The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-02-28
Chapter 20
DR.. NICHOLSON


FRANKIE attacked Sylvia the fol-
lowing morning. She started by
asking carelessly:
what was that mans name you
mentioned last night? Alan Car
stairs. was It? fee. sure I've heard
that name before"
Il dare say you have. He's rather
a celebrity in his way. believe. Hes
a Canadian-a naturalist and big
game hunter and explorer. | don't
really know him. Some friends OF
ours, the Rivingtons. brought him
down here one day for lunch. A very
attractive man - big and bronzed
and nice blue eyes"
81 was sure I'd heard of him."
He'd never been over to this
country before. believe. Last year
he went a tour through Africa with
that millionaire man. John Savage
the one who thought he had can
Ger and killed himself in that tragic
way. Carstairs has been all over the
world. East Africa. South America
simply everywhere, ! belieye,p 10
Sounds a nice adventurous per-
son." said frankie: i'9fJ 92aI" -
"Oh. he was. Distinctly attrac-
tive"
"Funny-his being so like the
man who fell over the cliff at March
bolt" said frankie.
81 wonder if everyone has a
double"
They compared instances. but
frankie was careful to make no fur
Their references to Alan Carstairs.
In her own mind she was quite con-
WINGED that the victim of the cliff
tragedy at Marchbolt had been Alan
Carstairs. He fulfilled all the con.
ditions. He had no intimate friends
or relations in this country. and his
disappearance was unlikely to be
noticed for some time.
Very good then. The next step
was to learn more about Alan Car.
stairs. His connection with the Bas-
sington-ffrenchs seemed to have
been of the slightest. He had been
brought down there quite by chance
by friends. What was the name?-
Rivington. frankie stored it in her
memory for future use.
Il don't want to be poisoned or
knocked on the head" thought
frankie with grimace. They were
ready enough to bump off Bobby
for practically nothing at all"
Her thoughts flew off at tangent
to that tantalizing phrase that had
started the whole business. Evans!
Who was Evans? Where did Evans
fit in?
"A dope gang" decided frankie.
Perhaps some relative of Carstairs
was being victimiZed. and he had
determined to bust it upsEvans may
have been one Of the gang who had
retired and gone 10 Wales to live.
Carstairs had bribed Evans &c give
the others away. and Evans had con.
scented and Carstairs went there to
see him. and someone followed him
and killed him.
Was that somebody Roger Bas-
sington-ffrench? 1t seemed very un-
likely. The Caymans. now. were far
more what frankie imagined gang
of dope-smugglers would be likely
to be.
THAT evening DR.. Nicholson and
L his wife were eyRect edlnainner,
frankie was finishing t1fessfng whetf
she heard their car drive np to the
front door. Her window faced their
way and she looked outs n{sdW
A TAN man was Just aligiftirg
from the Drivers seat ofran darn
blue Talbot. r Stc'a
frankie withdrew her head
thoughtfully.
Carstairs had been a Canadian.
DR.. Nicholson was a Canadian. And
DR.. Nicholson had a dark-blue Tai
bot
DR.. Nicholson was big man with
a manner that suggested great re-
serves of power. His speech was
slow. and on the whole he said very
little. but he contrived somehow TO
make every word sound significant.
He wore strong glasses. and behind
them his very pale blue eyes gilt
tered reflectively.
His wife was a slender creature
of perhaps twenty-seven. pretty. in
deed beautiful. She seemed. frankie
thought. slightly nervous and chat
tered rather feverishly as though to
conceal the fact.
You had an accident. hear. Lady
Frances" said DR.. Nicholson as he
took his seat beside her at the din
ner table.