Death out of Thin Air (28 page)

Authors: Clayton Rawson

BOOK: Death out of Thin Air

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At the same moment, Inspector Church and half a dozen detectives entered his dressing room upstairs. “All right boys,” he ordered. “Tear this place apart! Keeler was the Invisible Man behind Collins. Belmont was behind him and I
still
think Diavolo was the master mind! He hypnotized Belmont and Collins so they won't talk! I'm going to get the goods on him sooner or later! He can't fool me!”

²³

While writing the present account of the case of The Invisible Man I visited the Museum of Indian Art to see the statue of Siva. The curator pointed out to me an extremely odd thing which the newspaper accounts and all the other writers who have dwelt upon the case seem to have failed to note. The dancing figure of Siva the Destroyer, as I described it in the foregoing text, stands upon the symbolical prostrate figure of a
dwarf.
One would think that Larry Keeler must have been mad if he purposely chose to center everyone's attention on this statue so that his twisted sense of humor could enjoy yet another quiet laugh. And yet was he? The fact remains that no one, during the case, noticed this strangely prophetic figure that had another symbolism beyond the Brahminical one the original sculptor intended.â Stuart Towne.

²⁴

One ironic note which needs mention is that Larry Keeler, jealous of Don Diavolo to the point of trying to frame him for Ziegler's murder by having Collins appear there in red evening clothes and mask, nevertheless was forced to ask Don's help. When Collins and St. Louis Louie tried to hold up Ziegler, the latter quickly locked the safe on which he had just changed the combination. Louie, who wasn't overly bright about such things, shot him. And Keeler himself, although a magician, couldn't pick the lock because, familiar as he was with locks and escape feats in theory, his physique had prevented his actual practice of that type of magic. Thus, Perry had to be sent to Don Diavolo, in an attempt to get him to open the safe.

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