The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-05-01
OLD HOME WEEK MURDER
By Phoebe Atwood Taylor

'tWooo layaoF
"Slade got on his bike" Asey
said, "and you did what, exactly?"
"Why. Madame = the singers
bike was there, so ! followed He
came way up here, and left his
bike, and | came after him and
followed along. He cut through the
woods, and then he came up to
the house, and climbed the maple,
and then that cop came. and"
Thanks" Asey said. "You done
a nice job, an I should expect ii
took considerable courage. Now,
the cop'll attend to Slade. an I'll
take you, home myself"
"Not," Brinley said with show
of spirit, until | know what's GO
ing on here! Not until | am sure
that menace, that maniac, is prop
erly restrained! Taken into GUS
tody! Mr.. Mayo, what is going on?T
Asey sighed. If he told j. Arthur,
Mrs. j. Arthur would know. and
that was equivalent to telling the
whole town of Billingsgate.
Sand this trooper here" Brinley
said. "a lot of funny things are
going on! Troopers at the hall. /
saw them with my own eyes.
And"
"If you want to know" Asey
made desperate stab, "it's all on
account of Slade. You know how
he is. He wants publicity. That's
why Weston had me come over. so
none of SHADES stunts would get
into the papers. Bad for the town.
See that girl reporter? She knows,
but she amt written a word"
He rambled on, and the more
involved he got. the more inclined
j. Arthur seemed to believe him.
Just as Asey was beginning to feel
that he had won, a car slowed up
to the front walk, and Mrs. ]. Ar
thur Brinley tumbled out and
rushed up to her husband.
arthur - oh. thank Heaven!
M d m e Meaux said that Mr..
Mayo would knoW-Where is she?
M a d a m Meaux, come quick.
Come, show him that letter. Let
him see it, quick! It's about a MUIR
der, and that awful Slade, he did
it! He says So"
Comparative Calm
THE ensuing quart hour at the
! LeacheS' house was never en-
tirely clear or coherent to any Of
the people who somehow lived
through it. AS Sara said the next
day, it was the sort of thing you
used to date things by, like the
night the old ice house burned
down, or when the hurricane
washed away all those cottages.
Even when comparative state
of calm arrived. the confusion and
uproar were considerable
Slade emerged from it tied hand
and foot on the living room floor,
with the state trooper and Zeb try
ing to silence his roars of rage and
threats of what would happen
when he was set free. Before he
achieved his recumbent position,
he succeeded in breaking three
chairs completely, and in render
ing three others quite unfit for oc-
cupancy. The excited EloiSe had
rup the entire gamut of Mysteries.
She had screamed and sobbed and
laughed and, cried, separately and
all at once. and now she showed
every sign of beginning at the be-
ginning and repeating the exhibi-
ton. Jane, white-faced and tight.
Tipped, tried to soothe her. The
process reminded Asey of old Bar.
ney SnoWden, who decided one
day that he disliked the Atlantic
Ocean, and thereafter spent his
time removing it, teacupful at
time. JEFF, in a cambria night
shirt. with his whiskers askew,
had appointed himself curator of
the ice bags and cold cloths for
Eloise. AS fast as he got one in
place, Eloise promptly threw it as
far as she could send it. When she
began to aim for the mantel, and
Sara's pet collection of Toby jugs.
Sara had removed them to a place
of safety. Then, rather grimly, she
stood on guard between EloiSe and
the rest of her bric-a-brac.
Mrs. Brinley battered, futiley
around from Slade to EloiSe, FUN
ing at the former and giving ad.
vice as to the latter, and at in
tervals she stopped to embrace J.
Arthur and sob on his shoulder.
He was still nervouSly dabbing al
his lower lip with the spotted
handkerchief; it happened to be
his upper lip which had really suf.
fered, but he was beyond the stage
of caring much about details.
After the first furry, Kay had
disappeared with Bertha in the
vicinity of the kitchen. Madame
Meaux had followed them, and
then drifted back to the most com.
Portable arm chair she could find.
She sat there, surveying things
with interest, and occasionally
grinning.
"Where've you Up" she asked
Asey after he me- third trip to
the hall. Whats going on out
there?"
"You amt missin thing" Asey
said. I'm tryin' to get Cummings
on the phone. He's out on a call,
an they're tryin' to locate him for
me. Eloise is in too much of state
to be handled by amateurs. What
are you havin' such a lot of fun
over?"
"'Billingsgate Beautiful" Ma
dame Meaux said. "Look at Sister
Brinley. She makes me think of a
turtle, / don't know why"
"She looks" ASey said critical.