The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1934-07-10
chapter SD


held the little key to Richard Croy.
den's piano. The artists renuncia.
tion OF his beloved instrument had
been 4 poignant gesture. Indeed.
Justly or uninstly, the dead ride
hard! Harper meditated sourly to
himself as he mounted the stairs to
spread his thankIess news through
the house. He tapped on the door OF
Mrs. Dufresne's room. deciding that
she was entitled to be tole first.
After that painful interviews he
sought out the master OF the house
and found him in the upstairs Ii.
brary. the scene of his hooking chal.
lenge of the evening before. Pierre
Dufresne was staring moodily out
the window when the detective en-
tered. His face. too, proclaimed the
stress and strain of restless hours
that should have been devoted to
sleep.
In plain, unadorned phases Ser
geant Harper told the story OF the
murders. AS he talked. Pierre Du-
fresno paced up and down. exclaim-
Ing. interrupting with questions,
struggling over details with brain
tagged from its own unjust but hard.
spurred woes. At times he could
hardly credit the tale.
"Wait! Waltz" he cried. poured
himself drink and downed it at a
gulp. Then he resumed his nervous
pacing, firing questions again and
again at the detective.
When he had finished his story.
Harper said. Nov, Mr.. Dufresne.
perhaps you will explain your own
movements after you got out of the
Austerlitz? | Fnow you had every
intention OF numbering the man
whom you suspected was meeting
your wife in this house. What hap
pened?"
Dufresne flung himself into a
chair. "You were right, Harper. !
got out Of the Austerlitz as you de-
scribed. Between the alibi L.had pre-
pared and the letters I had written
to myself I felt quite certain that |
would never be suspected, no mat
ter what happened.
II took taxi and got out some
distance from here. I had been keep
Ing watch on that sand-urn and |
knew a meeting had been arranged
for that night. / walked past the
house There was no light. no sign
Of life, and there were no foot
prints leading up to the door. hid
behind wall. watching. 1t was quite
dark.
Il waited. but nothing happened.
was furious because | had been
outwitted again. Then saw a police
man coming along the street. He
was the first person had seen in
the street at all. To my astonish.
ment. he turned in at the gate as
though he had business here.
''He went up the steps and en-.
tered the house. although couldn't
see who had opened the door. was
greatly puzzled. watched and wait
ed. but the policeman didn't come
out. don't know how long | hid
behind the wall. but it must have
been quite a while, for 1 began to
get stiff with cold.
Suddenly, the front door began
to bang in the wind. When that kept
up I grew frightened at the pros
pect. knew that something un.
usual must have happened and |
wanted to keep clear Of it. How
could have explained my absence
from the hotel? So left my hiding
place and walked until | caught a
taxi that brought me back to the
center OF the city. | had not been
in very long before you arrived.
when you brought me up here
20 view the bodies couldn't under.
stand half Of what / saw and heard
and I've been trying ever since to
figure out what really took place in
that room"
HARPER nodded. THAT shows
4 what totally different meanings
can be drawn from the simplest
things. The notes left in that urn
were construed in different man.
ner by every one who found out
about them.
"only Mrs. Croydon and your wife
knew the real truth about them. At
any time a frank discussion would
have cleared 1t all up. instead. it
was allowed to tester in secrecy.
Richard Croydon. the real victim Of
the whole intrigue. didn't know Of
their existence until much later"
The detective looked Pierre Du-
fresno squarely in the eyes. '1 am
going to lay aside my role as police
officer for a few seconds" he stated,
"and take the liberty OF talking to
you as man to man. You may resent
what | am going to say but | shall