The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1934-06-14

hAA no OAAS ~ 4uS WSA w.. 70 A~eSt u
plenty about them
sReen doing some tabloid aFcheol-
ogy on the side?r Knocked Harper
mo. but | was talking to Bob
Johnson. That lad covered the 90
ciaI whirl when he first broke In
with the Daily Ledger and he's got
. memory like . fling cabinet. Ac-
cording to him. the Bartell girls had
the polite circles OF their day stand
ing on their collective ears.
incidentally. It might interest
you to know that in those days eur
good host. Mr.. Pierr> Dufresns. was
rushing little Aline. The engage
ment was rumored unoficially sew
eral times and there was plenty of
buzzing and whispering when he
up and married Sister Sylvia In
stead"
ITO hear you talking, one would
think that Mrs. Dufresne and Mrs.
Croydon were now q couple OF dow
ayers.
"That was all Of ten years age"
LaGerty answered. "and ten years
can make lot OF changes. but you
never can tell when the old IRE viii
iiaFs up again. That happens often
enough. Remember tlat Sylvia Bar.
tell married q man considerably
older than herself, while her sister
well, l take Croydon for one Of
those artistic chaps, all nerves and
Temperament. charming as an ac-
Quaintance. but damn hard to live
with. Certainly Mrs. Dufresne is
still far removed from an age where
one could say. ''This woman is past
the time for love affairs"
IHARPER looked amused as he
4 held q match to his pipe. VERY
well put" he acknowledged, "al.
though the implications are some
what libelous. But listen, you old
social philosopher. does Mr.. Du.
fresno strike you as being the sort
Of man who would connive at hiding
his wife's guilt?"
There's such q thing az pride,
Steve. and It takes SOME queer
turns. Many Q man has brazened
down the world in case Ike that
and taken his own measures In pri-
yate-later."
"No. | don't believe you're on the
right track at all. There are plenty
or gaps in your structure. What OF
this alleged lover. for instance? He
was here IN the city. buying his dis
guise. while Mrs. Dufresne was still
at her summer home. That doesn't
sound much like q clandestine af-
fair
.Granted, but remember that the
Dufresns simmer home Is on an
island. Not much chance for secret
meetings there unless the third
party came as q guest. think those
kWo conceived the idea Of writing
crank letters to Dufresne. After q
due interval he was to be bumped
or Then Mrs. Dnfresne would be
free and the police would be busily
hunting around for some down.at-
the.heels homicidal maniac who
never really existed. It's clever
scheme
II see. Having decided to Olsen.
cumher herself OF the husband she
no longer waited. Mrs. Dufresne, IN
q al of Observation-Disclosures. killed
her lover instead. Very clever, Jack,
very clever
Latlerty smiled sonrly. sJust the
same. old boy. I'm holding to my
theory tn you can produce . better
one he stated. Everybody but
MTa. Dufresne has an alibi for the
time II question. Why don't ron
challenge her with itf'
Harper shrugged, -You know the
situation. Dr. Ulrich has forbidden
her to talk. What would Be the use
Of trying TO hold q vital Interview
like that when she can stop and
think aud write down the answers
81 her ieisnFel Since you're so set
en POUR theory. I'll delegate to ron
the fob 81 visiting the Morlock
house. Yon can check up al ycn
want. but don't Let the cat ont q the
her. Mrs. Moriock Il I relative Of
Mrs. Dnfrenne and II she finds ont
that We suspect anything Il won't
take Ions for Il 10 set hack to this
house Go % I'll Here's your chance
to show ne On"
That's not the idea. steve. and
you know 4. OF course. there's an
alternate theory. built on the same
base Has that occurred TO your
Harper took long pun at his
pipe. I'm tau Of theories" be re-
piled. with little encouragement
could build up q eaae against almost
any o. the eight ron picked out. HHt
who = involved IN your alternate
thoorye"
Pierre Dnfresne himself. Per.
hapa he discovered this AFFAIR and
killed his rival. Pm convinced the
elementary motives In my theory
are right. whatever the individual
moves may have heen.s
The Sergeant's glance sharpened.
~Ive been toying with some such
idea he slated slowly.
fcessrisAi. ISL ~ IFalisr o. BrssaJ