The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-12-20
THE ARMY POST MURDERS
r. K;,-g;n;o Honson -

breathing outside the door. Il
sounded like a man, but it might
have been a woman under great
stress"
"And the stihed moan?"
had forgotten that.
81 thought it was woman. ] re-
member that distinctly. The-the
murderer rather specialiZes in
women victimS-which may or
| may not mean any thing. Adam,
that Orpington woman frightens
me-" -
"By the way" said Adam.
"Where did you leave your man
DARN coat?"
cts not mine, Its Elizabeth's,",
I was beginning, when it regis
tered that the question had been
shade too careless. "In-in her
room-the sick girls. Why. Adam.
why?"
I clutched his arm, obsessed by
another of those premonitions of
disaster.
why" Adam hesitated. 81 sup
pose you may as well know now as
later. You see. the murderer wore
rcouldn't seem t. get any sense
out of it.
"The murderer wore it?" re-
peated stupidity. "How can you
know THAR"
eft was obvious. The thing was
lying on the floor where it had
been dropped and there was evil
dence-she had been stabbed, you
see"
.fYon ;mean-blood?"
Adam nodded and watched me
narrowly. / suppose he had begun
| to think of me as a fainting female.
How - how horrible! That
beautiful coat Ishould never have
worn it. What will say to Eliza
beth" stopped. got hold Of,
myself. SORRY. OF course Eliza
beth won't think the coat impor-
tant. But--but why was it worm"
Presumably to protect the kill
er's clothing"
There was silence while we
thought about that. Then Adam
went on steadily.
Wen Never Know
MRS. FLOWERS wrap was
IVA probably first chosen for
that purpose, as well as conceal
ment and disguise. It's black ard
capacious. Isn't that a cap thing
attached at the neck?"
"A cowl-it could he drawn well
down over the face"
He nodded. Good protection in
case anyone glanced up from be-
low. The chances are the killer did
not know the girls presence had
been discovered"
Then you think the same per-
son wrote the letter-knew she
was here?"
He hesitated. Seems likely,
doesn't it: But we must beware Of
jumping to conclusions. Her pres
ence may be pure coincidence.
Suppose she stole out to watch the
dancers. saw something incrimin-
ating. made some startled move
ment that drew the killers eyes
upward
Then why didn't she give the
alarm at once?"
Adam pondered. perhaps she
couldn't. Perhaps the convulsion
you saw was not the first. Well
never know. But we have the pic
ture OF some one swaddled in this
wrap, stealing up the stairs from
the dressing room-Somaone who
knew this girl was here, someone
who intended to kill her. Whether
or not the murderer knew you
were on guard Is iminaterial. Once
on the balcony, you were in plain
sight. "A plan was conceived, the
wrap put to effective use. And the
killer was iucky--the mandarin
coat was WAITING in the ROOM"
Someone was shouting from
downstairs.
aAdam--Adaml"
SIS that you, Shawn"
aYes. The troubles not in the
fuse box. Barney and ! have tried
every circuit. Shall ] call up the
electrician"
swat q minute" l interrupted
nestily. THE. lights went off q mat
+ ter Of seconds before | heard the
killer out there on the bilcony. If
ii wasn't coincidence--and that's
unlikely-then II was managed
from up here, probably in that
other room. Can't YOU short-cir-
cult with coin or something? I've
read about It in books"
They were shouting again from
downstairs. Adam called. Never
mind--cone up here. Maybe We
can find the hort" He turned 10
me. do you want to 90 down with
the women?"
/ Remembering Mrs. Orpington. !
shook my head.
mot yet. I'll wait for you"
The two men came bounding up
the stairs, preceded py the light
from their fash. Barney looked
healthier. as if he had succeeded in
losing himself for the moment IN
the small crisis.
i lurked In the shadows. listen
ing. while Adam told them briefly
Of what mad happened in that
| closed, silent room.
fcoprricht 1853. VIRGINIA HGnsoAl