Queens Full by Ellery Queen Page A

Prosecutor Odham chuckled. But there was no humor in his frosty gray eyes.
    â€œWhat have you got, Mr. Queen?”
    Ellery said politely to the police chief, “May I see the knife?”
    â€œWhat for?”
    â€œIn a moment. Don’t worry, Chief. I shan’t so much as breathe on it.”
    Newby opened the safe behind his desk and brought out a shallow box padded with surgical cotton. The bloodstained knife lay on the cotton. He held on to the box pointedly.
    â€œThis thin short line of indentations in the tape of the handle.” Ellery made no attempt to touch the knife. “Have you determined yet what made them, Chief?”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œBecause they may either blow up your case against Joan or nail it down.”
    Newby flushed. “You’ll have to show me.”
    â€œI intend to. But you haven’t answered my question. Have you decided what kind of marks these are?”
    â€œI suppose you know!”
    â€œAnse,” Odham said. “No, Mr. Queen, we haven’t. I take it you have?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œWell?” Newby said. “What are they marks of?”
    â€œTeeth.”
    â€œTeeth?” The Prosecutor looked startled. So did Joan and Roger.
    â€œMaybe they’re teeth marks and maybe they’re not,” Newby said slowly, “though I admit we didn’t think of teeth. But even if they are. Only two could be involved—”
    â€œFour,” Ellery said. “Two upper and two lower—there are corresponding impressions on the other side of the haft. What’s more, I’m positive they’re the front teeth.”
    â€œSuppose they are. These could only be edge impressions, and they’re certainly not distinctive enough for a positive identification.”
    â€œYou may be right,” Ellery said soberly. “They may not prove to be positive evidence. But they may well prove to be negative evidence.”
    â€œWhat’s that supposed to mean?”
    â€œSuppose I can demonstrate that Joan Truslow’s front teeth couldn’t possibly have left these marks? Or any pairs of her contiguous teeth upper and lower, for that matter? Mind you, I don’t know whether they demonstrate any such thing. The only teeth I’ve experimented with so far are my own. I’ve explained to Joan the risk she’s running. Nevertheless, she’s agreed to the test.”
    â€œIs that so, Miss Truslow?” the Prosecutor demanded.
    Joan nodded. She had a death grip on the sides of her chair seat. As for Roger, he had entangled himself in an impossible combination of arms and legs, like a barricade.
    Odham said, “Then, Mr. Queen, you go right ahead.”
    Ellery’s package remained intact. “Before I do, let’s be sure we agree on the significance of the teeth marks. Last night Roger told us he didn’t put the freshly taped knife in the tool chest backstage until the act was nearly over. Rodge, were those marks in the tape when you dropped the knife in the chest?”
    â€œYou’ve forgotten,” Roger said shortly. “I’ve never seen them.”
    â€œMy error. Take a look.”
    Roger untangled himself and took a look. “I don’t see how they could have been. The knife wasn’t out of my possession until I put it in the chest, and I’m certainly not in the habit of gnawing on knife handles.” He went back to Joan’s side and barricaded her again.
    â€œWhat would you expect Fowler to say?” Newby said.
    Joan’s hand checked Roger just in time.
    â€œWell, if you won’t accept Roger’s testimony,” Ellery said, “consider Arch Dullman’s. Dullman last night said he saw the knife in the chest directly after the curtain came down—as Benedict came off stage, in fact—and he was positive there were no indentations in the tape at that time. Didn’t Dullman tell you that, Chief?”
    Newby bit his