"Hello?" "Morning Dispatch." "Hello?" "Morning Dispatch." "Hello." "Park Vista hotel?" "Give me Angela Merrova's apartment." "Tell her it's Walt Garrett, Mr. Garrett of The Morning Dispatch." " Here's your peanuts, Wichita." " Oh, thanks, Pinky, my boy." " You cheapskate." " Hey, wait a minute, what..." "Hello, Miss Merrova." "It's you, Mr. Garrett." "How are you?" "Oh, I'm fine, thank you." "How about an interview this morning?" "What about?" "How about your ideas on love and marriage?" "Well, I have some fresh views on love, since my last trip to Europe." "Oh, I'm terribly booked up, but I might find a few minutes for you, Mr. Garrett." "All right, come right away, will you?" "Goodbye, Mr. Garrett." "Say, Dooley, if a redhead calls, tell her I'm finding out about love, will you?" "I'll cut you guys in if there's any new angles." "New angles?" "You don't know the old ones." "Say, listen, I'm gonna show you tired old hacks how to write an interview." "It's a fine thing." "You leave that door open like that, anything's liable to drop in." "Miss Merrova, your favorite newsboy is here." " City editor." " Hello, Andy?" "Listen, Angela Merrova's dead." "Yeah, croaked." "Sure, I'm sure." "Oh, this is Walt." "I don't know." "There's nobody here except the monkey," " and he couldn't have done it." " Anybody else got it?" "No, nobody knows it, not even the cops." "Let them read about it in the paper." "Yeah, yeah, give me Rewrite." "This is a horrible thing." "What'll people think, Lieutenant?" "Oh, they'll probably figure out the joint's a hangout for gorillas." " Exactly!" "What?" " Who's this guy?" "Well, Lieutenant." "Imagine finding you here, of all places." "Well, if it isn't the Kansas Sherlock." " Which room?" " In here." " I'll see you later, brain trust." " Anytime I can be of service, anytime." "How do?" " Come on, come on, what is this?" " I don't know." " The newspaper said..." " There's no dead body in here." "Oh, sit down, will you?" "He's a very funny guy, this Garrett." "Well, where is it?" " Yes, where is it?" " Where's what?" "The body." "Of course, I just represent the law here, and if you're saving it for another one of your scoops, don't let me interfere." "Cut it out, will you, Kincaid?" "What's the rib?" "You tell me." "There's no corpse in there." "I..." "No corpse?" "Well, what the..." "Well?" "Well, what gives that now?" "I don't know, the body was lying right there on the floor." "It was dead." "I'd take an oath." "It had a deep knife wound, right under the heart." " Is this your idea of a joke?" " Honest at Pete it isn't, Kincaid, she was murdered." "I know!" "Somebody came in and swiped that body." "That's what happened, she was kidnapped." "Kidnapped?" "First she was murdered, now she was kidnapped." "Oh, this is horrible." "It'll ruin the hotel." " Positively ruin it!" " Take it easy." " Well, genius?" " I just can't figure it out." "Well, I'll tell you, we're gonna play a new game." "Body, body, who's got the body?" "You want to join us?" "Come on, boys." " How you doing, Wichita?" " Not so good." "I've been in the morgue, the medical institute," "I've even had the river dragged." "There's something awful cockeyed about this whole setup." " Any more dope on this dame?" " That's the works." "Well, it's no help." "No friends, no family, an orphan." "Did you ever hear of an orphan with a family?" " File room." " Pinky, is that corn-fed wizard in there?" "Yes sir." "Yes sir, he's here." " Tell him to come in right away." " Yes, sir!" "Hey, Wichita, Picklepuss wants to see you." "And he don't mean in ten minutes." "All right, all right." "Jiminy Christmas." "Darned kids." "Don't forget to try the comics section." "Hi, Walt." "Say, who's that body I seen you with last night?" " Yeah, we heard you sat up with a corpse." " Was it a wake?" "You guys are very funny, but that dead body will turn up yet." "Hello, boss." "Do you want me?" " Not after today." " Oh, well, Pinky..." " What?" " You heard me, you're through." " I don't get it." " You know this lady, I believe." "How do you do, Mr. Garrett?" "No, I don't believe it." "I'm glad to see you recognize Miss Merrova." "But..." "But it isn't possible." "You must be..." "Boss, this girl is a phony." "I saw Angela Merrova." "She's dead." "If you don't mind, she seems very much alive to me." "And it may interest you to know that she's suing the paper for $100,000." "Damage to her reputation." "And the Park Vista Hotel also is suing for a mere $50,000." "Boss, I tell you that the girl I saw in that room couldn't be alive." " I know, she's your twin sister." " I have no sister." "I've already extended the paper's regrets." "And I've assured Miss Merrova that we'd print a complete apology." "I thought before you left the building you also might care to apologize." "Why, certainly." "I'm very sorry for the mistake." "Wait a minute." "The cashier has your check waiting for you, Garrett." " Oh, boss, give me another chance." " Go back to Wichita, son." "Maybe they'll give you another chance there." "No sisters." "Get out!" "Calling Dr. Rhodes." "Dr. Rhodes." "Calling Dr. Rhodes." "And there she was sitting in the boss's office." "Alive." "Well, I almost went through the ceiling." "So I thought I'd better talk to you about it, on account of you're the only doctor friend I got." "I don't know, maybe there's something