Death from a Top Hat by Clayton Rawson Read Free Book Online

Mr. Tarot.”
    “Oh, yes, of course. He said he could photograph thought, and he wanted to try it on Rappourt when she was in a trance state. That was the immediate reason for the gathering, I think.”
    Malloy came back just then, and I saw him, behind Tarot’s back, spread his hand in the manner of a baseball umpire signalling “safe.” I took that to mean that Tarot’s alibi had been checked and not found wanting.
    Tarot continued, “Dave and I were here Saturday night, and Sabbat mentioned Madame Rappourt. He’d been reading some report on her mediumship that Watrous had published in one of the psychic journals. Dave knew Rappourt and Watrous, and Sabbat wanted him to bring them up. Dave said…”
    Gavigan interrupted. “I thought you said Watrous and Sabbat knew each other.”
    “Yes, but I gathered they haven’t been speaking for the last ten years or so. I don’t know why. Sabbat told Dave he was willing to bury the hatchet in order to meet Rappourt, and Dave promised to relay the invitation. This afternoon Dave phoned me, said they’d accepted but that he was unavoidably detained, and would I pick them up and escort them over to Sabbat’s. He’d follow along as soon as he could. I discovered then that the party had gotten rather elaborate and that they were all having dinner together at Lindy’s. I hadn’t intended to stop in until after my broadcast; but, since Duvallo asked me, I went over, introduced myself to the Colonel and Rappourt, and brought them here, intending to eat with them, go to the broadcast, and return in time for the monkey business. It looks as if I don’t eat at all now.”
    “What’s detaining Duvallo?”
    “I don’t know. He acted as if he was in a hell of a hurry and said he’d explain when he saw us.”
    “Janssen,” Gavigan said, turning to one of the other detectives, “get headquarters on to it. I want him at once. Have them try his home, his office, Lindy’s, and—and put some men on the railroad stations.”
    “You might warn them,” Tarot added with a grin, “that they’ll be fooling with an escape artist and that handcuffs don’t mean a thing.”
    Janssen got busy on the phone. Hunter poked his head in at the door and was joined by Gavigan for a whispered conference. Both Hunter’s gestures and Gavigan’s evident interest indicated developments. When the Inspector finally sent him off and turned back into the room, I took the opportunity to get something off my chest. I’d been impatiently waiting a proper opening and this seemed as good as any.
    “May I suggest something, Inspector?” I asked.
    He nodded and I took the plunge.
    “I don’t want you to think I’m telling you how to run your business, but—you don’t do any parlor tricks yourself, do you? As a hobby?”
    “No. Aren’t there enough magicians around here now?”
    “That’s just it. There are far too many. And I’d suggest getting in one more. The cure this time might be a hair of the dog that’s chewing us.” I talked fast trying to stave off objections. “So far the suspects are all conjurers of one sort or another. Madame Rappourt’s the worst of the lot. She claims to be the real honest-to-goodness McCoy, a magician in the original sense of one who has supernatural power—a twentieth-century witch.
    “I don’t know if Watrous practices sleight of hand, but he does know how—plenty. I wrote an article once on the spiritualistic community at Lilydale, and for background I skipped through four hundred pages of concentrated trickery entitled Fraudulent Mediumistic Methods . Watrous wrote the book. I’m not trying to belittle the ability of yourself or the Homicide Department, but I’ll place a little bet with you that a technical expert who knows all the tricks of the trade will come in darned handy. You couldn’t lose anything, and you might…”
    “You have someone in mind?” Gavigan asked.
    “Yes. Merlini.”
    Tarot said, “You think he’d do better than I,