The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1934-05-31
Chapter 20
RECONSTRUCTION

Chapter 20
RECONSTRUCTION
"A LII right, let's try to recon
"A struct the whole thing" said
Harper. We've got certain basic
facts to serve as foundations and
ven iit them in as we go along.
Ws'll take eight o'clock last night
a. our starting point. Hamili had
Just made his report from the cali
box. u was showing heavily, there
was q cold; high wind.
~Hamill walked along on his beat
for three blocks. That would bring
Il to say. ten minutes past eight.
He crossed the street above here
bat halfway over he changed his
mind and came down Powhatan
Terrace instead. What made him do
that7 Obviously, something he saw
or something he heard.
From the spot where Hamill
turned Oh Il Is doubtful that be
eonId have heard anv sound from
inside this house. even q shot or q
scream. II there had been . noise
ioua ernuvh far Rim - haar. Ger.
taIniv sorne a. the neirhbors wouId
have been up and investigating.
Wen have 70 make inquiries about
that.s Harper iotted down : memo.
rnndum. adding other pertinent
auestionx from time "a tine aa he
nurrned the course 81 the myatery.
~It q much more Iikelv... IL con,
finuad. nthat HamiIi saw sonethinr.
what could It have been? 4 lirht q
the house2 The electric switch had
been turned Oh Ct the source. The
curtains Of this ons lighted room
were drawn close. That fireplace
here's an idea, Jack. Suppose that
man stirred up the Are. poked the
logs. You know hearth fires don't
burn 80 well on q rainy or snowy
night. for damp chimney chokes.
on the normal draught.
A shower Of sparks would shoot
cut the top Of the chimney. rye
often seen Il on winter nights.
There would be something to draw
HamilI's attention. This Il assum.
ing that Hamill knew the house was
uuoccnpied. The whole idea hinges
on that We've got TO ind out
Whistler he knew the Dufresnes
were staying elsewhere"
That's q neat piece Of deduc.
lion, Lanerty advised, '.but you've
oVoflooked an important point.
what HamilI heard was the front
door banging about in the wind.
That wae the sound tfat led Con.
n6ily ana HilIeary here So quickly"
Il doubt that was Harper's re-.
joindsr. :1've not overlooked that
lanrinr door. The idea that 4 heavv
booming from 4 quarter past eight
70 nearly ten o'clock without arous.
lnr the other residents Of powhatan
Terrace 70 nearly impossible. But
there again Is something we can ii.
onlru about.
However. be that as il may. we
have Oficer Hamlll coming up the
walk. We're safe inf assuming that
his buspicions we're aroused. Now.
dld he ana the door shut and locked
or open and banging /? II should have
been shut and locked. II fIamiIl
found Il that way, he knocked o.
rang the bell"
Wrong again. Steve" Lafferty
objected. -lf he were suspicious
he'd so frst and have quiet look
around the outside Of the house. But
the footprints In the snow prove
that he didn't. he walked straight
90 70 the front door without any de-
tours"
HARPER thought that over.
! 4 -Ycr'ra right about that. Jack.
we're not clear about that door.
Assuming that e was locked. from
the mere fact that HamiIl entered
some one must necessarily have
opened TO him. Here. then, We have
our unknown man facing the police