Free The Mammoth Book of Hollywood Scandals by Michelle Morgan Page A

episode at all. “Dorothy and Ray were always so happy . . . I never heard of this Paul Kelly; they never mentioned him here.”
    Meanwhile, the newspaper columnists showed no concern for either Kelly or Mackaye and proceeded to tear them to pieces, much to the embarrassment of both. They were amused that while Paul had declared Raymond “yellow” when he wouldn’t fight, he had cried like a baby and collapsed when locked in a cell; they also poked fun at Mackaye for saving a fainting spell until she just happened to be in front of the world’s press.
    The inquest into the passing of Ray Raymond was quickly wrapped up, and the reason for his death explained as hypostatic pneumonia following an extensive brain haemorrhage with acute alcoholism being a contributory factor. The overall conclusion was that Paul Kelly was most certainly responsible for the man’s death: “This is the most brutal [murder] that has ever come under my notice as Coroner of Los Angeles county,” Coroner Nance told reporters. “The evidence shows that Kelly is devoid of all sense of decency and ethics.”
    Another interesting development came when Nance added, “I am also informed that Mrs Raymond was in Kelly’s apartment when he left his home for the purpose of going to her home to beat up Raymond,” before adding that it was his belief that she had influenced Kelly’s decision to beat up her ailing husband. Not only that, but he also added his belief that despite claims to the contrary, when Kelly had returned to his apartment after the fatal beating, the besotted Mackaye had been waiting for him.
    Questions arose about the credibility of Raymond’s doctor, W. J. Sullivan, who had attended the patient and declared his death “natural” despite the fact that the man had quite obviously sustained a terrible attack. The coroner was keen to know if Dorothy had promised to pay him well if he could ensure there was no publicity surrounding the death.
    “Absolutely not,” replied Dr Sullivan.
    “How much did you receive for your services?” asked the coroner.
    “Five hundred dollars.”
    “Do you think five hundred dollars’ worth of services were rendered?” asked the coroner.
    “Yes, sir,” replied Dr Sullivan.
    The coroner was not quite convinced, however, and asked the doctor if he thought that sum of money was perhaps an unusual charge. The doctor then argued that he had received more in other cases, and that at no time did he cover anything up, and was offered no extra money by Dorothy Mackaye in an attempt to falsify the death certificate. The doctor was adamant that what he was saying was correct, but Coroner Nance was not so sure.
    His suspicions became even more profound when it was discovered that when the doctor visited Deputy Coroner Frank H. Schoeffle, he had not told him that Raymond had been in a fight and instead claimed during the autopsy that the bruises present must have been caused by a fall when he was drunk. This had been an unusual move on the part of the doctor and one that raised concerns throughout the department. Further concerns came when stories reached the coroner that before the department had heard of Raymond’s death, Mackaye had busied herself trying to organize a quick cremation in order to destroy the evidence forever.
    Nance was horrified that such a cover-up was going on right in front of his nose and ordered a thorough investigation into the entire matter, stating, “I am satisfied that Dr Sullivan has not given us all of the facts of the case and appropriate steps will be taken.” The media were quick to declare that Paul Kelly, Dorothy Mackaye and the doctor were all involved in something rather distasteful, and rushed to the home of Dr Sullivan for an explanation. However, if they thought he would admit any wrongdoing, they were mistaken.
    “Everything and every phase of the case was above board,” he told them. “There was absolutely nothing to hide and nothing was