The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-09-23

| asleep, | don't know how long
And 1 went to sleep again. didn't
think to look at my watch"
He stood up abruptly. There
were voices in the corridor.
Wait here-rll be back"
After he had joined those men
in the hall, Felicia opened the
door a crack and applied herself
frankly to peeping and eavesdrop-
"Jefrs here" she whispered
once. He looks like a wax model
of himself. They've got the
post photographer taking pic
lures" And later, They're taking
her away. Oh, the poor kid! !
heard Doc Jones say she's been
dead at least eight hours"
Captain Jones came presently
and took my pulse. said | was
all right but to lie still for a
while. Colonel Pennant came in,
looking pretty grim, announced
that Mimi would call me up and.
with a glance at Felicia. that he
would question me later. at his
quarters.
I did not see jeff. and I was
glad.
After they had all departed
Gerald came back and asked me
if / felt well enough to go to my
room. / got up shakily and fol-
lowed him. ] think Felicia would
have liked to come, too. but
something in Gerald's manner
must have discouraged her. for she
remained where she was.
There was an armed enlisted
man in front of my door.
Miss Cornish has to get some
of her things" Gerald told him.
Colonel Pennant said it would
be all right"
l looked at him suspiciously.
Colonel Pennant had said no such
thing. But the enlisted man
stepped aside and let us go in.
Now" said Gerald. 81 want
you to look the place over care
fully and tell me if there's any,
thing missing. Anything at all-no
matter now small.
/ must have spent at least half
an hour examining that room, 60
ing through the drawer of my
workable, looking through
stack of manuscripts and CORES
spondence; but I couldn't see that
there was anything gone, or even
out Of place. and ! told him so.
Racing Dreams
"uOW about Sandra? Did she
IL have anything in here?"
mo. She never brought her
things here - except a stenog-
rapher's notebook once, to take
some dictation from me-"
Where is it?"
Il suppose she took it away
with her"
don't know lust when l began
to resent his questions. or to want
to get out of that room where /
was closed up with him. There
was the memory of that dreadful
form in front of the door. There
was fear in the room and Ger
aid was a stranger.
81 must dress and pack a few
things" / said. trying not to let
him see that his company was
beginning to brighten me. IF
you'll wait outsider"
"Ill wait here in the sitting
room." he said. and / had to be
content with that.
Gerald? lay on the bed in the
remnants guest room and remem-
bered the shrinking fear / had
felt. shut in with him in that
room where murder had been
done. And / wondered if he was
the evil invader-the creeping in
truder who. if Mimi was right,
had brought murder to Fort
Michigan.
But what of Mimi herself?
Mimi. who took long, solitary
drives at night: Mimi, whose car
had returned to the barge an hour
before Ivan'S body was found
there; Mimi, whose past. to me
at least, was Shrouded in mystery.
And what. if you came to that, of
Julia, who had said only last
night Of Sandra: Il could kill
her"
My head began to ache. l closed
my eyes and slept uneasily, har-
ried by confused. racing dreams.
until lunch.
Colonel Pennant telephoned
that he was too busy to come
home. / heard Julia taking the
message as ! came downstairs.
Then she asked him if she could
see JEFF. He must have said yes,
for as soon as we rose from
scarcely tasted lunch she proposed
that 60 with her to the hospital,
to the prison ward.
Mimi had been summoned to
the kitchen by the cook. We were
alone for a moment.
dan said he'd leave word for
us to be admitted" Julia went on,
'but he insisted someone had to
60 with me. I'd rather it was you
than Mimi. And Dan said to tell
you he'll be home at four, and
he'd like to question you then"
didn't want to see JEFF. I hate
the sight of death and of its grief
sickened survivors. But I under
stood that Julia could talk to him
more freely in my presence than
in Minis, so consented.
But JEFF was not grief Sickened.
Felicia had said he was like a wax
figure of himself. and he did look
white and stiff. But in his deep
set, rather INEXPENSIVE eyes, :
could see only bewildered horror