The fact is that the writer of this note suffered
from a form of heart disease. Now let us look at the copy that
Collins made at the Novella."
He placed the copy on the table of the rayograph. It was quite
evident that the two had been written by entirely different
persons. "I thought he was telling the truth," commented Craig,
"by the surprised look on his face the moment I mentioned the note
to Miss Blaisdell. Now I know he was. There is no such evidence of
heart trouble in his writing as in the other. Of course that's all
aside from what a study of the handwriting itself might disclose.
They are not similar at all. But there is an important clue there.
Find the writer of that note who has heart trouble, and we either
have the murderer or some one close to the murderer."
I remembered the tremulousness of the little beauty-doctor, his
third-rate artificial acting of fear for the reputation of the
Novella, and I must confess I agreed with O'Connor and Collins
that it looked black for him. At one time I had suspected Collins
himself, but now I could see perfectly why he had not concealed
his anxiety to hush up his connection with the case, while at the
same time his instinct as a lawyer, and I had almost added, lover,
told him that justice must be done.
Pages:
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78