But the New York detective wisely checked the words that were upon his lips. He realized that with an established verdict of death through misadventure, he must present some tangible evidence in order to cast doubt upon the findings of the local authorities. Yet he knew nothing about the Garwood case. A bunch of violets, slipped beneath his pillow. A marked disk, received here in Philadelphia, when he was supposed to have been in New York. A reference to a death — which might be any death at all!
These were the bases of Cardona's interest in the death of Geoffrey Garwood. Had it not been for them, he would have passed up the matter entirely.
Cardona had no desire to make himself appear ridiculous. He decided instantly not to mention the fact that he had attended a spirit seance in Philadelphia the night before.
Instead, he wisely turned his talk to poisons. The death of Geoffrey Garwood, he stated, might furnish him with valuable data. He was anxious to learn how quickly death had occurred; if the dying man had sensed that his end was near.
This tactful discourse placed Cardona in the light of a New York sleuth making a special trip to Philadelphia to study the effective methods of the local investigators. Joe Cardona's diplomatic questioning brought him immediate cooperation.
A Philadelphia detective was delegated to take him to Garwood's home in a headquarters car. There, Cardona could see for himself just how simple it had been for a man to unwittingly poison himself. Geoffrey Garwood's home was in a suburban district, within the city limits. It had a wide expanse of lawn on one side; but on the other, it was built close to a hedge. Cardona noticed that the adjoining property was untenanted.
Two servants were alone in the Garwood house. They admitted the detectives, and Cardona was led first to the upstairs room, where the banker's body had been discovered. Looking through the window, Cardona observed the lawn.
"He got the bottle from the shelf in the bathroom," declared the Philadelphia detective. "Over on the other side of the house. He must have been absentminded. Come along, I'll show you the mistake he made." The bathroom had a single window. It opened toward the hedge. Below it were projecting eaves that extended from a roof over a side porch. Cardona observed this fact immediately.
"See this shelf?" asked the Philadelphia sleuth. "There's the bottle of medicine. White pills — no label on the bottle."
The shelf was on the right side of the window, directly above the washstand. On the other side of the window hung the medicine chest. The Philadelphia detective opened it and indicated a lower corner.