wrong with me, maybe I ought to be psyched or something." "Superintendent calling." "Dr. Rhodes speaking." " Go into my office." "I'll be right with you." " But hurry up, will you, Mike?" "Yes, sir." "It's scheduled for 10:00 sharp." "Yes, we purposely postponed the operation until this morning so that Dr. Flegg could perform it." "Right, sir, we'll be ready." "Did the blood donor shown up yet, Miss Sweetman?" "Not yet." "Should be here any moment." "Whom did you call?" "Stanley Rodgers." "Rodgers?" "He's in blood group one, isn't he?" " That's right." " Is the patient group one?" "That was the lab report." "That's funny." "I thought she was ordinary group four." "Better call Rodgers again." "Dr. Flegg doesn't like to be kept waiting, and we must have a transfusion before we can operate." "Yes, Doctor." "Vance, look up Rodgers' number, see what's keeping him." "Yes, Miss Sweetman." " Hello?" " Hello, Mr. Rodgers?" "Jules Hospital calling." "Remember, you have an appointment this morning with Dr. Rhodes." "Gosh, what time is it?" "I guess I must have forgot to set the alarm." "I'll be right over." " Sorry to have kept you, Walt." " Oh, I know you're busy, Mike, but you don't have to treat me like the forgotten man." "I had to check up on some blood test reports." " Go ahead, spin the rest of your yarn." " Well, that's all there is." "The dame that was sitting in Picklepuss' office was Angela Merrova." "There's no getting around that." "But the thing is, I can't figure it out." " What makes you think I can help you?" " Well, this is a chest x-ray, isn't it?" " Yes." " Well, how do you get a good look at it?" " I want to show you something." " Pull down the blinds." " Now what's on your mind, Walt?" " Mike," " isn't the heart about here?" " That's right." "Did you ever hear of a person surviving with a deep knife wound about there?" "Well, friend, I'd say it's impossible." "But maybe the wound wasn't as deep as you thought it was." "No, it was at least four inches." "And it was as clean as if you'd done it with your scalpel." " Me?" " No, I don't mean you, but it did look as if it had been done by a surgeon." "And then the corpse got up and walked away, eh?" "Oh, Mike..." "Give me an even break, will you?" "I know it sounds as crazy as a loon." "You probably think I'm the one that's crazy." "But I'm on the level." "I'd take an oath." "If what you say is true, even if the heart puncture didn't kill her," " she'd bleed to death." " That's it." "That's what made the body look so peculiar." "I never saw a corpse that color before." " What color?" " Absolutely dead white." "It looked as if every ounce of blood had been drained out of her body." "Extreme pallor setting in within ten minutes." "I've never heard of it." "Well, you're hearing about it now." "And when I saw her in the boss' office she looked exactly as when I saw her as a corpse." "Clammy." " Yes?" " Dr. Flegg has arrived, sir." "Thank you, I'll be right there." "I'll tell you what I'll do, Walt." "I'll speak to Dr. Flegg about it." "He's usually in a pretty decent mood before an operation." "And if anybody can give you an answer, when it comes to hematology, it's Flegg." " Hematology?" " Yeah, the science of the blood." "Stick around awhile, will you?" "I ain't got any place to go except back to Wichita." " Don't forget to ask Flegg, now, will you?" " Right." "Thanks, Mike, I'll give you a full column write-up for this someday." " Rodgers get here all right?" " No, Doctor, he still hasn't shown up." "What's the matter with him?" "It's time for the operation." "Call his apartment again." "You won't forget to ask Dr. Flegg about it?" "Yeah, yeah, I'll remember." "Now go ahead and get a magazine and relax." "Walnut 43701." "I can't understand what's the matter with Rodgers." "He's never disappointed us before." " Well?" " No." "I can try and get another donor for you." "Can't find another number one blood type as easily as that." "There are only seven people in a hundred in group one." "Notify the superintendent." " Dr. Rhodes?" " Yes?" "I was tested last week when I first came to the hospital." " I'm in group one." " You're sure, Nurse?" "She's right, Doctor." "Dr. Baum made the test." "I'd be willing to help if I could." "Hey, Mike, you better hurry up, Flegg's liable to walk out." " You know him." " Right, coming." "Take Nurse Vance to surgery and prepare for transfusion." "I'll see you there." "All right, Nurse, come with me." " Frightened?" " No." " Ever done this before?" " No." "You'll probably be a little weak when we finish." "I won't mind." " Everything ready?" " Yes, Dr. Flegg." " Took you long enough." " Sorry to have kept you waiting." "Very well." "I thought you were going to have Rodgers." "We weren't able to reach him, sir." " Start the transfusion." " Right." " Fine job, Dr. Flegg." " Yes, worked out rather neatly." "Saved that patient's life." "You're the only man that could have done it." "Interesting stuff, blood." "Make a thorough study of it, Rhodes." "It's important enough for you to devote your whole life to it." "I've been doing some research, not nearly as much as I'd like to." "Good." "Stick to it." "It's going to transform the entire future of surgery." "The day is coming when man will be able to control blood." "And when that time does arrive, he'll be able to control his destiny." "Blood