The Con Man

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by Gerald Verner


  “Who do you think I mean?” said Paul in pretended surprise. “I’m not referring to Miss Henley, if that’s what you think. I’m talking about Irene Claremont.”

  “Irene Claremont?” muttered Dick in a dazed way. “Irene Claremont? What’s she got to do with it?”

  “She killed Lamont,” said Paul, and picked up the letter which the woman had written before taking her life. “Apparently he’d grown tired of her, and on that night when she went to see him at the studios — they always used to use that as a meeting-place — he told her so, and in a fit of jealous rage she killed him; afterwards leaving by the way she had come, down the fire-escape.”

  “But — but — I don’t understand.” Rennit passed his tongue over his dry lips. “I saw Mary come out of the studios. I know it was Mary, because she was wearing her red costume — ”

  “I sold that two days before the murder,” broke in Mary Henley, “to Irene.”

  “You made a mistake, Mr Rennit,” said Paul gently. “It was Irene Claremont whom you saw,”

  “A mistake?” Dick Rennit looked about him dazedly. “A mistake — ”

  He swayed in his chair as his overstrained nerves gave way, and Paul sprang forward just in time to prevent him slipping to the floor in a faint.

  *

  So the million dollar film mystery came to an end, and the final threads were knotted when a search of Irene Claremont’s apartment brought to light a diary which the dead girl had apparently kept partially up to date. Some of the entries were set forth at great length, others were mere scraps of almost incoherent words and phrases. But from it Paul Rivington and Captain Benson were able to piece together the whole rather sordid story. She had been very friendly with Lamont, and had at one time been under the impression that this friendship would lead to marriage. Her thoughts, set down in the little book, showed how gradually the film-editor had tired. One passage, dated four days before the murder, spoke eloquently of her state of mind:

  “I went to see Perry by the usual way last night, but he wouldn’t let me stay longer than two minutes. I could see that he was anxious to get rid of me, and although he pleaded pressure of work on the film, I don’t believe this was the real reason. I’m sure that he was expecting someone else. I accused him of this, but he denied it. If this should be true, and there is somebody else, I swear I will do something desperate. If he’s going to throw me over after all this time he shall be made to suffer for it…”

  Another passage dated two days before the murder ran:

  “Last night I got the truth out of him — they say that drunken men speak the truth, and Perry had been drinking — he told me to my face that he was sick of the sight of me. If I had had a weapon with me I would have killed him then. Mary has completely turned his head; it’s not her fault, and, of course, it won’t last. And my day is finished. I was a fool ever to think otherwise. Why do I care so much…”

  And then the last entry:

  “I’m going to do it tonight; I’ve been thinking about it all day. I shall go to the studios and make my way up to Perry’s room by the fire-escape as usual, and I shall take with me the pistol. He’s not going to treat me as he treated all the others; I’ve too much respect for myself. Nobody will suspect me, and he isn’t fit to live. How surprised he’ll be. When I told him the other night what I’d do, he only laughed at me. He won’t laugh tonight…”

  “Undoubtedly, brooding over her troubles had unbalanced the woman’s mind,” said Paul; “but there’s no doubt at all now what happened. She went to the studios and killed Lamont on the night that Guinan and his partner planned the film robbery. According to Guinan they found the body when they broke in, and got the shock of their lives. But it didn’t keep them from stealing the negative, which, by the irony of fate, was stolen from them by Tommy Spearman, who must have overheard the plot.”

  “Well, the whole thing’s over,” said Elmer Myers with a sigh of relief, “and I guess I’m darned grateful to you, Rivington, for what you’ve done. If it hadn’t been for you there would be no Mammoth Pictures Inc. at this moment.”

  “Very nice of you to say so, Myers,” answered the detective, “but I did very little.”

  “By the way, Elmer,” said Frank Leyland, “I’m arranging for that girl, Henley, to have a film test as you asked me,”

  “Fine!” said Mr Myers. “If it comes out O.K. we might give her the second part in that new picture. By the time she’s finished her honeymoon we could be ready to shoot.”

  “When are they getting married?” asked Paul Rivington.

  “The day after tomorrow,” answered Myers; “they’ve invited me to go along. And they asked me if you and your brother would come too.”

  “We’ll be delighted,” said Paul. “Then I’m afraid we shall have to say farewell to Hollywood and get back to England.”

