The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1937-06-17

sne completed the setting Of our IittIa
sage The davenport was turned he
tore me IRE and heavy chair drawn
- beside Il so that both were turned
ION s. ne hall and game-room doors.
win ne aid Of con.sse OF steamer
rugs and many pillows. Cav swiftly
constructed an amazing sembIance Of
lnree people doing before the Ere
suppose we had all done that very
saing dozen times. but we watched
/. now with no anticipatory elee. We
we're n deadly earnest. for one was
sainking. She's clever. She keeus her
mead and thinks Of details. And she's
nc only one above suspicion. The
Lnere.~ said Gay with finaIity.
Alike. throw some logs on the Ere.
l think that viii do"
slienael moved to obey her. The
onsy trouble IS" he said. shat this
wiz oe a pretty obvious gag If any
o. happens to look through the win
COWS. And Il would sound damned
nsny IN front Of a jury
Arenected Tat practically ANYTHING
We could do in the way Of fooline The
murderer would be twisted against
Us later. II his cunning succeeded in
involving US.
Wen have to take some risks"
SAID Gay: but she welt back over
her handiwork. creating a fair iIIu-
son o. three people given to Sleep
ins Win their heads under blankets.
LET'S get going" said Michael.
NJ the door an unexpected prob
lem presented itself. We no sooner
stepped into the hail than a loud
oiaSt Of swing music echoed through
me entire house. William or anyone
else would have to be deaf not 70
know that a door had been opened.
l took a wild shot.
! said very loudly. aAlI the hail
lights are on. Shall / douse them?"
Nike stepped back into the room.
No. he shouted. leave them ont"
l closed the door after him with a
careful bang There was of course a
very good chance that William had
been watching US through the key
hole OF either the library or the din
ins room dcor-or even through the
crack OF the door 10 the servants
hail. lie could command a good two
thirds Of the first floor from the
kitchen without once coming into the
hail. But there was no help for il.
and none Of tie doors had moved.
Gays Room First
4 I the foot Of the stairs. we were
: 4 confronted with another danger.
Higgins and Annie. both supposedly
upstairs might have been watching
ne entire performance from the
landing. and even IL they had not, we
were now apt 70 be detected. II they
were both where they should have
been. they were both very near the
head Of that staircase. Annie in NJ.
Farrington's room. its doors not six
feet from Us Higgins in his own
room. its wall right beside US. II he
we're sitting in a chair. separated
from US by a few inches Of mere
plaster. the slightest sound would
ruin the whole show.
There were a few things in our
favor-sueh as the sturdiness Of the
Old stairs. with never creak in
them. and the thickness Of the carpet
Facing the west end Of the house,
we were confronted by NJ. Earring
tons room on the left with the Skip
per's beyond it. On the right were
Gays room and Jude's. To the east
my room and Mixes both faced the
door 70 the servants corridor. We
didn't dare whisper. BY some taeit
agreement we seemed to have de-
cided that the person we sought was
one Of the four servants, and that
observation by any one OF them must
be avoided above all things.
Michael pointed to Gays door. and
without hesitation / unlocked it We
erept in Gay switched on the small
Light on the bed-stand. Her face was
rather flushed. but for once she went
through an ordeal without fireworks.
She even waved US toward the suit
case. lying open on a stand
Aside from clothes and the usual
odds and ends, it contained three let
ters which. at a nod from Gay,
opened. They were from friends and
In no way startling. We went through
the dressing table. desk and bed
stand. removing drawers and turn
ing them upside down. Nothing.
We tore the bed apart and even
felt under the mattress. Nothing. We
went through her closet. Mike even
looking through her shoes. investi-
gated coat Innings and pockets. We
lifted the rug. We leafed through all
the books in the room To save me,
couldn't think Of anything else.
-Jude's room" I suggested reluc-
family. the very thought of my latest
experience il there turning me a
little sick.
That business OF rifling the pos
sessions Of a dead friend in sight Of
her lifeiess body still remains one Of
the most unpleasant jobs Of my life.
I couldn't seem to shake of the idea
that the person who had killed her
might be one OF the persons now rat
Ting among her things. I couldn't
drown the memory Of that chastity
sight on the closet shelf and the still,
shceted figure that had not been
Jude BlinshOp.
I would have given anything to
have thrown Gay and Mike bodily
oct Of that rOOm-and myself after
them But ! went through with It.
FHn.r--frEF gHa- Ee4E~~ T.sr~-f