"This Room of Death Grew Slowly Darker"

"Footprints."
By Jeffery Farnol (1878-1952).
Found in Collier's Weekly, May 11, 1929.
Reprinted in EQMM, July 1946.
Short short short story (4 pages).
Online beginning HERE and finishing HERE (scroll down to page 44).

"Who killed Sir Gregory Glendale? Jasper Shrig had to find out quickly; but clues were so scarce that he had to help make them himself . . ."

Out of a house full of suspects, Jasper Shrig tracks down the murderer by following his, well, tracks:

. . . "DEAD!" she cried in awful, gasping voice.  . . .

. . . A stately chamber whose luxurious comfort was rendered cozier by the bright fire that flickered on the hearth with soft, cheery murmur; and before this fire a great, cushioned chair from which was thrust a limp arm that dangled helplessly with a drooping hand whose long, curving fingers seemed to grope at the deep carpet.  . . .

. . . "Killed by a downward stab above the collar-bone, lookee, in the properest place for it. . . . A knife or, say a dagger and same wanished . . ."

. . . "By heaven, there seems to be some curse upon this house, some horrible fate that dogs us Glendales!" . . .

. . . "I'm Death-in-Life, a living corpse, live brain in dead body—look at me!"  . . .

. . . A faint, faint rattle at the door and into the room crept a sound of soft movement with another sound very strange to hear—a crunching rustle that stole across the carpet towards the hearth; a moving, shapeless blot against the feeble fire-glow, a faint tinkle of china and then a voice sudden and harsh and loud . . .

"The Shadow."
By Jeffery Farnol (1878-1952).
Found in Collier's Weekly, April 7, 1928.
Reprinted in EQMM, June 1950.
Short short short story (1 page).
Online HERE.

. . . "You be th' ninth as 'e've stopped 'ereabouts this month—nine, sir! And two on 'em shot stone dead and five on 'em wounded! Desprit, sir—I should say so! A bloodthirsty rogue is the Shadder!"  . . .

"The Rook."
By Jeffery Farnol (1878-1952).
Found in Collier's Weekly, July 27, 1929.
Short short short story (1 page).
Reprinted in EQMM, June 1950.
Online HERE.

. . . Reaching for the bell-rope, Sir Robert paused as from the road came sudden hubbub, loud voices . . . a noise of horses . . . and then, clear-ringing on the stilly evening air, a sharp report, followed by others in rapid succession.  . . .

Resources:
- Wikipedia talks about Jeffery Farnol HERE and the GAD Wiki does the same HERE ("His detective stories feature Regency thief-taker Jasper Shrig"), and one of his books is unfavorably reviewed HERE by Jon Jermey.

Category: Regency deviltry