Free The Player on the Other Side by Ellery Queen Page B

apparently stirred young Archer’s blood. He had dinner with the girl in Myra York’s kitchen. Myra was upstairs in bed, sick.’
    â€˜So the girl alibis this Archer fellow?’
    â€˜They alibi each other ,’ said the old man with a grimace, ‘which I hate. By the way, if this Drew number doesn’t bubble your blood a little, son —’
    Ellery interrupted. ‘And the other denizens of York Square?’
    â€˜Well, Cousin Emily claims she was alone in her house writing letters. Cousin Percival says he was alone in his house washing down a hangover so he’d feel up to building another one.’
    â€˜And that accounts for the lot? Including the help?’
    The old man nodded grimly. ‘That’s it. Any one of ’em could have done it.’
    â€˜Including the man from Dubuque,’ Ellery said thoughtfully.
    â€˜Theoretically, sure. But I don’t think this was the work of a passing stranger. Strangers don’t get to hang around York Square for days — or even hours — ahead of time chipping out mortar on one of the towers.’
    Ellery stared down at the inked J on the card. ‘The newspaper accounts say that Robert York’s death means an extra million or so to each of his cousins when the whole bundle comes due. When is that, by the way?’
    â€˜According to the will, in about six months. Equal shares to all surviving heirs at the time the estate is distributed.’
    â€˜The old tontine foolishness,’ Ellery said in disgust. ‘This is Nathaniel York, Senior’s, will you’re talking about?’
    â€˜Yes. Robert’s will left everything he has to the joint estate, too. It doesn’t amount to much — I mean, compared to the sheer mass of the principal estate — although of course to you and me it would be a fortune.’
    They were silent for a while.
    â€˜Emily York’s some sort of ascetic, isn’t she?’ Ellery murmured, looking up. ‘And Myra’s an invalid? I can’t see either of them going out of her way to jack up the big pot by cutting down on the number of heirs. Which would seem to leave Percival.’
    The Inspector’s face took on a look of deep warning. ‘Just between you and me, son, I’d like for it to come out that way. There’s a walking, talking pimple if ever I saw one!’
    â€˜So I gather. But what would even a no-goodnik like Percival, who’ll soon have three million dollars to spend, want with a fourth?’
    â€˜Are you kidding?’
    â€˜Enough to commit murder for, I mean.’
    â€˜Oh, stop, Ellery. Next you’ll be saying that babies really are delivered by storks. Besides which, I haven’t counted out the lady cousins by a long shot.’
    â€˜You think Emily or Myra could have pushed over two hundred pounds of stone?’
    â€˜They could have paid some muscle to do the pushing, couldn’t they? — after chipping away the mortar themselves.’
    â€˜Any indication of that?’
    â€˜Give me a chance, will you?’ the Inspector grumbled. ‘But talking about motive. Take this Emily. Sure is an ascetic — a millionaire ascetic, the most fanatical kind. She uses only two rooms of that castle of hers, works for a settlement house, lives mostly on her settlement-house pay, and donates the bulk of her income from the estate to the settlement house. And she’s got big plans for when she comes into her share of the millions, I understand, plans involving her work. She’s a funny old gal, and if something happened to threaten the distribution of those millions in any way — I wouldn’t put anything past her.’
    â€˜And Myra?’ Ellery asked.
    The old man said slowly, ‘She looks harmless — looks harmless. Maybe she’s what she seems to be. But … I don’t know. Myra’s some kind of nut. Trouble is, I can’t figure out what kind. Vague.