The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-12-27
THE ARMY POST MURDERS
v Kir0inin Hanson

1 He assured her that nothing she
said would ever again be men,
toned by either Of US. And then,
in language less pointed than that
lady had used, he repeated Mrs.
Wheeler,s story Of seeing Anne
leave Elizabeth's house in tears.
don't know which Of us was
| the more startled. Elizabeth held
herself under rigid control. but
| there was no Disgusting the panic
| In her eyes nor the waves OF fam
| ing color that rushed into her face.
Small beads Of moisture sprang
out acr6ss the bridge Of her nose
and on her upper lip, and her
breathing was suddenly noisy.
'sThat is no concern of Mrs.
Wheeler,s," she said in queer,
strangled voice. Nor OF you or
anyone else She grew calmer.
'eThe matter was purely personal
between Anne and me. It could
have no possible bearing on her
death"
Wild horses could not have
dragged more out Of her, and
Adam was too intelligent to try.
He asked her to send Annie In to
him and stood there watching her
cross the dance floor in the rum
pied pink organdy shephardess
dress that was now so much more
than incongruous.
"And what do you know about
that?" he murmured aside to me.
He was nervous, alert, quivering
| with eagerness like a bird dog at
point.
'fYour guess is as good as mine, !"
told him with something like dis
may. Surely, surely Elizabeth was
not mixed up in this. How CHASTITY
for. Adam If &c were compelled to
report. to Colonel Wright that, his
daughter was the prize suspect
For the chain of evidence was
growing stronger. link by link. Mo-
tive, opportunity. the weapon. No
alibi for the shooting, and only
circumstantial one for the stab
bling.
Annie came in warily, like cat
into a strange kitchen. Her eyes
rested inscrutably on me, swerved
to Adam with no change Of ex-
preston.
Not To Be Shaken
LIS manner to her would have
l i served as well for the colonels
lady. She perched distrustfully on
the edge Of the chair he held for
her and folded knotty hands tight
together in her lap. Her lips were
folded. too, and her faded blue
eyes were shrouded in determined
reticence.
Il took a bit Of wheedling to get
her to unfold those lips. and even
when she did it was my impression
that she had come prepared to say
just so much and no more. In fact
she said 1t several times, in vary
ing forms, but the gist of the mat
ter was that Elizabeth had been
with her at the colonels quarters
from quarter of eleven until a
quarter past. Ard she was not tn
be shaken in that stand.
But Elizabeth did not mention
you," Adam protested good-hu-
moredly. "In fact she definitely
stated that she saw no one while
she was at home"
"She wouldn't be thinkin' Of me.
The poor dear thought you meant
fnlke-nnrnpanvn
"And she didn't go back to tell
you about Anne. How do you ac-
count for THAR"
Iopened my lips to say that she
might have, but / thought better
of It, And Annie did not contradict
him.
"She was that excited she forgot
It." she said coolly.
slow did you find out about it.
Is the way?"
Annie biinked. at was that Mr..
Nelson-the big fellow. He drove
up and come in hollering for Eliza
beth, so I come down to see what
he wanted. He told me about
her"
A brief spasm twisted the wrin-
killed. face, the hands in her lap
twitched. "He said he was on his
way to the hospital, so / went up
and put on me black and fol-
lowed"
''You were in bed. then. when he
Gamer"
sWhere else? At that hour"
She shifted loudly, as il to re-
mind him that she had her work to
doGsnd couldn't 60 sky-hooting
around at all hours Of the night
and now look at heri
could almost hear the words
chasing themselves around in her
mind, but she was silent, in defer
ence either to Adams rank or to
the gravity OF the situation.
Adam leaned forward and low
cred his voice. It's rather appalling
to see q man turn on his charm as
easily as he would the ignition
switch OF his car. ! had watched
him do 1t all evening. but ii oc-
CURED to me that I had not no.
ticed when he directed il at me.
Or had her
took a rather mean satisfaction
in seeing him fail this once, at
least. For 1t definitely did not work
on Annie. There was a slightly
ribald CLEAN in her hooded eyes
that vanished quickly as he stated
his buSineSs--the same business he
had been trying to forward all eve
ming. out with no success.
fc"Pn'oAts 1875. vEai.ta HsasonJ
ss=F ~ $50 ~