The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-02-26
Chapter Is
ENTER ROGER

CIV IN OWEN
MOT that Henry was always like
' that. Later that evening. at din
ner. he showed out in quite new
light. He joked. laughed. told sto-
ries. and was. for man of his abili-
ties, quite brilliant. T0o brilliant.
frankie felt. The brilliance was Just
as unnatural and out Of character.
"He has such queer eyes," she
thought. They brighten me little"
And yet surely she did not suspect
Henry Bassington-ffrench OF any.
thing? It was his brother. not he,
who had been in Marchbolt on that
fatal day.
AS for the brother, frankie looked
forward to seeing him with eager
interest. According to her and to
Bobby, the man was murderer. She
was going to meet a murderer face
to face.
She felt momentarily nervous. Yet.
after all, how could he guess7 How
could he. in any way. connect her
with a successfully accomplished
crime?
You're making a bogy for your
self out of nothing" she reflected .,
Roger Bassington-ffrench arrived
just before tea on the following at
ternoon. frankie did not meet him
till tea-time She was still supposed
to rest" in the afternoon.
When she came out onto the lawn
where tea was laid. Sylvia said. smil-
ing: Here is our invalid. This is
my brother-in-law - Lady Frances
Derwent."
frankie saw a tall. slender young
man of something over thirty with
very pleasant eyes. Although she
could see what Bobby meant by say.
ing he ought to have a monocle and
a toothbrush moustache. she herself
was more inclined to notice the in.
tense blue OF his eyes. They shook
hands.
He said: "I've been hearing all
about the way you tried to break
down the park wall"
"I'll admit" said frankie. that
I'm the worlds worst driver. But
was driving an awful old rattletrap.
My own car was laid up. and bought
a cheap one secondhand"
"She was rescued from the ruins
by a very good-Iooking young doc
tor" said Sylvia.
''He was rather sweet" agreed
frankie.
Tommy arrived al this moment
and flung himself upon his uncle
with squeaks OF Joy.
Have you brought me Horribly
train? You said you would. You said
you would"
'Oh. Tommy. you mustn't ask for
thingsi" said Sylvia.
That's all right. Sylvia. II was
promise. I've got your train all right,
old man." He looked casually at his
silter-in-law. Isn't Henry coming to
tea?"
81 don't think So" A constrained
nO.e was in her voice. "He isn't feel
ing awfully we'll today. imagine. !"
Then she said impulsively. "0h.
Roger. I'm glad you're back!"
He gut his hand on her arm for
a minute. That's all right. Sylvia.
old girl"
After tea. Roger played trains with
his nephew frankie watched them.
her mind in turmoil Surely this
wasn't the sort of man to push pee
pie over cliffs. This charming young
man couldn't be a cold-blooded mur.
derer!
Bnt then - she and Bobby must
have been wrong all along. Wrong.
that is. about this part of it.
She felt sure now that It wasn't
Bassington-ffrench who had pushed
Pritchard over the cliff.
Then who was it?' She was still
convinced he had been pushed over.
Who had done it? And who had put
the morphia in Bobby's beer?
With the thought of morphia sud-
denly the explanation OF Henry Bas-
sington-ffreneh's peculiar eyes came
to her. with their pin-point pupils.
Was Henry Bassington-ffrench a
drug fiend?
CTRANGELY enough. she received
- confirmation of this theory nc
later than the following day. and II
came from Roger.
They had been playing a single al
tennis against each other and. sit
ting afterwards slipping iced drinks
had been talking about various in
different subjects.
A pause had fallen while these
thoughts were passing through
Frankie's mind. It was broken By