Death out of Thin Air Read Free

He moved swiftly toward it.
    The girl lay there, her hands clenched, her body arching in a rigid, spasmodic convulsion; her breath came rapidly in great gasps. But, even as Diavolo knelt at her side, the breathing slowed and the dilated stare of her pupils began to lose the quality of life.
    Her scarlet lips moved slightly and he barely caught the words that issued on her last breath.
    â€œThe bat’s! … aviary….?”
    On her throat, Diavolo saw two red marks from each of which a single drop of blood oozed slowly. The razor-sharp teeth of a bat would have left just such marks as these.

1
The principle used by Don Diavolo in vanishing the elephant was originally invented by Guy Jarett who built many of Thurston’s illusions. It can be found in his book Jarett Magic , New York, 1936.

Don Diavolo stared at the menacing gun in Count Draco’s hand
    C HAPTER III
    Letters in Scarlet
    T HE rouge on the girl’s cheeks was redder by contrast with the unnatural deathly pallor of her face. Diavolo placed his fingers on her wrist. There was no pulse.
    Again the furry-winged bat came with its zigzag flying motion, casting on the floor below a shadow as large as a man. As it crossed above him Diavolo shouted, “Chan. Get that thing!”
    But before Chan could move, one of the animal’s erratic swoops had taken it through the open window. It circled a moment in the deepening dusk high above the street and then, suddenly, swept along in a gust of wind, vanished from sight as if it had never been. Chan, leaning out the window, stared after it.
    Don Diavolo took one swift glance around the room and rose from beside the girl’s body, alert and ready, though he knew there was no immediate danger. The room held no place where anyone or anything could hide. He turned and went quickly to the corridor door which he opened by the secret method. He stepped halfway out.
    A call-boy stood there in the hall less than twenty feet from the door. He was reading a copy of Racing Dope.
    â€œJerry,” Diavolo said. “You were where you are now when I came offstage and Chan met me at the elevators. Where’ve you gone since then?”
    Jerry looked up. “No place at all. I’ve been right here trying to pick up a gee-gee in the fifth at Belmont. How’s about squinting in that crystal ball of yours and picking a horse for me?”
    Don made a quick, smooth motion with his empty right hand and a quarter appeared in it as if from nothing. He flipped it toward the boy. “Forget the horses for a minute. This is important. Who came in after we did?”
    â€œThere was a real hot looking dame with a funny hat. Thought for a minute it was Dorothy Lamour. I’ll take either of ’em. She—”
    â€œAll right. Now forget the dames, too.” Diavolo scowled impatiently. “Who else came in?”
    â€œNobody.” The boy looked at him curiously, wondering at the rapid-fire seriousness of Diavolo’s questions. “Why?”
    â€œYou’re sure of that?” Don insisted. “Myself, Chan and the girl. No one else?”
    â€œThat’s right. Nobody at all. I’ll swear to that on a whole stack of—”
    â€œI know — Racing Dopes. And who left after that?”
    â€œSay, what is this?” Jerry asked, finally beginning to realize that something was up. “A new trick of yours? How could anybody else come out if you were the only ones that—”
    By now, however, Jerry was talking to a closed door. He stopped, scratching his head. Then his eye fell on his dope sheet and he grinned. “That’s it!” he said. “ Screwball in the ninth!” He started for a phone, whistling.
    There was no whistling inside the dressing room. Instead Diavolo frowned grimly, first at the girl’s still body and then at Chan. He was thinking that getting out of this predicament promised to be even more difficult than the nerve-racking