is the source of life." "Remember the Bible." ""And the life, which is the blood thereof. "" "Hadn't you better take a look at your donor?" "Oh, yes, yes sir." " By the way, who is she?" " Girl by the name of Vance, one of the new student nurses." " Doctor?" " Yes?" "Would you say it's possible for a person to survive with a deep incision at the base of the thoracic aorta?" "Why do you ask?" "A friend of mine thought he knew of such a case." "Ridiculous." "Tell him to change his brand of liquor." " Oh, hello, Doctor." " Feel a little weak?" "I can take it." "I think you better rest an hour or so." " Drink any of this?" " Not yet." "Here, take it down in one big gulp." "It'll pick you up." " What is it?" " Come on, drink it." "It's pretty swell of you to help us out." " It's part of a nurse's education." " That's the right spirit." "Say, why haven't I seen you before?" "You never looked before." "I guess I've been missing something." "Just one more thing." "I have an important operation scheduled for tomorrow evening and I'd like your assistance." "Are you free?" " Yes, Doctor." " Good." "I think you'd better wear another outfit." "Evening gown." "We're going dancing." "I'd like to very much." "But, you know, we nurses..." "Yes, I know, Rules for Nurses number 114, "Keep away from staff physicians. "" "What's the good of rules if no one breaks them?" "Well, what did Dr. Flegg have to say?" "He thought you ought to be more discriminating in your choice of hooch." "Mike, cut it out, now, will you?" "This is serious." " I'm out of a job." " Dr. Rhodes." " Yes?" " Excuse me, I have a message for you." "You're wanted at 438 Gore Street right away." " The police called." " The police?" " Yes, Doctor, they said it was very urgent." " Thanks." " What's up, Mike?" " I don't know yet." "Look me up next week when you sober up." "Oh no." "Where go the police, there go I." "I'm Dr. Rhodes." "The officer downstairs sent me up." "Yes, sir." "Go right in." " Dr. Rhodes." " Come in, Doc." " Oh, hi, Lieutenant." " Who asked for you?" "Oh, have a heart, will you, Kincaid?" "A guy makes a mistake once in awhile." " What do you got here?" " Now take it easy, big shot." " He a friend of yours?" " Yeah." "Well, since you're an ex-reporter, I guess it's okay." "Doc, come here a minute." "You know this fellow?" "That's Stanley Rodgers." "How did this happen?" "Come here." "You mind telling me what this means?" "Yes, simply a memorandum of an appointment he had this morning at the hospital." " An appointment for what?" " A blood transfusion." " He was a professional blood donor." " Hey, Mike, come here." "Look at this guy." "Look at his face and look at his body." " Why, there's no color." " Yeah." "That's exactly the way Merrova looked when I found her in her bedroom." "And I suppose this geezer's alive, too." "Well, I'll tell you, Lieutenant, there's pro and con." " Well, Doctor?" " The blood's been drained out of the body." "I know that, but where is it?" "That's what I want to find out." "There's only a few stains around." " I don't know." " Well, maybe I can help you." "That operation at the hospital this morning." "Did you perform it?" "No, Dr. Flegg did." "He's one of our blood specialists." " But you do operate?" " Why, yes." "Did you take a good close look at that wound, Doctor?" "Yes." "Yes, I did." "The coroner tells me that man wasn't stabbed, he was operated on with a surgical instrument." "And by someone who knew how to use it." "But that's what I'm trying to tell you, just like Merrova." "Listen, rigor mortis, if you mention that Merrova dame's name again, I'II..." "I know what you're thinking." "A doctor did it." " Perhaps myself." " I'm not saying anything." "All I know is the coroner says he never saw a case just like it." " You got the coroner's report?" " Yeah." " You want to see it?" " Please." "The type of blood found on the stains in the carpet is group four." "Why, that's impossible, unless the murderer was wounded." "How do you figure that?" "Rodgers was definitely group one." "I've used him in several transfusions." "I'm sure of it." "What is this group one, group four business?" "Well, you see, medical science has discovered that the human blood is divided into four different groups." "Number one being the most rare, number four the most common." "We must see to it that certain of these types are not mixed in the transfusion." "Then would you say that whoever came into Rodgers' room to kill him" " was looking for number one blood?" " It's possible." "That's why I think the coroner made a mistake in his report." "So do you mind if I make a test of these stains for myself?" "No, go ahead, Doc." "One, two, four, seven, eleven." "It doesn't matter to me." "All I know is, this poor guy's number was up." " Yes, and who done it?" " Go sit down." "If I find out anything, Lieutenant, I'll let you know." "Yeah, do that, Doc." "And, uh, Doctor, if I were you, I wouldn't try to go away." "I mean, leave town, or anything like that." "There's one thing I definitely do know, Walt." "This is not Rodgers' blood." "I checked it with his file specimen." "That's very simple." "It's the murderer's, then." "Doesn't even look like human blood." "A gorilla murder." "Oh, Mike." "If you can figure that one out, we'll have our front page spread on every newspaper in the United States for