The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-01-07
Chapter SO
Nothing Gained

ANOthAhS ooAhCu
A NNIE? / gazeG in staggered
"A unbelief at the little figure in
rusty black. Surely Adam didn't
suspect herl
~ And then things-little things
! had noticed and half forgotten
began to crowd in on me. My mind
cast back, away bach, to my lunch
with Elizabeth. The car the
baby that died "Tm afraid
Anne minds" Little bits began to
fit together. Ethel Curtis ana the
baby who died. The typewriter
Annie would have access to that:
she came and went as she wished
at the Carewes'. And the car-she
had been devilins Elizabeth to lei
her drive it, And she had no alibis
But the motive? Why should she
shoot Anne and stab the other
girl? What explanation was there
other than insanity?
She seemed unaware of me
fiery eyed, suspicious. her sharp
glance darling from face to face. a
red spot in either cheek. her hat
tipping crafty.
l moved toward her, a little
frightened, but oppressed by my
responsibility. Adam was afraid OF
something happening to Anne; vet
he had made no move to send
these people home.
A baited trap. That was it. Bait
ed with the BODY of a girl whose
link to life was a frail threat. to
be easily snapped. He was stalking
her safety against his own vlgl-
lance to gain the murderer's self
betrayal.
/ drew a deep breath. had
failed once this night in a task set
me. / would not fail again.
Doc Moore stood in tn, door
"She's awak :" he said in low
voice to Adam. But everyone was
suddenly so still that the words
seemed to fill the roo::.
Annie muttured. I'm going
too" to no one la particular, and
darted out into the hall after Adam
and Barney. followed hel.
The officers ward was on the
ground floor. at the end of the cor
ridor. 1t was not large room, but
so dimly lighted that the corners
were in shadow. / could see faint
.ly. on the far sideiof the room the
bed where they had put Mrs. Ca
rewe, hef. fgurt quiet under the
covers and her husband sitting
Beside her with his head in, his
hands. = ,gt:f,.tE I
Then my, eyes were drawn back
to the foreground. to the shaded
lamp on the. bedside table. to the
bed where Anne was lying, Sur
mounted by the oxygen tent. it re-
sseinbled an old fashioned perarn-
buiator. or a buggy with the storm
curtains attached. The. square hood
: that enclosed her head: shoulders
and arms vas made of some light.
silky substance. inset with four
windows of what looked like ISM
b. glass. through. which we could see
quite clearly the still. dark head
against the pillow. eyes closed
face gardenia white. lips blood
less. Her slight body scarcely
sidged the smoothness of the silk
sheet that lay along the bed-a
continuation of the oxygen tent.
She was so utterly motionless
that for a terrified moment could
not believe that she was alive.
Lightv
DOC MOORE said, Quiet.
- please" and stood aside to let
Barney pass.
On the far side of the bed a
nurse bent, peered in. straight
ened. shook her head.
Sorry. Doctor. An instant ago
she was awake. asking for him
But she's gone off again."
Cant we Just wait?' Adams
voice murmured. y
Barney said, "a chair help
iessly. He was swaying a little
Adam found one. pushed him
into IL.
Doc Moore felt his pulse, muir
INJURED. "Just sit STILL" soothingly.
Quiet descended. Annie and I
filed the doorway. Behind me
someon whispered.
0O GtAt . e4i lOAJ SSh eCAASs AOd
Orpington.
Flower.
The nurse S hu S h e d them. I
looked over my shoulder. They
For a moment I wondered why
we were not being chased away.
Then I remembered the trap and
shivered uncontrollably.
The light blinked out in the hall
behind us and gray dawn filtered
through. The windows were pale
with morning. The long night was
past.
The lamp on the bedside table
continued to burn in the shadow
cast by the screen behind the bed.
Our eyes were centered on that
little circle of yellow light, on the
table with its clean white towel,
with its bottles AMI glass; on the
tent inside which feeble life was
burning; on Barney. bent like the