Free The Four of Hearts by Ellery Queen Page A

off-stage voice at Minsky’s than tied up to your family! If you ask me, the whole thing is your doing.’
    â€˜Mine? Ha, ha! And why should I engineer it, please?’
    â€˜Because you and Blythe are on the skids. While in our last picture –’
    â€˜Yes, I read those rave exhibitor reports in the Motion Picture Herald. And weren’t those Variety box-office figures encouraging!’
    â€˜Ah, I see you’re one of the Royle public.’
    â€˜What public?’
    â€˜Mugger!’
    â€˜Camera hog!’
    At this breathless moment, as Ty and Bonnie glared sadistically at each other in the doorway, and Jack and Blythe wrapped their famous arms defiantly about each other near the fireplace, and Mr. Queen sighed over a hooker of aged brandy, Louderback coughed and marched stately in bearing a salver.
    â€˜Beg pawdon,’ said Louderback, regarding the Fragonard on the opposite wall. ‘A French person has just delivered this lettah for Miss Blythe Stuart. The person says it has just arrived at Miss Stuart’s domicile in the last post, and that it is marked “important”.’
    â€˜Clotilde!’ cried Bonnie, reaching for the envelope on the salver. ‘Delivering your mail here ? Mother, haven’t you any shame?’
    â€˜Bonnie, my child,’ said Blythe calmly, taking the envelope. ‘Since when do you read your mother’s mail? I thought you were leaving me forever.’
    â€˜And you, Ty,’ chuckled Jack Royle, sauntering over. ‘Have you changed your mind, too?’
    Blythe Stuart said: ‘Oh,’ faintly.
    She was staring at the contents of the envelope. There were two pieces of coloured pasteboard in her hand, and with the other she was shaking the envelope, but nothing else came out.
    She said: ‘Oh,’ again, even more faintly, and turned her back.
    Mr. Queen, forgotten, approached quietly and peeped. The two pieces of pasteboard were, as far as he could see, ordinary playing-cards. One was a deuce of clubs, the other a ten of spades. As Blythe turned the cards slowly over he saw that their backs were blue and were decorated with a golden horseshoe.
    â€˜What’s the matter, mother?’ cried Bonnie.
    Blythe turned around. She was smiling. ‘Nothing, silly. Somebody’s idea of a joke. Are you really so concerned about your poor old mummy, whom you’ve just renounced for ever?’
    â€˜Oh, mother, don’t be tedious,’ said Bonnie, tossing her golden curls; and with a sniff at Mr. Tyler Royle she flounced out.
    â€˜See you later, dad,’ said Ty glumly, and he followed.
    â€˜That’s that,’ said Jack with relief. He took Blythe in his arms. ‘It wasn’t so bad, was it, darling? Those crazy kids! Kiss me.’
    â€˜Jack! We’ve quite forgotten Mr. Queen.’ Blythe turned her magnificent smile on Ellery. ‘What must you think of us, Mr. Queen! And I don’t believe we’ve been introduced. But Jack has mentioned you, and so has Butch –’
    â€˜Sorry,’ said the actor. ‘My dear, this is Ellery Queen, who’s going to work with Lew Bascom on our picture. Well, what do you think of us, Queen? A little meshugeh , eh?’
    â€˜I think,’ smiled Ellery, ‘that you lead horribly interesting lives. Queer idea of humour. May I see them, Miss Stuart?’
    â€˜Really, it’s nothing –’ began Blythe, but somehow the cards and envelope managed to pass from her hand to Mr. Queen’s; and before she could protest he was examining all three intently.
    â€˜The Horseshoe Club, of course,’ murmured Ellery. ‘I noticed that distinctive design on their cards the other night. And your practical joker has been very careful about the envelope. Address block-lettered by pen in that scratchy, wishy-washy blue that’s so characteristic of American post-offices. Postmarked this morning. Hmm. Is this the first