The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-05-18
OLD HOME WEEK MURDER
by Phoebe Atwood Taylor

| he IOIIOWGO k1dIiI4ItOlA O0t "
car.
Majestic old duffer, isn't he?"
Cummings said. "Are you sure,
Asey, you're doing right in letting
him go?"
He's not the man | followed.
Where'd he get the money for q
silencer? Where'd he get the stan-
ina? What about Kay?"
I'll 60 over with you," Cum
mings said. shell tell you the
story"
Lane walked with them to Asey's
roadster.
81 hope" he said. ''the next clue
or suspect we get, you'll let us have
it for more than ten minutes. ]
don't get a chance to bite into any
thing before you yank it out OF my
sight"
"Chickenbones." Asey said, but
they're gettin' meatier. I think.
Keep your fellers here. Lane.
How about sending some into
the woods again." Lane said. I'VE
might find your man. Perhaps you
hit him, after ALL"
you keep your men here" Asey
said. 1.-TWO casualties tonight is
enough. So long"
Asey and the doctor found
the entire household except JEFF
camped in Kay Thayer's bedroom.
1T wasn't Win. was it," she
asked. "Asey. did you-you didn't
find anyone else. did your"
Il found ]. Arthur, but nothin'
come of it. Kay, what happened?
What was you dom there? What
went on?" eo,sea
Kay avoided Asey's eye.
This afternoon" she said, Il
found the two paths you told me
about. and then / found another
one down to the ice house. and then
it cut around the ice house and
went off into the woods to a road.
guess It was the road where Brin-
ley said he parked this afternoon. l"
"Whyn't you tell me?"
"A Gaseous State
IX1ELL, it didn't seem important
w at the time. And besides, you
told me to take the shortest path,
or way, and this was circuitous and
roundabout. And this evening it
suddenly came 20 me that perhaps
it was the path the murderer used.
After all. he'd hardly park on the
main road. and he had to have a
car somewhere. And it sort of
fascinated me. the idea did. so ]
slipped away"
"She told me-" Sara interrupted
accusingly. that she had to see
some reporterr
Il did. And afterwards, got into
the percolator and drove up there
-Asey. If you look like that at me,
shall cry. swear shalll know
how crazy it was. but didn't think
of it then"
go on"
Well. | had a gum" Kay said.
Il shot. too. / shot twice-you
don't seem Surprised"
The fellow had a silencer,
Asey said. but we heard two shots.
You pretty much had to have a
gun. B'sides. you said once you was
sucker for a shot. Go on"
We'll. | went there. and waited,
and after a while got bored. and
scared, and cold-Pm city person.
| don't understand country noises.
and | confess they terrify me. So
| lighted cigarette. and about
two seconds later"
"Somethin' whizzed by you. an
you discovered what a bright girl
an what a sucker for shot you
really was. Lightin' a cigarette
then! Was--look. couldn't YOU
oh. go oni"
Il fired back. | don't know why.
l couldn't see anything to fire at.
And then something whizzed and
stung my head didn't know that
being shot was like that. And ]
began to understand that the pop
ping sound was a silencer. At that
point" Kay concluded honestly.
you could have poured me into
a glass. wasn't even a pulp, l was
liquid. Wowl"
AN them"
Il Topped down behind a tree
and tried to become an inconspicu.
Gus part of Mother Nature, and
then l heard someone coming to-
ward me, and not just toward me,
but sort Of at me. If you know what
| mean, got up and started to run,
and he grabbed me. and Il
screamed. and pulled away. And
then | tripped headiong look,
d'you know that theory about not
being scared of the bear. but be-
ing scared because you run from
the bear? Well. it's true. After that
bit of action / was almost turning
from liquid to a gaseous state
Where was your gun?" Asey
demanded.
Il am panied 10 say" Kay told
him, there were only two bullets
in it. Well. got Up as he made for
me. and tried TO smack him with
the gun. and kept yelling"
why did you veil for me?"
Il was slowly soiidifying az that
point" Kay said. 81 was coming to.
I began to realize what I'd let my
self in for. So yelled for you. hop
ing it might make the gent take
to his heels. II he thought you were
around. Your name Is curiously
potent. And my. how ] felt when
heard you below back thought
it was a mirage at first. Anyway.
/ got behind a tree. and the gent
was playing tax with me around