The Soul Scar

“It’s the most perplexing case I’ve been up against, Kennedy, for a long time.” Doctor Leslie, now medical adviser to the district attorney, had dropped in at the laboratory, and to tell the truth, I was glad of the interruption. For from a retort Craig was evolving an olfactory offense which was particularly annoying to me, especially as I was struggling with an article on art for The Star. The things were incongruous, and the article suffered. “A case?” repeated Craig, mechanically. “Here..stick your foot up. That’s fine,” he added, as he scraped the sole and heel of Leslie’s shoe, while Leslie fidgeted impatiently. “This is new.” Apparently Leslie’s case was forgotten before it was begun. “You know,” Craig went on, eagerly, “the use of all these new leather substitutes is opening a new field for detectives in the study of foot marks. I’ve just been analyzing the composition of some of the products. I’ll soon be able to identify them all. A case, you say...eh?”