The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1937-08-05
Chapter %

The Case Against Ted
MONO! I'm all right" Kay
N pushed away Seth and the
sheriff, as they reached out to
steady her. ''It's just the horrible
thought of Dads gun being in
volved in a murder, that But,
how do you know it was murder?
There might have been perfectly
fair fightI"
Where's this Gaynor bird then?
Why didn't he report it,"
A horrible fear clutched Kay.
perhaps he's killed, too" she fall
tered.
We've searched all around
there" the sheriff answered. "Of
course this two-day storm washed
out any tracks or clues, but my
bunch is that he made getaway
right after the killing"
but why would he have left his
gun behind?" Kay protested. He'd
never have done that if he'd MUIR
dered a mani"
Search me, but we've no time
for guessing" the sheriff answered
impatiently. Tell me all you know
about him." He looked from Kay to
Seth.
"All / know" Seth broke in, "is
that he turned up here the night of
the fire. Kay had been having him
look over some tinberland for her,
and then decided to have him Join
the outfit"
"Where'd you get hold of him in
the first placer" Zeke Farley
turned to Kay, who braced herself
for this question she had been
dreading. In the midst of her con-
fused horror at this terrible news,
one thing was clear - nothing
would make her give the real YER
sion Of her meeting with Ted.
why, ! wanted to get hold Of
some more timberland," she be-
gan, and it seemed a good idea to
get some one to 60 over it, so Il"
yes, yes. Never mind all thatl''
the sheriff cut her short. What /
want to know is, how did you come
to choose Gaynor? Why not some
one from around here?"
i don't know just Why" Kay
decided the only line to take was a
helpless, illogical feminine one. u
Just thought I'd try hin1 out, and
then, If l liked him, he could join
the outfit. You thought he was a
good addition, didn't you, Seth?'
She appealed to Seth, with an at
tempt to defeat the sheriff's direct
questions by irrelevance.
"Sure I die" Seth answered. 'He
seemed like an Al hand to me. But
I've been kind of wondering about
him. when he didn't turn up when
he said he would"
His Threat To Scrap
"uOw long has this man been
i 1 dead?" Kay tried another
tack to turn the line Of the in
quiry.
About four or Ave days, should
judge Zeke Farley came back to
Seth's remark. Whats that about
his being expected back?"
'Ill tell you how II was" Kay
forestalied Seth. He'd planned to
60 back and get his mother and
sister, and bring them here to live.
You see. he'd worked out a plan
for rebuilding" With a few quick
words she sketched Ted's ideas,
ending. SO I know he wouldn't
have left US in the lurch unless
something had happened to him.
He might be wounded, and dead or
dying himself, while you're accus-
ing him Of murderl" She choked
up in spite of herself. II think you
ought TO be searching for him, TO
see If he's in trouble instead Of
fooling around about a gum" She
fixed The sheriff with an indignant
eye.
"wen be searching for him all
right" the sheriff commented
Erimly. Il just wanted to make
sure my bunch about the gun was
right. | thought I'd seen your IA
th9r toting it. Now that know you
gave ii to Gaynor, it clears up a
lot. and things look pretty black
against him, all right. You proba-
bly, don't know that he was heard
threatening this Scrap Johnson's
life before quite few witnesses"
B efor e ~ Witnessed" Kay's
mind dashed back to the fight on
the mesa, when Ted had told Scrap
johnson he'd kill him If he ever
showed up on the ranpe again.
Yes. Gaynor and Scrap John
son had a fight at kelly's one day
last week. and Gaynor cot the best
Of il. Some Of the boys who were
there say he threatened to get
Scrap next time.
With a sick feeling. Kay realized
how black the evidence was that
was pIiinE up against Ted.
~Rut that's neither hese nor