The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1937-07-06
MURDER ON The BLUFF



take. Martha was not merely upset.
She was insane-as insane as ever
her poor mother and brother were,
but in craftier. deadlier way. Sud-
denly she began urging me to send
for you kids. and when fatty re-
fused, she threatened to write and
tell you the whole story. was an ass.
! see that now. but didn't then. /
would have walked of the bluff to
keep you from knowing the truth. /
was dumb enough for that. sent for
you.
"On the night you arrived, she
sprang her whole amazing trap on
me. She told me that she had also
invited Jude. whose name had mem
toned in my invitation. more to make
it sound natural than for any other
reason. She said that Jude was arriv-
ing within the hour. Her proposition
in nutshell was that either / prom
Use not to send Norman back or she
would arrange a marriage between
Blinshop's daughter and Blinshop,s
son.
Il didn't know about you. Gay.
Mike is a close-mouthed infant when
he wants to be. did know that Jude
was stunning kid-and that Mike
used to be fond Of her.
Il was on the verge Of doing almost
anything when Judess arrival di-
verified me. ! left her with Martha and
went out for a tramp in the rain to
try and collect my wits. That was
another fatal mistake. It seems that
Jack had Just told his daughter what
\ didn4 have the courag ea to tell my
son. And Jude, poor. kid. proceeded
to copfide her knowledge to. my sis
ter. blowing the Whole plan sky-high
unless Martha could prevent both Mi
chael and me from talking to Jude.
If Michael had heard that story, Mar
tha's last hold over me would have
been gone. To make matters worse,
Higgins, in the dining room, heard
it all. If only he could have told me
so before he did
Knew Her Game Was Up
yXTELLs anyway. you three walked
w into a pretty mess when you
came here Friday night. Martha knew
that her game was up, but / didn't,
and her one aim was to keep me from
knowing +. She made one bad slip.
She didn't know that you talked
alone with your sister in the game
room. She. didn't know that Jude had
told you the whole thing. And knew
nothing. | lived centuries Friday
night when / realized that you were
together. threw out one desperate
line to you, Jimmie, and you must
have thought was crazy.
Upstairs we had an awful session,
but the storm cut it short. You see,
/ consented to let you come on one
condition that Norman was not to
be allowed in the house until after
you had left. Late Friday afternoon
we fixed him up in the boathouse
where there was heat, and he seemed
quite comfortable. But in the middle
of our row we realized that the storm
was whipping up flood tide and that
the boathouse wasn't safe. He had an
old skeleton key Of Fathers, but he
might have fallen asleep and would
be trapped there.
4 thought Of williams summer
quarters over the garage. / got into
my oilslxins and went down the back
stairs and out along the porch. You
were still in the game room. Mike,
and ! suppose you saw me through
the window. ! saw you
Michael nodded.
'Yes. Well, Norman had left the
boathouse and couldn't find him. |
thought that sooner or later he would
head for either the house or the ga
rage. got to the garage Just as you
were coming out Of 1t. Norman had
already tried to escape in one Of the
cars. / doubted that he would 60 to
the house. As a matter Of fact, l most
ly told the truth about where / was
that night. The poor collie was In a
bad way when ! got to the stable. I
stayed there a long time, and when
Norman failed 10 arrive started
back. s
AS luck would have If, didn't get
a chance for private word with Hig-
gins He told me his story lust before
lunch yesterday. II Ceems that he had
kept his eye on Marfha's door. As l
went down the back stairs, Jude came
up the front ones. looking for me.
Martha met her ia the haIl, crying
and wringing her hands. She told
Jude that had just rushed out the
front door shouting that l was going
to throw myself OF the blum. Jude
rushed out after me. Martha stood
behind her on the porch and shot her
with Higgins revolver before the old
man could stop her.
fcoppvtoks. 1917. Esther TvlerJ
The skipper finishes her TRAGIC