The Key West citizen., 1939-11-28
Chapter Eight
Michael Tells All

OME In, LUCK, MlchaeI SAID.
~ Pretty smart guy, whoever
he is. That clatter warned him" He
shut the door behind him, picked
the key from the floor and turned
the lock.
The smaller of the two big rugs
was hung over the glass doors that
led to the dining room. The blinds
on every window were drawn close
and the Indian tSanket from the
couch was lying on the floor as if
it had been hung over the panes of
the long glass door which led to
the sun porch"
He certainly wasn't taking any
chances on being seen," she de-
cided.
Michael was surveying the room
minutely.
Now what the devil do you sup
pose he was after?" he said won
deringly. There isn't anything in
the place worth stealing"
Hidden passages" Tuck said
lightly. A sudden thought had
struck her. but she was not letting
Michael know all she knew. "Se-
cret rooms" she repeated.
At the moment another tap
sounded sharply. and Tuck, for
all her nonchalance. jumped. Mi
chael grinned at her. "It's Bunny"
he said. and shot the bolt on the
dining room door. Bunny was rap
ping on the door to the kitchen,
and saying Let me in, you two!
This doors locked"
Michael turned the key and
opened the door. Bunny. calm and
unruffled. stood there with her
hands in the pockets Of her black
silk dressing gown.
Whats up?" she asked coolly.
"a party? Or are they charivari-
ing us? heard pots and pans bang
ing"
Burglars" Michael said briefly.
"Oh. Well, well. Where's Tuck?"
Surveying the ruins"
With lifted eyebrows Bunny
strolled through the dining room
and looked into the disordered
study. what v'as burgled?" she
asked Tuck. do we keep the fam
lily diamonds in here?"
IT'S true. Bunny. honestly" !"
Tuck told her. There was some-
body in here. We heard them. Tap
ping on the walls"
But whatever for, Michael?"
Bunny's face expressed the SINGER.
est amazement.
u really didn't inquire" Mi
chael told her. "It certainly is be-
yond me. don't understand it at
ALL" =.-..-- 1T.
Tuck looked at him scornfully.
isn't that funny" she said. "You
really ought to have things better
arranged. Imagine not being able
to understand it."
Bunny laughed suddenly. "You
know what ] think" she said calm
ly. Il think it's about time you
stopped being mysterious, Michael.
Tuck's getting cross. And, if you
really don't understand this bur-
glary, maybe you could use a little
help in unraveling your little
problem. The Problem of the
Missing Professor"
Michael swallowed.
"How in the devil did you ferret
out this business of a Missing Pro.
fessor? Nobody knows he's miss
ing. Not soul. Not his most init
mate friends"
Higgins does" Bunny said
quickly.
"And Mrs. Murchison knows, .
Tuck supplemented.
Michael groaned. you haven't
been around asking them ques-
tons. have your"
1T would have served you per.
fectly well right If we had," Tuck
informed him. Trying to keep us
in the dark while you sneaked
around finding out all sorts of in
teresting things"
mot very many" Michael NUT
tered.
will you tell us all you know?"
VI am abiect." he said. Il will"
Think-Suspect-Wonder'
TUCK dropped into the big
Y leather chair by the fireplace
and hugged her knees excitedly.
GO on, then," she commanded,
Start at the beginning. Is he miss
ing?"
%He is"
did he disappear?"
''He did"
'When?"
Michael told her.
Cant they find him?"
They cannot" He explained in
detail the very careful search
made by the police.
The two girls listened in silence,
Bunny's eyes on the toe of her slip
per. Tuck's following Michael's
lips as he spoke. There was little
silence.
$50 they think-they suspect
they wonder"
Exactly" Michael agreed. "You
have il. honey. They think, they
suspect and they wonder. But they
don't know. And that's why we're
here"
"I knew it." Tuck said. Michael
Forester, why in the name OF
goodness didn't you tell us, Bunny
and me, right at the beginning?
We've lost an awful lot of time.
What we should have done at the
beginning was to get acquainted
with the Devoes and Mrs. Murchi.
son and have Duncan Murchison
out here to lunch and start finding
things out"
Michael tilted her chin with his
fnger: You've answered your own
question there. Tuck. That's ex-