  “Say, you must stay for the premiere,” said Elmer Myers, “You’ve just got to do that. I’m telling you, this is just the greatest picture that has even been shot. It’ll make all the other reels of celluloid look like chunk stuff. Yes, sir, we’ve got the goods; we’re going to make the whole world blink.”

  Paul smiled.

  “You beat your own advertising man at the game, Myers,” he said. “It’s very nice of you to ask us to stay, and I must say that I would like to see the picture, because, after all that has happened, I feel a personal interest in it.”

  “That’s swell,” said Elmer Myers. “We’re showing the picture next week at the Rialto, and in the meanwhile we’ll try and give you and Bob a dandy time.”

  Mr Myers kept his word. He gave them a dandy time. He took them to Agua Caliente, over the Mexican border, to see the racing at one of the most beautiful racecourses in the world. He took them here, there and everywhere, and time seemed to fly on oiled wheels.

  Then came the great night of the premiere presentation of Mammoth Pictures’ super film. Paul Rivington and Bob had visited many first nights in London and New York, but never in their lives had they seen anything to equal this one. The theatre was a blaze from foundation to roof with myriads of electric light globes and neon signs. Outside, the streets were crowded and about two hundred policemen were on duty patrolling the traffic and the people, who were lined six deep on the sidewalk for over a quarter of a mile to see the elite of the film world pass.

  Those that were celebrities paused before entering the theatre and made a little speech into the microphone which was broadcast through loud-speakers to the waiting crowd. And as each world-famous star was recognised there went up from the massed crowd a roar of applause. Inside the theatre every seat was occupied, and Paul and Bob gazed with interest down on the sea of faces, recognising in nearly everyone features that the illustrated press of the world had made famous. Never before under one roof had they seen such a gathering of celebrities.

  The entertainment was due to begin at half-past eight, and actually began at a quarter-past nine. There was a sort of preliminary to the big event of the evening — the screening of the million dollar film. At half-past eleven there was an interval, and at a quarter to twelve the lights went down. The curtains covering the silver sheet parted slowly and the music rose to a crescendo of sound, and…

  MAMMOTH PICTURES INC. PRESENTS

  appeared on the screen. This was followed by:

  THE MAN-GOD [DIRECTED BY FRANK LEYLAND]

  After this came a whole list of names: the stars, the cameramen, the scenario writers, the scene designer, and a dozen others, and then the picture began. Paul Rivington and his brother watched it with interest, and before it was halfway through the detective had come to the conclusion that none of Mr Elmer Myers’ superlatives was an exaggeration. It was a symphony of sight and sound, conceived and executed by sheer genius. The huge audience sat tense and silent until the final fade-out. And then it rose en masse and cheered.

  “Hear ’em,” said the delighted Mr Myers, his face beaming. “And they’re hard-boiled. What’ll it be like when
it’s shown to an unsophisticated audience?”

  He turned away to receive the congratulations which were being showered on him, and by the time he had left the theatre and made his way to his waiting car his arm and hand were almost numb from handshakes.

  “Gee, but that’s one of the swellest premieres I’ve ever seen,” he confided to Paul Rivington; and the other agreed.

  The reception that followed was a brilliant affair. Many of the celebrities had been present in the theatre had been invited. The big ballroom at the Palace Hotel, which Mr Myers had rented for the occasion, presented a scene of gaiety and happiness. Many were the speeches made and man the toasts drunk, and at last, in reply to cries of “Speech”, Mr Myers got heavily to his feet.

  “This,” he began, “is an occasion of great happiness for me. Although tonight everything has gone so smoothly and so well, few of you here realise the difficulties with which we have had to contend to make tonight possible. I do not propose to discuss these difficulties in detail; it will be sufficient if I say that at one time Mammoth Pictures Inc. was faced with complete obliteration. It is, I think, an open secret that for a long time we had fought against adverse circumstances which were brought about by a person who would have reaped considerable benefit from our downfall. But all this is a thing of the past. The fact remains that we have succeeded and the production of this film will see Mammoth Pictures supreme in the film history. We have had our financial difficulties and we have weathered them. Many toasts have been drunk this evening. I should like to propose another one. To my English friend, who made tonight possible.”

  When the cheers had died away Paul Rivington rose to his feet and thanked his host.

  “And there is one other toast I should like to propose,” he said gravely, “and only a few of you who are present will fully appreciate it.” He raised his glass: “To a very gallant gentleman,” he said.

  Those who knew to whom he referred drank the toast standing.

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