The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-10-15

| room, but she very carefully left 1t up from the bottom about one inch. That was room enough to slip her fingers underneath and open it again from the outside, should she come back by way of the fire escape.
 The fiimsy iron framework shook as she put her full weight on 1t, and for one terrible instant she feared that 1t would not hold ..5.. But apparently 1t was strong enough, Slowly, step by step, she climbed to the floor above, care- fully feeling her way lest she slip on the wet metal. Eight steps took her halfway up, then she turned on the small platform to ascend the second half of the flight. It was like walking on greased glass.
 She hesitated a moment as she finally reached the window of Mrs, Elliot's bedroom, and tried to pierce the gloom within the room. True, there might be murderer hiding in there, under the bed, or in the clothes closet at the side. But Cilly did not think so now. Fearlessly she peered through the window only to get Q glimpse of the rooms lay out. Then she took the dressmaker's tool out of her pocket.
 Very carefully she cut a semi- circle in the pane of glass directly above the windows catch - just enough so that she could slip her fingers through and unlatch the window. Some day, she thought with 0 smile, she would confess to MT. Johnson and offer to pay for the broken window pane.
 The small semicircle of glass fell to the floor within the room and splintered with q resounding crash. But 1t could not have been heard anywhere except in the apartment below, and that was her own. Cilly unlocked the window and raised 1t slowly. An instant later, she slid over the sill, care- ful not to tread on the broken glass at her rect, ...
 She wished she had brought c fiashlight, but she did not own one. She looked carefully at the window shade Goodl It was as she had hoped. The windows were equipped with two sets of shades, light and dark, for this apartment faced the south and the sun shone in brightly all day. She pulled down both sets of shades; now she could turn on the light with little fear of being seen from the outside.
 Tn the full glare of the overhead fixture, the room looked bare and cold. It lacked the cozy homeli- ness one usually associates with old ladies' rooms. There were no magazines on the end table, no intimate snapshots of nieces or nephews or grandchildren, no Snuggly cushions ..
 Cilly started on the chest of drawers. One after another she opened each drawer, and her eyes widened in amazenient. They were entirely emptyl There was not even newspaper covering on the bottom. Had Mrs. Elliot moved out com pletely, bag and baggage, as had Mrs. Wheeler9
 Next she looked into the clothes closet. Would this too be enapty7 But no, there were clothes here. Typical old ladies clothes. A black silk dress, of no particular style. A plain cloth coat, of Q rusty black. A muslin slip, hung on c wall bracket. Black oxfords, very large black oxfords, looking not unlike c pair of mans dress shoes, lay on the floor.
 Cilly looked again. Surely there must be something else this was only one complete outfit. Did Mrs. Elliot have no other clothes2 And where were her underthings, her house dressesp She opened the door wider, to see deeper into the closet
 Here was somethingP Another cont. 1t appeared. Cilly brought 1t out to the light, Why, 1t was 0 mans coatl A mans topcoatl
 Cilly felt suddenly panic-stricken Here was the solution to the mys- tery. Here Is Mrs. Elliot's apart- ment. This was where q man had been hiding out and Mrs Elliot must have known him, else he would not have the temerity to hang his topcoat in her closet.
 Mrs. Elliot knew who the mur. derer was. That was why she was remaining in Connecticut, until oil the excitement had died down.
 
 Tn the instant of that realization