weeks." "I must be ready for the bug house, or something, but it doesn't even seem to be animal blood." "Well, you've got vegetable and mineral left." "It's no use." "Think I'll call it a night." "You're not giving up, are you, Mike?" "No, no, this will take a long time and I'm pretty tired." "I'll take another look at it in the morning." "How'd you like to go down and mangle a few ham and eggs, before you turn in?" " No, I think I'll hit the hay." " Okay." "If you run across any good ideas, let me know about it." " Right." " Good night." " Give me a ring in the morning." " You're on." "West 86th." "You may wait in here." "Dr. Flegg will be back any minute." "Thank you." "Looking for something?" "Perhaps I can help you." "I..." "I was waiting for Dr. Flegg." "What is it you want?" "I wanted to speak to him about a blood smear." "I'm Dr. Rhodes." "Oh, Dr. Rhodes." "How do you do?" "My name is Quesne." "I've often heard Flegg speak of you." " Yes?" " Yes, he thinks you show great promise." "Particularly in the study of blood composition." "That's very kind of him." "Yes, I may wish to discuss that subject with you myself someday." "I'd like to." "Anytime." "Oh, he's ill." " We're both victims of..." " Of what?" "Go on, Quesne, victims of what?" "Circumstance." "Go back to your work." "You wanted to see me, Rhodes?" "What's the matter?" "Did our patient have a relapse?" "No, sir, I came here to ask a favor of you." "Well, speak up, man." "What is it you want?" "Your opinion on a blood specimen, as to group." "Blood group?" "You must need a genius to figure that out." "Have you forgotten your hematology?" "Or perhaps you never learned it." "I hate to bother you this late, Doctor, but" " there's something unusual about this." " Unusual?" "There's something I can't understand." "Oh, very well." "Quesne." "Yes, sir?" "Dr. Rhodes has a blood specimen I want prepared for the microscope." "At once." "Strange-looking creature, isn't he?" "Yes, rather." "What is it?" "Terminal case of primary anemia?" "No, he hasn't completely recovered from a rather severe shock." "He's been a very valuable man for me, though." " Has he been with you a long time?" " Yes, a couple of years." "His interest in blood almost equals my own." "Let's take a look at that slide." " Ready?" " Yes." "Where did you collect this smear, Rhodes?" "At a murder this morning." "How did it happen you were called in on the case?" " To identify the body." " Someone you knew?" "Yes, a blood donor." "The man who was supposed to report to you at the hospital this morning." "Stanley Rodgers." " Rodgers murdered?" " Yes." "Oh, that's too bad." "Blood group one, isn't he?" " Are you working with the police?" " No, sir." "Then why did you bring this to me?" "The police laboratory classified it as blood group four." "I know it's not one, but I'm certain it's not four, either." "I disagree." "I think the police laboratory is correct." "It is group four." "Is that all?" "Well, don't you notice anything peculiar about it?" "Merely the usual chemical changes accompanying post-mortem coagulation." "I don't know how to explain it, but hasn't it some sort of artificial quality?" "What have you done?" "Clumsy fool." "Go into the office and bandage it." "See that you're more careful." " Case of hemophilia?" " No, merely a great deal of trouble." "That's the second time this week he's cut himself." "Well, I'm sorry we were interrupted." "I see no need for further discussion." "This stain is blood group four and nothing else." "Now if you'll excuse me, I've a great deal of work to do." "Could I have the slide, Doctor?" " Why, yes." " Thank you." "You go out this way." " Good night." " Good night." "I had to see you." " What's the matter?" " I feel cold." "My ears are ringing." "I can hardly breathe." "Yeah." "You see, Flegg?" "I told you." "You'll never find what you're looking for." " You're a failure, Flegg." " You're lying." " What does he mean "you're a failure"?" " Nothing." "Nothing, I assure you." "I haven't failed yet." "Now get out of here." " Hello, Michael." " Hiya, Walt." "Glad you dropped in." " Anything new?" " Yeah, I went over to see Flegg last night." " Oh, what'd you find out?" " He wasn't much help." "He said the police report was right." "But as sure as I'm sitting here, he knows this bloodstain isn't ordinary group four." "Who was the fellow with the pasty face?" " How do you know about him?" " Oh, I was watching from outside." "You followed me?" "Why did you do that for?" "Kincaid said the murder had to be committed by a doctor." " You suspected me?" " Oh no, of course not," " but maybe Flegg." " Flegg?" "That's ridiculous." "All right, ridiculous perhaps, but possible." "Who was the other fellow?" "I've seen him someplace before." "Fellow by the name of Quesne." "He's Flegg's assistant." "You know, Mike, there's something awful phony going on in that joint." "Good morning, Doctor." "Come in." " Rhodes, may I see you a moment?" " Certainly." " Alone." " Pardon me, I was just leaving, Doc." "How's the patient?" "Excellent this morning, Doctor." "Temperature practically normal." "Last night, you asked a favor of me." "Today, I'd like to ask one of you in return." "Of course, Dr. Flegg." "Forget everything and everyone you saw at my home last night." "We'll call it professional ethics." "Yes, sir." "Oh..." "What did