The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-03-21

Sergeant turned on Dirck furi-
ously. "You didn't tell me she was
up there"
81 didn't know for sure" Direk
replied. at was just hunch.n
"Wait until / get hold of that
young lady," the Sergeant said
with a grim smile. "Out dancing,
was she?"
Then I remembered the person
who was crouching on the stair
way.
who could that have been on
the stairs last night?" / asked
them. Mrs. Evans was out until
midnight. The Macdonald boy was
on Long Island, and Mr.. White
field is the only other person on the
third floor"
The Sergeant favored me with
a kindly look. well turn you
into an investigator yet. If
Adrianne Wells was so busy TAX
ing drawing lesson, she wouldn't
have been wandering around, so
who was it?"
He picked up his hat. "I'm going
up to see Whitefield again. He
must be deaf if he didn't hear all
that commotion.
And then Dirck and went back
to my apartment.
as candlelight kinder to your
complexion" he asked as he
slumped into a chair by the fire.
place, "or do you always sit around
in the dark?"
| put another log on the fire and
paid no attention to him. He lighted
cigarette and smoked for awhile.
81 wish we could get hold of some
of these missing men," he said
after couple of minutes.
"A Faint Idea
ITO YOU suppose all OF the
- missing men did it?"
Probably none of them. It's my
guess" he said lazily, "that it was
Ishi, the Jap, who's been upstate
for a week. He did it to get her
diamonds"
looked up. "Did she have dia-
monds?"
mo, but it's as good theory as
the Sergeant has to offer"
leaned back in the chair again.
If Dirck knew anything he wasn't
giving it away. I tried to figure out
logical reason for murder. Frag-
ments of the interviews would
creep into my mind. Adrianne
Wells knew something and Mary
Ann was too composed when the
Sergeant asked her about Joan'S
half or STEP brother, or whatever
it was. never could keep them
straight. For moment or two I'd
think had an inkling and then the
whole thing would tangle up
again. l wondered mostly about
Richard Macdonald and yet was
pretty sure he was honestly upset
about his sister.
After five minutes of heavy
thinking I couldn't restrain my
curiosity, so I said, "Have you any
idea who's responsible for all
thiS?"
He smiled slightly. ~ have a
faint idea, Miss Howarth, but how
l can ever prove it is more than I
know. That man Lathrop bothers
me. From what / know of him he
isn't erratic in the least, and why
he hasn't shown up at his hotel all
night gets me-" He jumped to his
feet. "You must be starving. Where
do you want to have dinner?"
Anywhere but the Knife and
Fork" said promptly. 'I've had
wheat cakes there twice. Last
night and this morning. I'd like
bear steak or side of beef"
He groaned. II knew you'd be
hungry, so cashed a check on the
way up here this afternoon. Put
on your bonnet and we'll go to a
high-class place on Fourteenth
Street. The steaks are four inches
thick and the fried onions are
something to cry over"
I'm on my way" / said. "Steak
will be fine and want at least ten
vegetables"
Somehow" he said thought
fully, "Such large appetite doesn't
seem to go with that fragile look
you have"
"I always fool people," l said,
putting on my red felt hat. ''That's
why I'm not popular. It's too ex-
penSive to feed me-
He helped me into my coat.
There is one thing I'd like to do
before we go. There are some
drawings of Joan Kent'S in her
room that I'd like you to take look
at. I don't know a thing about
them, so l can't tell whether
they're good or not"
"If we don't hurry I'll eat two
steaks" / said, "but for a small
sum I'm willing to enlighten you
on the world of art"
AS we went down the hall I
asked, what will the Sergeant
say if we poke around in there?"
HE gave me a key, Beautiful.
He thinks I'm harmless"
He unlocked the door to Joan's
apartment.
"You know, / thought the Ser
geant was going to arrest me a
while back" / said as we went
into the room"
There is a look that turks in
your blue eyes that battles the Ser
geant." Dirck turned on lamp at
the desk. HE doesn't know
whether to fall for you or lock you
up"
! Continued tomorrow
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