The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1937-09-27

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to come aboard the yacht will
ingly."
Kettering offered an alternative
theory, that one of the crew might
have shot Tanning before coming
ashore to the movies.
Bonniger would have none OF
it. Suppose one of these men shot
Tanning to save the girl from him.
Is it likely they would go ashore
and leave her alone with the
body?"
perhaps they procured a skiff
for her." suggested NELL.
Impossible. It was broad day
light when the crew came ashore
and so people saw them. They
went directly to the movie the
alter and paid their way in"
"No," Bonniger continued, 7
questioned each man separately
this afternoon, and their stories
hung together. Tanning, the girl
and another couple came aboard
Monday night and had dinner.
Jolly party; plenty of champagne.
Later the other couple went
ashore. When the yacht started
down the bay, the crew suspected
that the girl might have been alb
Quoted because she had brought
no baggage aboard. And as Walter,
the steward, said: She was the
kind Of girl who might lead a
man to do something crazy!
"Yet they stood for it." said
Neil angrily. what kind OF men
were they?"
Bonniger looked a little sur
prised at his indignation. (Steadyl
NELL warned himself.) well,
they weren't sure Of it because,
they said, she didn't cry or carry
on In any way"
"Some women don't cry when
they're in trouble. They turn
stony"
"Quite right. Anyhow, you can't
expect men of that sort to play
the part of heroes. Tanning was
their boss. The gun clinches
the case against the girl" Bon
niger said firmly. "She fired the
shot, take it, and her helper came
on the scene afterwards.
The Crew Saw Him
NELL had the sense Of a net
| y slowly being drawn around
him and Janet. "You only assume
that she had a helper" suggested
Neill. There is no proof of it."
Bonniger sprung a surprise on
him. Certainly there is proof. The
three men who were sleeping on
board saw him.
"Satc him?" echoed Neill; How
could that be? :. When?"
"They couldn't tell me the hour.
Sometime in the middle Of the
night"
I'm the middle of the night"
"What is there about that which
is so surprising to your"
Once more Neill was warned not
to betray so much feeling in the
case. He laughed. "Oh, nothing"
he said, "only it was fixed in my
mind that Tanning was shot and
the girl got away before the crew
returned from the movies"
Certainly Tanning was killed
and the girls friend came on the
scene before the crew got back"
said Bonniger, because they
heard neither the shot nor the
breaking in of the cabin door. But
Il appears from their stories that
the two did not make their final
getaway until some hours later"
NeiH concealed his confusion
behind a wooden face.
What did the crew tell your"
asked Kettering.
"They returned to the yacht at
10: Is. ALI was quiet aboard and
they turned in. They sleep in the
forepeak. Some time later the
steward, Walter, said he was
awakened by a noise on deck. A
few moments were lost while he
was awakening his mates, and they
were pulling on their pants.
When they stuck their heads
out of the fore hatch. the man was
on deck. He saw them and went
over the side like q streak. They
could only see him dimly. They
couldn't describe him beyond the
fact that he was a big man. He
pulled away swiftly in the dark.
They thought at the time that il
was a robber."
What about the girl?"
They didn't see her. | assume
that she threw herself in the bot
tom Of the skin 10 escape observa-
ton
This explanation explaine q
nothing so far as Nein was con-
cerncd. So there had been an
other visitor to the yacht after he
and Janet had left Il. Who was it9
he asked himself. What was he
after7
Where do you suppose this guy
was when the crew came backgh
asked Kettering. IL he had Sxtn
with him they must have seen
it."
4 am sapposing that he heard
the crew coming, said Bonnigex
and gowed cif Z little way in tha
dark 20 give them time TO ga
/ below and so 20 sleep"
! Sure" said Kestering.
I Ials was q false deduction
{ though a natural enc. and Me-
/ could afford 70 smile att.
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