The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-04-28

door iatcn. someone on the Otaer
side touched il.
A girl with red hair and freckles
smiled at him and walked past into
the barn.
81 caught on a NAIL" she said
pleasantly.
.Asey didn't need to ask who she
was He Knew. 7 h is was Sara
Leach,S girl reporter. And it was
only too clear that she had been
making the most of an orchestra
seat. 3f..ae15
THAT shed doc. lock-" she went
on. sis no earthly use. Ny nail file
almost cutit in two" She stretched
and wriggled her shoulders. "And
whoever thought up that glued
to-a-keyholG idea was a master Of
the apt phrase. I've got sciatica or
something in every ] m b. Look,
I'm not going to bite. or break into
little pieces or anything"
What brought you here?" Asey
demanded.
THAT shot. / heard il as I drove
by. So came in. Frankly, I'm a
sucker for the sound of a shot. !
can't seem to resist them - do !
really discourage you as much as
you look?"
Miss Thayer." Asey said. you
do. YOU"
How'd you know my manner"
Sheer detectin'." Asey told her.
Just Matter OF Fact
LIE foresaw that it was going to
IL be uphill work, disliking this
girl. He wanted to, but he couldn't
seem to get started. She wasn't
hardboiled. She wasn't mushy or
soppy. like tn It Viola Someone
who'd knit hin. socks and mourn
ed that he had to live all by him.
self in that great big house Of his.
She wasn't at all cocksure or ar
rogant, as she = d every right to
be when you considered what she
had stumbled into. She was Just
matter Of fact.
Sheer detectin'," Asey repeat
ed. Miss Thayer, what do you
want? Or putin it another way,
what do you W an more'n you
want this story?"
Kay Thayer sat down, lighted q
cigarette and looked thoughtfully
around the room before answering.
Its going to slay you" she said
at last, "but I don't want anything.
Not even a trip to California.
want the story, but don't want II
now"
"What?"
"You heard. At first I was all
worked up to find you were hiding
murder. Then it occurred to me
that you couldn't be hiding it. II
the state cops knew, then various
and sundry other authorities would
know. And then, after a period Of
deep thought, ! began to grasp it. II
Billingsgate h a d a murder now,
well-poof-"
Poof, or boom. Honestly, you
don't mean you'll keep quiet for
spe1l?"
"Why not? If / phone up what
I've found out, the whole pack'n
be here as fast as cir cars'u
carry'em. VIII a chance would I
have? None. Bu: IL can 90 home
with the whole story - well, I
really do think that can afford to
be little charitable about Bill.
ingsgate."
Asey walked over to her and
extended his hand.
ITS always a pleasure to meet
logical female. It's an event"
She smiled. "And now, before I
burst, will you fill in the cracks
for me? Don't deserve to know"
Briefly, Asey told her all that
had happened.
And sc" she said, "your obvi-
Gus suspect bought twelve gauge
gun. That means that by tomor.
row or the next day, you ought to
have some sort of case. doesn't IL,
really?"
at means nothin' at an" Asey
replied eoolly. at don't mean one
single blessed thing"
What? But you told Tertius-l
mean, you said"
Tertius was a fly in the ONT
ment, Asey said. He was the e.
cess baggage. The monkey wrench.
What comes of tryin' to keep things
quiet All ! know Is, he didn't kill
Mary. an / didn't want him. Fast
or loose. Tertius could haze been
/ Just as nasty burden a. b prom.
iSed. Just a white mans burden.
That's that. Therefore Tartius Ia
goln' on long, lonC journey, feel
IN valuable an virtuous, an a
plaincl othesmanT tend him like q
brother. At least I hope he will"
Then you did al. that to get rid
or him? Look, there seems to be a
lot or things that elude me. What
about the ballistics end Of il? Is
there one? ! mean, there usually Is
balliStics end TO these things
out OF every ten shotguns
sold" Asey said. probably nine
ofem is twelve gauge guns. It's
like findin' an arrow. Almost any
b o " might do. offhand. There's
one. an just one way Of connect
in any shotgun with this murder.
That's by findin' shell. An find
in a shell in this vicinity that you
could more or less prove was left
there by the murderer last night
You could say, the only connection
was if we had found a shell. Be-
cause We amt so Far. an / can't see
how we VIII now q,
Kay Thayer wrinkled up her
nose. But you have the ball-look.
put it in words Of one syllable.
can't You2ss
centinued tomorrow.
NJ fCopxrsoAf, fsssJ