During the evening of February 1, 1922, silent movie director William Desmond Taylor was shot to death by a single bullet in his Los Angeles bungalow. His body was found the next morning by his houseman.

These would be the only solid facts known about the murder, as the chaos that ensued made it impossible to put together the pieces of the numerous puzzles that surrounded Taylor's death.
By Hollywood standards, Taylor had led a relatively quiet life. He lived alone and the films he directed did well. He had friends in the…