The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-12-13

don't know how you missed hear
ing about it before. He's shot of
his mouth enough since it hap-
pened."
"You mean-about Amer"
"Yeah. Now don't get sore atme
too. I know all about it, and it's
true enough as far as it goes. Only
it was put-up job, and Wheeler
doesn't know that" :.
Adam eyed him coldly. go or"
swell, you see, it was several
weeks, maybe couple months ago
about the time Charlie Spencer
started dragging her. We had some
house guests and Charlie and Anne
dropped in. You know the Wheel
ers live in the other half OF our
quarters and Anne saw him sitting
by the window reading when they
arrived. Ma Wheeler had gone to
Chicago on a shopping spree. Don't
know how she could bear to let her
little boy out of her sight but she's
go him pretty well trained. You
know he's not allowed to nlingie
with us bad boys and girls.
well, Anne said there was poor
Wheeler all alone over there lis
tening to the party, and why didn't
Mary call up and ask him to come
over.
"Well, Mary did ask him once
and he declined with horror. So
she said never again. And she said
why didn't Anne 60 on over and
cheer him up if she thought he
needed it. So Anne said he'd prob
ably cali out the guard.
"Pretty soon it began to look like
a swell idea to rib Anne up to
breaking in on Wheeler. The girls
got to work on her, and I think
somebody dared her. We went out
in the yard and we could see him
still, sitting there all alone, read
ing. Though how he could get any
sense out of a book with all the
noise we'd been making, don't
know.
Thinking Fast
/" 4 NYWAY, Anne promised to
n give him the thrill of his life.
The front door was open and she
just walked in. He was facing the
other way and before he knew she
was there she had pumped down
on his lap, wrapped her arms
around him and kissed him like he
was Clark Gable.
1--WE could see it all as plain as
day from the lawn. The blinds
were way up and the lights full on.
Well, you've seen a woman get
mixed up with mouse at close
quarters. That was Wheeler. He
let out a queer sort Of bleat,
jumped up and tore her loose from
him like she was so much poison
ivy, backed into corner and hel6
both hands straight out in front OF
him to make her keep her distance.
He needed to, too. She turned on
all the old siren stuff, stretched
appealing arms tow Yard him,
looked at him soulfully. Been any
body but Wheeler he'd have
smelled rat"
What happened?"
that's about all I know. One OF
the girls was laughing too loud, so
took her back in our house. The
rest Of them said Wheeler came
to and yanked down the blinds, so
they came in too. But it wasn't long
until the two of them, Wheeler and
Anne, went past, going toward
Anna's quarters. She was hanging
on to his arm and half running, he
was travelling so fast. / guess he
took her home. Wheeler's been
talking his head off ever since. Net
the circumstances, you know. Just
hints of what he could spill"
"And none of you ever told him
| the TRUTH"
Shaw looked uncomfortable.
"How could you tell a man a thing
like that? ! guess everybody else
on the post learned what really
happened, so his talk didn't hurt
Anne any"
what do you make Of tl1is7"
Adam asked him.
/ From the table in front Of him
he picked up the envelope into
which ] had seen him put the little
lead slug which he had dug from
the pillar on the dance floor.
Shaw poked at IL with a thick,
stubby finger.
"Thirty-two, isn't it? That's the
one 2" His voice trailed of.
mo. The bullet that shot her
lodged in the wound. This one hit
a pillar on the far side of the floor"
Shaw whistled. "Are they from
the same gum"
II don't know. The federal men
win have to pass on that. But this
was d fresh shot. -"
Something was d awning on
Shaw's face.
"Sayl Maybe I know some
thingp' His thick, stubby hand
darted across the table and fas-
tened on Adams arm. Gould that
shot have been fired several hours
ago--this afternoonf"
Probably. What are you getting
You could see Shaw thinking
fast.
We'll, I'm not sure. II sounds
crazy. But they were dressed alike
those big red hearts. It would
mean that somebody made an aw-
full hlunder ~ that the shot that
killed Anne Carewe was meant for
Barney Nelsonl"
fcopvrtcAt, 1858. vRss.ta Ee~seml