Who Done Houdini Read Online Free Page B

plate?”
    â€œUnnecessary. We will be leaving in a few minutes--unless you would like some more mineral water, Wiggins. I thought it quite good.”
    â€œNothing more for me, thank you.”
    Left to his own designs, Holmes dispatched the rest of his lunch in a few larger than gentlemanly-sized bites. The waiter returned to remove the plate. “Would you like dessert?”
    â€œMight you perchance have Spotted Dick?”
    The waiter’s mouth gaped.
    I stepped in before he could reply. “It’s not what you may think. It’s an English dessert made out of suet. I’m sure you’ve never even heard of it.”
    â€œI’m afraid we don’t, sir,” the waiter said.
    â€œToo bad. It is quite delicious,” Holmes said as he took out his wallet. Handing the man a twenty-dollar bill, he said, “I hope this is enough to cover our food. It’s more than four pounds sterling.”
    I took the banknote from the waiter and passed it back to Mr. Holmes. Taking out my own billfold, I handed the young man five dollars. “Please keep the change.”

 
    Chapter 5
    I n a matter of minutes we were on our way to Grace Hospital.
    In Detroit, the downtown folds in on itself along the river, and nearly everything is within walking distance, though more people seem to be driving motor cars every day. Lusty young people crowd the saloons on Friday and Saturday nights, and weekend days attract whole families. I always find it amazing that a one-time site for a circus, now long abandoned, should become such a bustling gathering place. The Statler Hotel, where Houdini stayed on his last visit, was near the hospital, less than a block from the Garrick Theatre.
    In the cab, Holmes sat forward in his seat carefully observing his surroundings. My friend’s remarkable facility to instantly take in every detail, then as quickly forget it when it is no longer of any importance, remained strong as ever.
    â€œI expect Houdini’s ambulance followed much the same route on the fateful night.”
    â€œYes. It’s the quickest way.”
    â€œWhy do you suppose he put off seeking professional help for so long? The pain must have been excruciating.”
    I shook my head. “I have no idea, though I know he lived with pain from his escapes most of his adult life, and seldom saw a doctor. He had hundreds of imitators, in Europe especially. Quite a few even claimed to be him. He hunted them all down.”
    â€œThe best always have their imitators.”
    â€œEven worse were the ones who tied him so tightly with wires they broke through the skin and muscles, all the way to the bone. Then there were the ones who used locks with plugged keyholes and fouled mechanisms so he couldn’t pick them. The poor man broke an ankle in Albany in mid-October and had to perform on it for all his final shows. Imagine standing for three hours a night on an aching foot.”
    Holmes shook his head. “His ankle wasn’t his biggest problem, it would seem.”
    â€œI wonder if he felt he was coming to the end of his stage career and wanted to make sure he made the most of his performances.”
    Holmes cocked his head back and closed his eyes in contemplation. “Hmm, yes. I suppose that’s possible. Were there any individuals of particular importance in the audience that Saturday night?”
    â€œGood question. I know Mayor Smith and his wife were there, as were Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ford and son Edsel. I think I heard that Governor and Mrs. Green had come in from Lansing. Any others, I can’t say offhand.”
    â€œI see.”
    I recognized Holmes’s expression. It was the same whenever he worked through a vexing puzzle. We didn’t talk for the rest of the ride.
    We entered through the hospital’s heavily paned main entrance. A woman wearing a crisp nurse’s hat and friendly smile greeted us. When I showed her my press card, the smile vanished,