The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-08-11
Chapter 81
BITTER TRUTH

OhopbOA oZ
BITTER TRUTH
WHEN Hylton went into the room
wv he saw Dale Shipley sunk COM
fortably in the best armchair smok.
ing one of Nancy's cigarets: the
young man seemed surprised.
"Hallo." he asked cheerfully,
"what are you doing here?"
) "Never mind about that" Hylton
snapped irritably. "The point Is
what are you doing here?"
me? Why shouldn't be here?
"Where we're you last night?"
"What's that got to do with your"
Kingsley Hylton swallowed hard.
young man." he said grimly.
"this whole village seems to be run.
ming mad. but It strikes ne you must
be about the maddest of them all.
You don't seem to realize that /
propose to arrest you on suspicion
Of having murdered Arthur Burdett
on Monday the eighteenth"
81 never even saw old Burdett on
Monday the eighteenth"
"You were nowhere near Enderton
Court that night, were you?"
II didn't go to the Court on Mon.
day or for a week before"
Lets see, you went to Captain
Reeves for dinner, didn't you. that
EVENING".
Eyes, half a dozen people will
prove that"
ooh I daresay; the same half
dozen will also prove that you didn't
arrive at Ferney House until con-
siderably after half past seven. hay.
ing left your own house at a quar-.
ter to-" ~ &c li'.-'. -.
For the first time in the interview
Shipley seemed a trifle discounted.
II never said so." he objected.
mo: of course you didn't: but it
happens to be the truth, doesn't it?"
Surprising it is?"
"You took over three quarters of
an hour to walk mile"
II might have been a long way
round"
"You might also have been at the
bottom of the side lane leading up
to Enderton Court where you lost
this" The Inspector brought out
Shipley's cigaret case with dramatic
effect. when were you last at En-
derton Court?"
Some time ago."
"You can't remember the exact
date?"
why on earth should /? don't
even know what date it is today"
"You were at Enderton Court on
January the twelfth. Shipley. and on
that day you quarrelled with your
uncle over something. to such an ex.
tent that he cut you out of his will"
Dale shot an angry suspicious
glance from the Inspector TO Nancy
and back again. What have you two
been playing att" he demanded
"Only one person knew about that
quarrel besides myself"
Dale"
wrong as usual" Hylton inter.
jected. "Burdett's lawyer knew.
you've forgotten him: and what's
more the whole world will know
as soon as the will is proved be,
cause it's all in there"
1.-THE old swine"
"NUITE so: but let's stick to the
" matter in hand. You quarrelled
with your Uncle and were disin-
herited by him on January 18th: a
week later he is murdered. and on
the night on which he Is murdered
you taks three-quarters Of an hour
to walk mile and can be proved to
have been near the house at about
the time of the crime. On top OF
that you bolt up to London few
days after investigations start. and
a friend of yours deliberately hin.
ders the police from doing their
duty by following you"
What on earth are you talking
about now?" ~ 'a . 4A
"Never mind that for the moment.
admit don't know why you should
have come back. If you can give me
here and now satisfactory account
of all you did on Monday evening LII
be willing to listen to it. n 1t sounds
plausible and can be proved true I'll
do no more than keep you under
strict police supervision"
Dale's glance fiickered uneasily
towards Nancy.
There's nothing to tell really"
"Right-o" Hylton chimed In brisk
ly. "In that case you better come to
Morechester straight away. and we'll
talk business there-at the station"
"Tmean it's nothing to do with the
MURDER" Dale amended.
"I'll be judge of that" the Inspec.
tor assured him. whats the yarn?"
Dale shot another quick glance at
Nancy and then little shamefaced.
ly began to tell his story. "You may
know that there's a man at the
Lodge called Lawson"
"Um-what Of it?'