"If She Dies, He Was Thinking, Those Parked Cars Around Here Ought To Be Tagged As Accessories"

"Terror in a Penthouse."

By Ellery Queen (1905-71 and 1905-82).

Illustrated by Perry Peterson (1908-58; book collection HERE).

Reprinted in Lilliput, November 1956 (along with "The Man They All Hated").

Short short short story (5 pages).

Online at Archive.org starting (HERE) and finishing (HERE).

   "Three men desperately wanted to marry the lovely actress. Now, which two suitors had she turned down—and which one had tried to kill her?"

Will Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon, once compared the quality of mercy to "the gentle rain from heaven" that "droppeth upon the place beneath." Ellery Queen, the Sage of West 87th Street, in searching for a would-be murderer on a dark and stormy night in Manhattan, would doubtless regard "gentle rain" a mercy in its own right . . .

Principal characters:

The victim:

~ Modesta Ryan:

  ". . . specialized in melodrama. Everything she touched went off like a rocket. She could not walk her dog without landing on the front page."

The likely suspects:

~ Jock Shanville:

  ". . . had a wife, an ex-show girl named Pearline, but she seemed to be no problem; his rapier tongue had been backing her toward the nearest divorce court long before he decided on Modesta Ryan as her successor."

~ Kid Catt:

  ". . . a black-browed fighting machine who dealt bloody unconsciousness from both fists with a cold smile that had become his TV trademark. The Kid’s body was his god, self-denial his creed; and women sat high on his proscribed list. So when he fell in love with Modesta, it was with the violent passion of a fallen monk."

~ Richard Van Olde II:

  ". . . was a soft-spoken tyrant of position and wealth. Modesta Ryan was the first woman he had wanted since the death of his wife a dozen years before, and he meant to have her."

The law:

~ Inspector Queen:

  "'Gentlemen, I have news for you,' said Inspector Queen softly. 'Thrown-away guns, coats and hats have a way of turning up. And you've got no alibis for the time of the shooting.'"

~ Ellery Queen:

  ". . . knelt down. The stuff staining her breast looked exactly like tomato ketchup. But it was not. And the silk was scorched around a very real hole."

~ Sergeant Velie:

  "'Now all you have to do,' said the Sergeant, not without bitterness, 'is tell us who you see in your crystal ball.'"

~ Detective Goldberg:

  ". . . came in, shaking himself like a dog. He had found Modesta Ryan’s maid asleep in her Harlem flat, he reported; the maid knew nothing except that on Miss Ryan’s arrival home she had made three phone calls, one to Kid Catt, one to Mr. Shanville, and the last to Mr. Van Olde. But the maid hadn't listened to the conversations, says she couldn't say which ones Miss Ryan had given the heave and which one she'd made the happy man."

Others:

~ Wladeczki:

  "Got my name spelled right, Sergeant?"

~ Pearline Shanville:

  ". . . she told us, she eavesdropped on Modesta's call . . ."

References and resources:

- Our story is not to be confused with this film:

- After you've read the story, you might want to consult Ellery Queen Reader's assessment (WARNING! SPOILERS! HERE).

- It wasn't long ago when we chanced upon EQ's exiguous "The Strangled Bride" (HERE).

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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