The League of Frightened Men

"It was arranged that I should call at five o'clock Wednesday afternoon with Mr. Santini and Paul Chapin. Paul was included on account of the inspection he had given the pictures in France. I surmised that Eugene had arranged for his support, but as it turned out that was probably incorrect. We arrived. Eugene's suavity -"

I interrupted, "Just a minute, doctor.

Did Paul Chapin get to the gallery before you did?"

"No. We arrived together. I was in my car, and called for him at the Harvard , Club."

"Had he been there earlier that afternoon?".

"My dear sir." Elkus looked sad at me.

"Okay. You wouldn't know that.

Anyway, the girl there says he hadn't."

"So I understand. I was saying,

Eugene's suavity was painful, because of the nervousness it failed to hide. He mixed I highballs for us, jerkily, not himself. I was embarrassed and therefore brusque. I asked Mr. Santini to make a statement and he did so; he had written it down.

Eugene contradicted him. They argued;

Eugene was somewhat excited but Mr. |

Santini remained cool. Finally Eugene called on Paul for his views, in obvious expectation of support. Paul smiled around at us, the smile that comes from • his Malpighian capsules, and made a calm | brief statement. He said that three months after his inspection of the pictures – a month after they had been shipped to New York – he had learned definitely that they had been painted by Vasseult, the greatest forger of the century, in 1924.»

That was the man Mr. Santini had named.

I • Paul also said that he had kept silent about it because his affection for both Eugene and myself was so great that he could take no step that would injure either of us. 1" "I feared Eugene would collapse. He was plainly as astonished as he was hurt. I was of course embarrassed into silence. I do not know whether Eugene had in desperation swindled me, or whether he ^ had himself been imposed upon. Mr. i Santini rose. I did likewise, and we left.

Paul Chapin came with us. If was noon the following day when I learned that Eugene had committed suicide by drinking nitroglycerin – apparently within a few minutes, at the most an hour, after we left. I learned it when the police arrived at my office to question me."

I nodded, and sat and looked at him a while. Then all of a sudden I straightened up in my chair and shot at him, "What made you think it was suicide?"