you say that girl's name was?" "The one we used yesterday for the transfusion?" "Joan." "Joan Vance." " A nurse here, you said?" " Yes." "I always like to keep my list of group ones complete." " Have you her home address?" " 1233 South Cedar." "Thank you." "Now, do you still think he's an innocent bystander?" "I still don't think he's a murderer, if that's what you mean." "All right, what would you think if I told you that Angela Merrova paid him a little visit last night, and she had a blood transfusion?" "Now, do you still think I'm wacky?" " You're sure it was Merrova?" " Am I sure?" "Brother, there's a face I'll never forget." "And another thing I'd like to point out to you." "Did you notice the peculiar coloring on that kisser of Quesne's?" "Yeah." " Like a piece of white marble." " Like something dead, huh?" "Yeah, I remember when I shook his hand, it was cold and lifeless like a dead person's." "What do you think is the matter with him?" "I don't know." "Flegg says he's suffering from a severe shock." "Well, whatever it is, Merrova has got that same cold, graveyard look." "Mike, you gotta help me out." "Every newspaperman in town is giving me the rib." "You suppose we could have a talk with Merrova?" "There are a few questions I'd like to ask her." "Well, we could try." "I'd like to ask her a couple myself." "How about tonight?" "Oh, I can't make it tonight." "I've got a date with Joan." "Oh, why don't you break it?" "This is no time for dames." "Walt, I can't do it." "I'll tell you what we'll do." "We'll take her along." "You can drop us at the Club El Rey later." "Okay, that's a deal." " We'll be at Merrova's at 9:00." " Okay." "I've got a table reserved at the Club El Rey." "This won't take long." "I don't mind waiting." "616 is right down here." "Here." "Last time I was up here, she left the door open and I fell in." "I guess she left the door open again." " Is that you, Dr. Flegg?" " No, ma'am." "It's not." "What are you doing here?" "What right have you to come into my apartment like this?" "Now, take it easy, Miss Merrova." "We just wanna have a little talk with you." "I have nothing to say to you, Mr. Garrett." "And so please get out." "That girl's always passing out." "Her hands are as cold as ice." "Is that whisky over there?" "Yeah." "Here you are, Mike." " Thank you." " Gee, it's sure lucky we dropped in." "This is Dr. Rhodes of the Jules Hospital." "He can probably help you." "I don't need any help." "I'm all right." "Besides, I expect my doctor any moment." "Well, would you mind answering a few questions before he comes?" "What kind of questions?" "Are you anemic?" "Has Dr. Flegg been your physician for some time?" "Why, yes." "Several years." " Why do you ask?" " Did he ever make a blood test of you?" "You see, we're trying to find out if you are a group number one blood type." "I'm not sure, but I think so." "Why do you want to know these things?" "Because we think you can help us." "Somewhere in this city, there is a murderer at large." "The only possible clue we have is that he seems to be interested in obtaining type number one blood." "Yesterday morning, a young chap named Stanley Rodgers was found murdered in his apartment." "He was type number one." "His body was completely drained of blood." "Another thing." "The knife wound was identical to that which Mr. Garrett found on you." "This is untrue." "Mr. Garrett suffers from hallucinations." "Not since I was 14." "Remember, you may be helping us to save someone else's life." "Very well." "It's true." "When you called me for an interview, as I hung up the phone, I realized someone had entered the room." "I was terrified." "A hand went over my mouth and then I felt a sharp pain on my chest." "Then I lost consciousness." "That's when I found you lying there on the floor." " I suppose so." " But where did you disappear to?" "I don't know." "All I know is that the next morning I woke up in this room." "Why didn't you tell all of this to the police?" "I didn't want this kind of publicity." "But can't you just give us a hint on who stabbed you and where he took you afterward?" "I'll be all right as soon as Dr. Flegg gets here." "I'll see you tomorrow morning at 10:00 in your office." "Then I'll tell you all." "Good evening." "Dr. Flegg was out." "The nurse gave me the message." "I came to see if there was anything I could do." " How do you do, Dr. Rhodes?" " How do you do?" "And..." "This is Mr. Garrett." "Walt, this is Dr. Quesne." "Pleased to meet you." "Yes, how do you do, Mr. Garrett?" "I'm sorry to disturb you, gentlemen, but as you can see Miss Merrova is ill." "Yeah." "We were just leaving." "Yes." "That's very considerate of you." "Goodbye." "Goodbye." "By the way, Doctor," "I haven't forgotten that you and I are to have that talk on blood composition." "Yes, sir." "I told you I was right about that dame." " I'm gonna go tell the boss." " You could drop us off at the club." "Ah, no, Mike." "You gotta come along." "He won't believe me." " Success?" " You bet." " But, Walt, I can't..." " Then we're ready to go, huh?" "Well, I tell you, Joan." "Walt wanted me to drop by and see the boss..." "Who does he think he is, Rip van Winkle?" " Sure this is the right house?" " Yeah, this is the place, all right." "Hey, boss." " Hello, chief." " You!" "What's the idea of ringing my doorbell at this time of