The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-04-25
OLD HOME WEEK MURDER
by Phoebe Atwood Taylor

OL HItOIl might nave ILdppSI16Q III
on him at any time.
This business of Slade dropping
out of the picture was pulling no
matter how you looked at il. He
might well be in hiding from Ma
dame Meaux, but it didn't seem
much like Slade. Certainly he
couldn't be very conscience
StriekeR or very afraid Of being
caught, or he never would have
Returned to his house and so casu-
ally had a meal and changed his
sclothes.
r'Huh!" Asey muttereC. Chick
en- boneSi More like jack straws."
He slowed down as he neared
the hollow. for the mist from the
swamp blanketed the road. First,
he decided, he would drive out to
SHADES studio, anyway, and then
return and hang around with that
trooper while. Mentally he made
a note to tell Lane to give the job
to someone else the next night.
One nights vigil at He'll Hollow
was enough for anyone.
AS he passed by, he turned and
glanced toward the house, and
then he eaSed the big roadster to a
quiet stop and snapped off the
headlights.
A thin pencil of light was flick
ing around in the barn where
Mary Randall kept her antiques.
And that was all wrong. The
trooper had no keys to the shop,
and his fiashlight was big power
full thing with a wide loeam.
Asey got out of the car and quiz
city began to circle his way toward
the barn. At the foot of one of the
tall pines he stumbled over some
thing limp. He knew even before
he bent down just what he was
going to find.
Pigeon Holes
WORKING feverishly in the
w darkness, Asey removed the
twisted handkerchief gag from
the troopers mouth. and with his
pocketknife sawed through the
heavy cord binding mis- wrists and
ankles.
The trooper groaned and put
one hand up to his head, cropping
ly, as though he weren't quite sure
what ne expected to fine there.
"Okay?" Asey said. mot shot, or
carved. or anythin' like that?"
"Groggy. He got me from be-
hind. Garrotted me"
"ShhI Not so loud. He's still
there. Now listen to me. Stay here
till you feel like movin', an keep
your eyes peeled. I'm goin' to look
into things. Got your flashlight?"
''It'S somewhere around"
1T don't matter. Stay an rear
guard for me. Got your gum"
He took it." The trooper was
bitter.
"Huhl Well, follow after me
quick an quiet when you are
able"
He tiptoed around the barn and
peeked in the window.
A man was sitting in front of the
old Governor Winthrop desk
which Asey had admired earlier
in the day. Jane told him that
Mary Randall had called it her
Office"
Somehow" Jane had said, "it
has within it a cash box. and let
tiers, and orders, and Mary's re-
minder lists, and auction lists, and
customer files, and bills, and glue,
and labels, and string, and stamps,
and everything any business hike
hers needs in the line of station
cry, and Lord knows what else
besides. That only takes up the
top part. We use the drawers for
a number of varied purposes"
The man, whose face was hid
den in the shadow, was methodi-
cally going through each pigeon
hole. Ticking through the papers
as though they were a pack of
playing cards. He picked open the
small locked compartment and
went through its contents, and
then he turned his attention to the
small drawers under the pigeon
holes, and the carved wooden
pieces that lifted out.
ASey could imagine his snort Of
annoyance as the fellow slammed
them back in place and opened the
first full-siZed drawed underneath.
His long slim fingers prodded I'M
der the old linen that filed the
drawer, and then he impatiently
pushed it shut. The remaining
drawers were investigated, and
then the man went back once
more to the pigeon holes.
Clearly he knew just exactly
what he was after. It wasn't
money. he passed up the cash box
with only the briefest examina-
ton. He didn't want letters, or
auction lists. or orders. or stamps.
or glue.
Asey could hear the trooper
coming toward him, and apparent
ly the man inside heard him too.
for he turned off his tiny fash.
Mercifully the trooper had sense
enough to stand still. and in few
moments, treasured that he was
alone and unobServed. the man
snapped his light on again and
went back to his investigation OF
the pigeon holes
I The trooper pressed his own
large electric torch inlo Asey's
hands.
Go around back, quiet" Asey
breathed the words, San then
make noise there. III fix him"