The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-12-22
Chapter 20
Searching

Searching So
IT THINK you all know by now
that another girl has been
murdered"
Adam was standing by a round
wicker table that was laden with
magazines, with ash trays, with
empty coffee cups. The rest Of us
were distributed in chairs around
the lounge, listening, waiting. !
glanced from face to face, seeing
fear, horror, hostility. Nowhere
could / recognize guilt.
"We do not know who this girl
IS" Adam continued evenly. I'VE
know that she called herself Ethel
Curtis. which may or may not be
her name. We know that she was
ill-that she had recurring attacks
Of epilepsy. She had one tonight.
We know that she left a sanitariurn
in Illinois yesterday-that before
she left she receivedaa letter from
someone on this posts7
do any of you know such a girl,
II know of hef?"
He waited during GREATNESS,
frightening silence that weighed
so heavy that it seemed t me any
one who knew must scream his
knowledge, must somehow break
the listening stiffness.
/ glanced fearfully toward the
balcony and again fesrfully at the
window beside me. Someone had
closed the front door, and though
the air was sitting here had been
no dissenting voices.
Adams pleasant, conversational
tones resumed.
Every well. We know that she
was murdered just before or after
the lights went out. Just a minute,
please"
A babbls of voices had inter-
rupted him.
"I'll ask you for your alibis later.
But first | want to settle some
thing else. We know that she was
stabbed Ey a long knife with per-
haps a two-inch blade--afld prob
ably double edged. want to find
that knife. and I'm going to ask
you all to submit to a search. You
women go into the powder room
and lock the door. Search each
other, then search the room and
the lavatory. Clay there until /
call you. You don't mind?" he
added with winning air of ask
Ing their permission.
Mrs. Orpington stood UP, re-
garded her brief Pierrette costume
complacently and caclIled.
Anyone can search me that
wants to; I've gos nothing to hide"
IF you have, you didn't bother
to hide Il tonight. did you, Lou?"
II was Mrs. Flower again.
They had almost forgotten how
10 laugh. The tentative experiment
in mirth died guilty. Silent, the
women filed into the dressing
room.
was the last. l shut the door
and turned the key and stood for
a moment looking at that room
at the chaise Tongue against the
left-hand wall where Anne had
lain. at the lon. metal coat rack
opposite the door where four or
five detected garments were still
suspended and where had seen
Mrs. Flower hang her black vel
vet violet-scented wrap upon our
arrival after dinner. 10 my right
the stairs went up to the balcony.
Beyond. on the right-hand wall, q
swinging door led to the lavatory.
remembered the outside door
by which ] had left in search Of
Adam. Crossing the room, I turned
that key. too. then found a chair
and sank into it.
Pointedly ignored
MARY SHAW had fed to a mir
LsA ror and was making anxious
dabs at her face. Elizabeth and
Annie were soberly searching each
Other. Then Elizabeth was in front
OF me, looking apologize and OBJ
viously waiting for me to rise.
We may as well get this formal
ity over WITH she said.
I stood while she poked and
patted diffidently at the blue silk
paiamas. / wondered II she was
thinking about the mandarin coat
Neither Adam nor ] had men,
toned Il. anc she was too well
bred ever to ask me where had
left IT, But ! could not face telling
her yet
Aniie had advanced, terrierlike,
on Mary Shaw and was giving her
q golng-over that would have done
credit to a Chicago policewoman.