night?" "What do you think this is?" "Halloween?" " He's always kidding." " Kidding!" "Get away from here, you..." "You Wichita Frankenstein!" "Now, take it easy, will you, boss?" "I really got a great story for you this time." "You gotta listen to me." "Come on in." " What is it?" " I bet you can't guess where I've been." "So, now it's riddles." "Come to the point, Garrett." "I was over to see Angela Merrova tonight." "Merrova?" "You blockhead!" "You want her suing the paper for another $100,000?" "You can forget all about that suit." "That dame really was stabbed, just like I told you." "She admitted it." " What?" " Yes, sir, and she's gonna be down at the office in the morning and give you the whole story." "Say, this isn't another one of your screwy ideas, is it?" "No, boss." "It's on the level." "I take an oath." "This is Dr. Rhodes, a friend of mine from Jules Hospital." "Well, he was with me all the time." "Tell him, Mike." " He's right, sir." " Well!" "Could you picture that, boss, a four-column story?" ""Actress to reveal truth." ""Angela Merrova tells all in the office of The Morning Dispatch. "" " Boss, I tell you, it's sensational." " It's terrific." "Come on." "Won't The Evening Bulletin be surprised?" "I'm going to make them print an apology for the apology they made us print." " Garrett, I misjudged you." " Yes, sir." "Hello, Andy." "Hold the presses for a morning extra." "Angela Merrova is coming to my office in the morning and..." "What?" " If she does, I'm not gonna be here." " What do you mean?" "I just got a flash." "She's dead." "What?" "Are you positive about that?" "Oh, I see." "All right." "Thanks, Andy." "What's up, boss?" "So, Angela Merrova is coming to my office in the morning and she's going to tell the whole story, huh?" " Sure, I personally guarantee it." " Listen, wise guy." " Merrova's dead." " Dead?" "Well, we talked to her about an hour ago." "Quesne." "He killed her." "She's been murdered." " What, again?" " Yeah." "Why, you..." "Listen, phony." "I don't know where you dream up these yarns of yours, but Angela Merrova was not murdered." "She died of natural causes." "Now, wait a minute, boss." "Maybe it's one of those up again, down again routines she's been giving us." "Maybe she ain't dead." "If she's not dead, they're playing a dirty trick on her, because they're taking her over to Bixby's Undertaking Parlors." " Now, get out of here." "Both of you." " Yes, sir." "And don't ever come back." "I won't believe she's dead till I see it with my own eyes." "Even then I won't believe it." " Now where to?" " The undertaker's." "Well, that's different." "The undertaker's?" "We won't be a minute." "Be out in a minute, honey." "If you find someone interesting in there, send him out." " How do you do?" " How do you do?" "Do you have a..." "A customer in here by the name of Angela Merrova?" " You mean, the body of the deceased?" " Yes." "She just came in." " Are you gentlemen relatives?" " Not exactly." "But we sort of have an interest in her, so to speak." "Friends." "Yes, sir." "We were wondering if we could see the body." "This way, gentlemen." "Would you mind stepping in the other room with me, please?" "I'd like to ask you a couple of questions." "Certainly." "We are most willing to accommodate everyone at a time like this." " Well, tell me, Mr. Bixby..." " I'm not Mr. Bixby." "Mr. Bixby has been dead for seven years." "I'm sorry." "It's quite all right." "We all make mistakes." "About Miss Merrova in here." "Could you tell me who brought her in?" "My dear young man, no one brought her in." "We went and got her." " We were called by Dr. Flegg." " Dr. Flegg?" "Did the death certificate say she died of natural causes?" "I believe so." "All right, Walt." "Thank you very much, sir." " Well, I hope to see you again sometime." " I'm sure you will." "The old fellow said that Flegg was the one who called to pick her up." " What did you find out?" " Merrova's death was natural, all right." "Looks like we're stumped again." "Hello." "Is the big mystery solved?" "No." "But it's after 1:00." "I think we better go home now." "Well, don't I even get anything to eat?" "Yep." "We'll go over to Gus' and get you a nice, big hamburger." "Hey, Wichita, ain't you found out what you're looking for yet?" "No." "Give me time, will you, Pinky?" "Wichita, if the boss finds out about this, I'll be pounding the pavement with you." "You sure you're gonna put all this junk back?" "Yes." "Will you go back to that door and shut up?" "I'm taking an awful chance with you." "But I tell you, there's nothing on a guy named Quesne." "Well, there's got to be." "I've seen his puss in some paper." "You tried every file but X, Y, and Z, and here's the final batch." " I got it." " What?" "The guy." "Dr. Maurice Xavier." "Dr. X." "Hey, that's the guy that starved that little kid to death, ain't it?" "Yeah, he's the skunk who wanted to find out how long babies could go without eating." ""Surgeon held in starvation slaying. "" ""Dr. Xavier to face trial. "" ""Dr. X dies in electric chair. "" "You mean to tell me you saw that guy walking around alive?" " Yeah." " Now I know you're bats." "Hey, what are you doing?" "You can't take them clippings out of here." "Pinky, will you get me the file..." "Hello, chief." "I mean, ex-chief." "Hey, boss, it wasn't my fault." "Honest, I told him