The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-01-11
Chapter SO
Balloon Dance

"HY did he throw in the key
Nv to Katherine?" Lou Orping-
sen asked humbly.
$50 that someone would argue
Is you did--that she had no alibi.
he knew his trusting would not
hold her Indefinitely: if she should
set free 80 much the better. Sus-
pieion directed toward others was
directed away from him."
"But hotU did he get away?" de-
msnded Mrs. Flower. =
Over the railing@-he was an
athlete. He probably slid down q
pillar to avoid the sound of drop.
It was quicker than either stair
way--he would land in front of
the stage; and before even Shaw
could reach the. library Barney
was backstage calling to Elizabeth
and swearing at the fuse box"
"And the girl he killed - who
was she?" Mary Shaw looked as if
ehe had. been seeing ghosts. She
was sitting very close to her hus-
band on the sofa. "And why did
she pick this particular time to
corne here?"
''She was Barney's sister. can't
prove 1t now, but I'll be able to.
They're side by side. now-and the
resemblance is clear. She came
here, now of all times, because
Barney had written that he was
going to be married and that she
must not turtle to him or see him
a11y more. That is fact. They found
another typewriter letter at the
sanitariufn and called me. back this
morning.
II think she was very humble
about her infirmity, and willing at
stigma. But he was her brother
and she wanted to see him once
more. U.,-. =.
"You think he meant to kill her
when he told her she could conner"
asked Captain Flower softly.
81 don't know, but I'm afraid he
did. Writing his letters to her on
q borrowed typewriter, with Anne
the only one who could say he
wrote them-it looks as if he'd
made his plans. She was a burden
TO him In many ways. And there
was always the chance of diScov-
cry. He was not sane on that SUBJ
tect-though in every other way
he was as Sane as you or I-sane
enough. in fact. to plot an almost
perfect crime"
$50 that was why Anne had to
die-because she knew about the
typewriter"
] glanced quickly, suspiciously,
at Mrs. Flower, but she seemed
very serious, very innocent. Adam,
-teo, was looking at her, the faint
est CLEAN OF admiration in his
eyes. After a moment he inclined
his head slightly. It might have
been taken for affirmation, and it
seemed to be so accepted. o.
II first began to suspect him, ="
Adam went on smoothly. when
he passed out in his rooms. That
attack on the sentry was a mans
crime. Barney was a star pitcher
at the Point. II was done on the
spur Of the fs1oment-+he had no
&AA6lGG ~ ldnG OH Glt9Ls Int HIKE
pened to be there with the stones
in his handful explain that later.
And he overheard the sentry tell
ing something that must not be
told. ! ran out almost at once, but
there was no one in sight, and a
nearby sentry had seen no one
leave. Later. when | saw Barney
under that open window, realized
that he could have pulled himself
Up onto the porch roof and been
inside his rooms before was off
the porch. He had on a dark bath
robe-and the faint looked like a
sham.
Not A Sham
DUT it was not q sham, as Doc
0Moore demonstrated. And
Barney did not seize on the alibi
Of the other stone. which con.
WINGED me against my will that he
was innocent"
"Why didn't her" asked.
Zone, OF number of reasons
First, he may not have realized at
once that he had fallen on the stone
and bruised his head. Second, he
knew that such a throw would
have been practically impossible
to execute, even for skilled pitch
er. Third, he was in the dark when
Charlie found him-and sooner or
later that fact would be reinem-
bered-was remembered"
81 knew that. too!"I cried q
heard the Light switch click when
he went into the ROOM"
SBut If the faint wasn't q sham,
what was it," Charlie demanded.
"Incipient epilepsy. I'm afraid.
Dee says it's possible. 1t had hap
pened before"
"Say. ! ought to know that!"
exclaimed Straw with bullying
eyes. He had a rep at West Point
for falling out of more P-rades
than the rest of the corps put to-
gether. We used to ride him about
IL and ask for his formula"
49, u ~