Who Done Houdini Read Online Free

continue our conversation over our meal. I will trust to your judgment where we should eat.”
    â€œWe needn’t go far. The hotel restaurant has excellent food.”
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    Orders taken, Holmes rubbed his hands together. “Now, give me all the details of Houdini’s last show. I’m very pleased to hear you were there.”
    â€œI wish I could say I felt the same way. You are quite correct, however. Violet and I were at the Garrick Theatre on Halloween eve. Everyone was in a festive mood, and the band was playing the Houdini’s theme song, Sweet Rosabelle, for all it was worth. But from the moment Houdini took the stage, I knew something was wrong with him. He performed badly from curtain-up, and seemed terribly distracted. His stage career deserved a better ending.”
    â€œIndeed it did. And so did his life.”
    â€œYes, but in a perverse way, I felt that his death on Halloween day seemed to close an eerie circle. You are probably aware that among his last words was the promise he would communicate with his wife from beyond the grave.”
    â€œHe must have believed in what Spiritualism stood for, if not in mediums. And has Sir Arthur contacted Mrs. Houdini? Like it or not, she’s joined the ranks of the Spiritualists herself.”
    â€œTrue, but I have no idea. We hardly even know each other.”
    â€œIronic, isn’t it? Both Sir Arthur and Houdini believed in communication from the departed. The only difference between them is Houdini could never be satisfied with the results of his attempts, and Sir Arthur was rarely dissatisfied. What happened after the show?”
    â€œA doctor examined Houdini backstage and discovered he had a 104 degree temperature.”
    â€œI expect he was taken directly to the hospital, then.”
    â€œUnbelievable as it may seem, the Houdinis returned to their hotel. Dr. Leo Dretzka had examined him before the performance. The examination in and of itself is a very curious event. From what Bess Houdini says, Dretzka asked the magician if he wanted to perform that night or go directly to the hospital. Houdini was running a fever and should never have waited so long, though, from what I hear, it wouldn’t have mattered a whit. The poison from the ruptured appendix had spread too far.”
    Mr. Holmes nodded, his eyes taking on a familiar sparkle. “I see. This is turning out to be much more interesting than I originally imagined. Continue.”
    At his words, years melted away and I began to feel we had become colleagues once more.
    â€œAt the hotel, Daniel Cohn, the new doctor on duty, called for an ambulance and one showed up almost immediately. I caught a glimpse of Houdini’s face when they wheeled him out. It was drenched in sweat, but he lay quietly on the stretcher. We on the street watched the ambulance as it drove to the end of the block and turned left. I remember the wail of the hand-cranked siren sounding for a several seconds after it disappeared from sight.”
    â€œDid you go to the hospital?”
    â€œNot that night, but I was there at six the next morning. I was told that Houdini had had two surgeries during the night and now lay clinging to life. No one but Bess and his brother were allowed to see him. I wrote his obituary for the Free Press . ‘Died: Harry Houdini at 1:26 PM in Room 410 Corridor D, in the John R. wing of Grace Hospital at the age of 56.’ I still feel a genuine sense of loss. We both came from humble beginnings and worked our way up. He was probably the greatest illusionist and showman that ever lived, and I’m sure no one will ever equal him.”
    â€œI agree.” He looked at me. “You look pensive. Is something troubling you?”
    â€œI just realized he was only fourteen years older than I am. I know I have been aging, but I didn’t realize I had gotten so old.”
    Mr. Holmes reached out to pat my arm. “Ridiculous, Wiggins. No matter how old