not to." "I thought I gave orders to you never to show your ugly pan around here again." "I knew you didn't mean it." "Well, this time you're going to regret knowing so much." "Now, wait a minute." "Get me the circulation department." "Tell them to send a couple of boosters up here." "I want this Wichita brainchild exterminated." "Now, wait a minute, boss." "I've got a story that's going to crack the front page of every newspaper in America." "When you read it, you're gonna give me my job back." " What do you have behind your back?" " Nothing." "Nothing." " Well." " Circulations." "But it can't be." "This Dr. X was electrocuted." "Unless the execution didn't take place." "Oh, but it did." "I phoned the warden and made sure." "Dr. Flegg came out and claimed the body, and the burial took place in Greenlawn Cemetery." "But, Walt, that's impossible." "Okay." "Let's go out to the cemetery and find out tonight." "All right." " I'll pick you up right after dinner." " Okay." "How are we going to get into Xavier's grave?" "It's against the law, you know." "I know the old caretaker in here." "Leave it to me." "Well, sir, here we are." "Yep." "That's it." "Well, let's start, eh?" "Yeah." "Boy, I never heard nails sound like that before." "Well?" "What did I tell you?" "Empty." "I've been robbed." "No." "There wasn't ever anything in that coffin to rob." "Well, let's go, Mike." "Thanks, Pop." "Put it back, will you?" "I'd like to hear what your friend, Dr. Flegg, has to say about this." "At least we can give him a chance to explain." "It's true." "I'd hoped to keep it a secret until I'd completed my experiments." "There's no use in my denying it any longer." "Quesne and Dr. Xavier are one and the same." "Do you mean to tell us that you have discovered a way to bring a man back to life?" "Yes." " It's incredible." " Is it?" "Remember, a hundred years ago, anesthesia would have seemed equally incredible." "Even 50 years back, the possibility of x-ray would have astounded the world." "Twenty years ago, would anyone have believed that the living, pulsing human heart could be held in a surgeon's hand, operated on, and the patient walk again?" " But to revive a dead man." " Yeah, I don't believe it." "You've told no one about your visit to the cemetery?" "No, sir." "Then come with me." "After you, gentlemen." "You're fortunate." "I had this equipment set up this afternoon for some additional experimentation." "This animal died this morning." "Double glioma." "Please satisfy yourself that he's quite dead." "Yeah." "He's dead, all right." "Too much emotion in your make-up, Garrett." "You never would have made a good surgeon." "An objective surgeon can't afford the luxury of feelings." "Yes, sir." "Well, Rhodes?" "No question about it." "Rigor mortis has set in." "We'll now prepare the blood for decoagulation." "In Quesne's case, the electric chair made this step unnecessary." "His body was already prepared." "Now, if you gentlemen will step to the other side of that table, please." "This is ordinary rabbit blood, taken from the animal immediately after they die." "Rhodes, will you..." "This is a special formula, my own composition." "The compound ester, in which essential blood salts have been precipitated." "Naturally, Quesne received a considerably larger dose." "And now are you satisfied?" "That's good enough for me." "It's remarkable, Dr. Flegg." "Needless to say, it took a much greater period to revive Dr. X, but the procedure was essentially the same." "As you know," "I claimed the body and pretended to bury it in Greenlawn Cemetery." "But immediately after the execution, I brought it here to the laboratory." "Suffice it to say that after six hours of the most intense work, his heart began to beat." "And in another hour, he opened his eyes and spoke to me." "Well, what I want to know is, why did you bring Xavier back to life?" "He was a convicted murderer." "True, in the eyes of society, he was a murderer." "But he was also a medical genius." "And I felt that he had been a martyr to science." "Was that the only reason?" "No." "Not quite." "In addition to the experiments of the type you have just seen," "I needed him for further research." "Gentlemen, shall we go back to my office?" "Well, gentlemen, if that's all, it's late." "I'm getting a little tired..." "One more thing I'd like to ask you, Doctor." "Could you revive anybody, no matter how they died?" "Yes, I believe I could." "Then maybe you brought Angela Merrova back to life." "Miss Merrova was a patient of mine, yes." "And maybe you know who killed her, too, huh?" "I had nothing to do with that." "I'm interested in saving life, not in destroying it." "These further experiments you mentioned, what are they, Dr. Flegg?" "Rhodes, surely you can understand." "After we've recreated life, the second and greater problem is to sustain it." "In order to do that, we must be able to give the person a new bloodstream." "For six years in that laboratory," "I've been striving to create a usable, workable, synthetic blood." "Synthetic blood?" "That's the blood I found in Merrova's body." "That artificial quality was your synthetic blood." "And those phony stains in Rodgers' apartment." "Yes." "But why did she die, if you've created a synthetic blood?" "But I haven't, Rhodes." "It's true that my formula will sustain life for a short period." "But