. As Muller staggered to his feet,

577
00:48:52,000 --> 00:48:57,239
he threw up his hands as if
to ward something off. A choking cry

578
00:48:57,400 --> 00:49:02,159
came from his lips. Goot,
gott. Missus Pickett's voice rang through the

579
00:49:02,239 --> 00:49:09,480
room, cold and biting. Captain
Muller, you murdered Captain Gunner. The

580
00:49:09,519 --> 00:49:16,400
captain shuddered, Then mechanically he replied, gout. Yes, I killed him.

581
00:49:17,719 --> 00:49:22,440
You heard, mister Snyder, said, Missus Pickett. He has confessed

582
00:49:22,480 --> 00:49:28,679
before witnesses take him away. Muller
allowed himself to be moved toward the door.

583
00:49:29,320 --> 00:49:34,559
His arm in mister Snyder's grip felt
limp. Missus Pickett stopped and took

584
00:49:34,599 --> 00:49:39,159
something from the debris on the floor. She rose holding the harmonica. You

585
00:49:39,199 --> 00:49:45,280
are forgetting your souvenir, Captain Muller, she said. The end of Death

586
00:49:45,320 --> 00:49:47,760
at the Excelsior by P. G. Woodhouse