I think Markham was as much surprised as I at this sudden criticism; yet we both knew Vance well enough to realize that, despite his placid and almost flippant tone, there was a serious purpose behind his words.
Would you advocate ignoring all the tangible evidence of a crime? asked Markham, a bit patronizingly.
Most emphatically, Vance declared calmly. Its not only worthless but dangerous. The great trouble with you chaps, d ye see, is that you approach every crime with a fixed and unshakable assumption that the criminal is either half-witted or a colossal bungler. I say, has it never by any chance occurred to you that if a detective could see a clue, the criminal would also have seen it, and would either have concealed it or disguised it, if he had not wanted it found? And have you never paused to consider that anyone clever enough to plan and execute a successful crime these days, is, ipso facto[47], clever enough to manufacture whatever clues suit his purpose? Your detective seems wholly unwilling to admit that the surface appearance of a crime may be delibrately deceptive, or that the clues may have been planted for the defnite purpose of misleading him.
Im afraid, Markham pointed out, with an air of indulgent irony, that wed convict very few criminals if we were to ignore all indicatory evidence, cogent circumstances and irresistible inferences. As a rule, you know, crimes are not witnessed by outsiders.
Thats your fundamental error, dont y know, Vance observed impassively. Every crime is witnessed by outsiders, just as is every work of art. The fact that no one sees the criminal, or the artist, actully at work, is wholly inconsquential. The modern investigator of crime would doubtless refuse to believe that Rubens painted the Descent from the Cross[48] in the Cathedral at Antwerp if there was sufficient circumstntial evidence to indicate that he had been away on diplomatic business, for instance, at the time it was painted. And yet, my dear fellow, such a conclusion would be prepostrous. Even if the infrences to the contrry were so irresistible as to be legally overpowering, the picture itself would prove conclusively that Rubens did paint it. Why? For the simple reason, d ye see, that no one but Rubens could have painted it. It bears the indelible imprint of his personality and geniusand his alone.
Im not an aesthetician, Markham reminded him, a trifle testily. Im merely a practical lawyer, and when it comes to determining the authorship of a crime, I prefer tangible evidence to metaphysical hypotheses.
Your prefrence, my dear fellow, Vance returned blandly, will inevtably involve you in all manner of embarrassing errors.
He slowly lit another cigarette, and blew a wreath of smoke toward the ceiling.
Consider, for example, your conclusions in the present murder case, he went on, in his emotionless drawl. You are laboring under the grave misconception that you know the person who probbly killed the unspeakable Benson. You admitted as much to the Major; and you told him you had nearly enough evidence to ask for an indictment. No doubt, you do possess a number of what the learned Solons of to-day regard as convincing clues. But the truth is, dont y know, you havent your eye on the guilty person at all. Youre about to bedevil some poor girl who had nothing whatever to do with the crime.
Markham swung about sharply.
So! he retorted. Im about to bedevil an innocent person, eh? Since my assistants and I are the only ones who happen to know what evidence we hold against her, perhaps you will explain by what occult process you acquired your knowledge of this persons innocence.
Its quite simple, y know, Vance replied, with a quizzical twitch of the lips. You havent your eye on the murderer for the reason that the person who committed this particular crime was sufficiently shrewd and perspicacious to see to it that no evidence which you or the police were likely to find, would even remotely indicate his guilt.
He had spoken with the easy assurance of one who enunciates an obvious facta fact which permits of no argument.
Markham gave a disdainful laugh.
No law-breaker, he asserted oracularly, is shrewd enough to see all contingencies. Even the most trivial event has so many intimately related and serrated points of contact with other events which precede and follow, that it is a known fact that every criminalhowever long and carefully he may planleaves some loose end to his preparations, which in the end betrays him.
A known fact? Vance repeated. No, my dear fellowmerely a conventional superstition, based on the childish idea of an implacable, avenging Nemesis. I can see how this esoteric notion of the inevtability of divine punishment would appeal to the popular imagination, like fortune-telling and Ouija boards, dont y know; butmy word!it desolates me to think that you, old chap, would give credence to such mystical moonshine.
Dont let it spoil your entire day, said Markham acridly.
Regard the unsolved, or successful, crimes that are taking place every day, Vance continued, disregarding the others irony, crimes which completely baffle the best detectives in the business, what? The fact is, the only crimes that are ever solved are those planned by stupid people. Thats why, whenever a man of even modrate sagacity decides to commit a crime, he accomplishes it with but little diffculty, and fortified with the postive assurance of his immunity to discovery.
Undetected crimes, scornfully submitted Markham, result, in the main, from official bad lucknot from superior criminal cleverness.
Bad luckVances voice was almost dulcetis merely a defensive and self-consoling synonym for inefficiency. A man with ingenuity and brains is not harassed by bad luck. No, Markham old dear; unsolved crimes are simply crimes which have been intelligently planned and executed. And, d ye see, it happens that the Benson murder falls into that categry. Therefore, when, after a few hours investigation, you say youre pretty sure who committed it, you must pardon me if I take issue with you.
He paused and took a few meditative puffs on his cigarette.
The factitious and casuistic methods of deduction you chaps pursue are apt to lead almost anywhere. In proof of which assertion I point triumphantly to the unfortunate young lady whose liberty you are now plotting to take away.
Markham, who had been hiding his resentment behind a smile of tolerant contempt, now turned on Vance and fairly glowered.
It so happensand Im speaking ex cathedra[49] he proclaimed defiantly, that I come pretty near having the goods on your unfortunate young lady.
Vance was unmoved.
And yet, y know, he observed drily, no woman could possibly have done it.
I could see that Markham was furious. When he spoke he almost spluttered.
A woman couldnt have done it, ehno matter what the evidence?
Quite so, Vance rejoined placidly: not if she herself swore to it and produced a tome of what you scions of the law term, rather pompously, incontrovertible evidence.
Ah! There was no mistaking the sarcasm of Markhams tone. I am to understand then that you even regard confessions as valueless?
Yes, my dear Justinian, the other responded, with an air of complacency; I would have you understand precisely that. Indeed, they are worse than valuelesstheyre downright misleading. The fact that occasionally they may prove to be correctlike womans prepostrously overrated intuitionrenders them just so much more unreliable.