unlike human blood, it fails to recreate itself." "Somehow, somewhere, the magic element of life has eluded me." "How is it that that Quesne manages to keep alive?" " Why I..." " I'll tell you how." "By killing for human blood." "Yes, but he had to." "He warned me." "Told me he was dying." "Begged me to help him, but I refused." "Then I realized that my work had ended not in failure but in disaster." "Angela Merrova had been murdered." "Quesne saw her here in my office and knew that she was number one blood type." "The type he needed." "She was his first victim." "When I discovered what had happened," "I brought her back to life." "But I knew it was only for a short period." "Her death was inevitable." "Dr. Flegg, you knew this all the time and you didn't say anything to the police about it?" "I wanted to." "But I was hoping every hour, every minute that I'd find the secret." "Thousands of lives could be saved if I could perfect my formula." "That's all over now." "Quesne will continue to kill until he's destroyed." "My experiments have turned into madness." "I've created a monster." "May God forgive me." "I'm sorry, Dr. Flegg." "There's no time to be sorry." "We've got to tell the police and I've got to get to my paper." "Goodbye, Dr. Flegg." "Mike, nothing like this has ever happened before." "It's the greatest story I've ever had in my life." " Hey." "Hold on." "Not so fast." " Roy." "Gee, it's lucky we ran into you." "Yeah, lucky for me." "I've been looking all over town for you two guys." "Cuff them, Moran." "Wait a minute, wait a minute." "We haven't done anything." "No?" "What were you doing at Greenlawn Cemetery tonight?" " We can explain that." " Not to me you can't." "Snatching bodies is against the law." "Now, hold on minute, will you, Roy?" "We got the answers to those murders." "Now, listen..." "Flegg." "You told them about me." "Yes." "In a few minutes, the police will be looking all over the city for you." "You might as well give yourself up." "No, you gave me this life and I'm going to keep it as long as I can." "I want that list of blood donors." "The addresses in that book of yours." "I won't give them to you." "Dr. Flegg?" "Quesne." "The book." "He's got the book of addresses." "What's he talking about, Mike?" "The list of blood donors." "Joan's name's in that book and Quesne got it now." "Moran, you call an ambulance." "Stay here and take charge of things." " Come on, Roy." "We need your help." " All right." "Boys, you can get in my car." " Paper." " Miss Vance." "Yes?" "My name is Quesne." "Dr. Rhodes was called to Dr. Flegg's home." "He asked me to meet you and bring you there." " Thank you." " I have a cab waiting." "It's all right." "Come on, come on, Lieutenant." "Can't you go any faster?" "I thought Dr. Flegg lived on 86th Street." "He moved last week." "Sutton Place." "Extra." "Extra." "Say, buddy." "Did you see Miss Vance tonight?" "Yeah." "Not more than a half hour ago." "A guy stopped her and talked to her and they got into Shorty's cab and drove off." " Was it a pasty-faced guy?" " Yeah, a funny looking mug." "You have any idea where they went?" "Before the girl come, I heard him say to Shorty" " something about going to Jersey." " Jersey?" "Catch a gander at that." "That's an old duck club, just outside of Newark, the place where he starved that baby to death." "It all ties up, Mike." "Come on." "Let's go." "Shouldn't we have turned there for Sutton Place?" "I presume the driver knows a shorter way." "Really, there's no need for alarm." "No." "Of course not." "Come on now, will you, Roy?" "You're not taking me to Dr. Flegg's." "That's quite right." "Dr. Rhodes didn't send you, either." " On the contrary..." " You're lying." "Let me out of here." "Is this okay, boss?" "Yes." "This will do nicely." " Looks like we walk from here." " All right, let's go." "I wouldn't scream." "No one can hear you." "I'll take care of Joan." "Get after Xavier." "Ready, men?" "Tell Dr. Rhodes we'll have to postpone our talk on" "blood composition." "But think what you're giving up." "You've got the makings of a great newspaperman in you." "And if you stick with me, you'll go places." "I'll give you a daily column to do." "You'll see your name in print 365 days in the year." "I'm having your contract drawn up now." "Say, how do you like that pipe?" "Yeah, yeah." "It's fine." "But what about the contract?" "Will you sign it?" "No, boss." "I've got my novel to do." "I wanna get back." "Back to Wichita, where I can get close to the soil." "Well, I guess there's no use trying to keep you here." "But I'm disappointed in you, Garrett." "Terribly disappointed." "But no hard feelings." "Well, gee, I'm glad you feel that way about it, boss." "If you're ever around Wichita sometime" "I hope you'll drop in and say hello." " Here's the contract for Mr. Garrett." " Thanks." " Hello." " Hello." " Well, hello." " I don't think we'll be needing this." "Mr. Garrett has definitely decided to leave us." "Oh, really?" "Oh, I'm awfully sorry you aren't going to be with us, Mr. Garrett." "Are you?" " That will be all, Miss Lawrence." " Yes, sir." " Goodbye." " Goodbye." " Who was that?" " My new secretary." "Yes, I'm deeply disappointed in you." " Any ink in that?" " There is today." "My boy, you'll never regret this." "No, sir." "Okay, boss." "I'll see you later." "English"