The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-06-30
Chapter 80


rk
Asey's Opinion
IND Aaron hear anyone in the
II house when he came TOT" DR..
Cummings asked.
"EIe didn't hear anythin' or any
one" Asey said, until Pam called
him. He didn't have watch, an
the time elements all confused.
He must have been out for a good
while, though"
How'd he get the ambergris in
to the barn?"
Believe it or not" Pam said.
she just casually wheeled 1t there
yesterday morning"
"He didn't" Cummings said.
"He did," Asey assured him.
Same order Of things as my paint
in an puttyin' yesterday. With
troopers to the right Of him an
troopers to the left Of him, he
wheeled it out to the barn in an
offhana manner-it was still COW
cred up with the tarpaulin--an'
dumped it into an old zinc lined
feed bin. The cops didn't say a
word. Aaron was bein' open an
aboveboard. an they was sort OF
losin' interest In doggin' his foot
steps by then anyways, an Han
son was away at the time. That's
how that happened"
"And Asey doesn't think that
the ambergris was in the barn
when It burned" Pam said. "Of
course, that particular bin tuds
near the door, and | suppose ii
would be the first thing anyone
would look into-but see here,
Asey. If the person who fired the
barn actually had looked around
beforehand, he'd have found the
ambergris right off the bait And
then there wouldn't have been any
need Of burning the barn at all.
Unless"
ssNo," Asey said. "He looked
around, an couldn't find it so he
burned the barn in order to get US
to point it out"
Listen, Asey," Pam said. 'sTake
It slowly. Get the whole picture.
put the stuff in the coal bin. Father
finds IL, and has fanciful notion
that it'll be safer in the barn. So
he takes it there. Someone wants
20 know where the ambergris is.
You claim that they looked around
the barn well, If they did any
hunting at all. they certainly found
il in the bin. And If they didn't
hunt for ii, then 1t just got burned
up"
'They looked for It," Asey re-
peated, "an' they didn't find il, SO
they set the barn on fire to see if"
rs they didn't find the amhergris
in the bin. Pam interrupted,
where In heavens name t1us it,
Asey? You Just aren't maxim
sensel"
Sure | am" Asey said. "Your
father put ii in the bin. But some
one moved Ii from the bin after
your father put II there, an before
the person who fired the barn be-
gan his huntin'. That's clear. Amt
IT,.
"Asey Mayo, do you mean that
there's more Than one person after
this ambergris?"
"I'm sort of beginnin' to think,
Asey admitted in a characteristic
understatenaent "that maybe per-
haps there possibly might be. 7"
Barn BIZ ner Or BiiTer?
~TsWOr Cummings said. "Two7
1 What do you mean. two?"
Two people. or two sets, Asey
said. Maybe more. Probably more.
| wouldn's know. That's what
been wrestlin' with in my mind.
think the teller that fired the barn
amt the one that biffed Tim Carr
and Aaron an me. The barn burn
er uses his head. The bitfer seems
TO be a violent sort of lad The
barn burner
"You certainly can't call him any
quiet shrinking violetls Pam inter-
rupted. And after all. arson isn't
one of the rentler crimesls
Il know. But / think the person
that burned the barn hunted
through Il 6rst. and then waited
around 10 see If his burnin' theory
worked out. Men think he called
il day, an left. Men think that
someone else carried on the violent
part. biffin' your father before the
Ore. an Tim an me after IL An
sAnd what about those two
troopers, O'Malley and what's
his-name2" Cummings aske d
Asey shrugged. mo one knows
Hanson's tryln' to solve that one
right now. P'raps they landed ur
with the violent gent. p'raps they
didn't They're not within a mile
Of this place. anyway. It's been
looked over again this morning.
Listen. Pam said. tive got an.
other idea. Suppose someone found
the amhergris IN the bin. removed