The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-04-04
Chapter %
An Accounting

THIS had to be faced again; the
L suspense, the questioning, all
had to be gone through again.
I'd slipped into a red wool dress
and was just tying my ghillies
when the Sergeant called me from
the hall. I opened the door and
when he saw me he snarled, well,
] might have known you'd be in
the thick of things. Haven't you
even been to bed?"
"I've been up assisting the muir
derer."
That was an awful thing to say
and l could have bitten off my
tongue after it came out, but the
Sergeant paid no attention. He
limped down the hall, then pound
ed vigorously on the door to the
girls apartment. AS he started
up the stairway Adrianne Wells
opened the door.
my goodness, it's the Sergeant
again." she cried. whats the
matter now"
"Get into your Clothes" he said,
looking dazzled by her purple silk
pajamas.
Her black eyes flashed. "Why?"
Il want to talk to you" He
walked up few steps. And Miss
Rogers, too, right away"
He shouted up the stairway for
Mrs. Evans and Charles White
field. And in a moment Mrs. Evans
came down from the attic and
peered over the baniSter, looking
a little funnier than ever in
long-sleeved nightdress and hair
curriers', all relics of the gay Nine
ties.
Seeing the Sergeant on the
stairs she said in a loud voice,
Another one dead, l suppose.
Well, one more night in this house
will be the death of me. Police or
no police, I'm moving. That man
Kimball will strangle every one
of us. What do you Want?"
Get down here" the Sergeant
beloved. And you won't move
until / say so. l want everyone to
come to Miss HoWarth's room inn
mediately. You, too, Whitefield."
Mr. Whitefield had come out
into the hall and was hanging
over the railing curiously.
Mrs. Evans padded back to the
third floor stairway. l wondered
what she meant when she said,
Another one dead, suppose"
Did she knolU about Richards
death?
Perhaps, 1 thought, she's just
been having another seance with
her husband. Her insiStence that
Mr. Kimball was a murderer was
nerve wracking. Was there any,
thing she really knew, or was she
just a queer old woman?
Adrianne Wells followed the
Sergeant down the hall to my
room. She hadn't changed from
her pajamaS; she'd just added a
bright yellow topcoat and pair
of black satin mules trimmed in
white maribOu. The effect was
theatrical and certainly startling.
When Norton came up the stair
way to speak to the Sergeant, his
jaw dropped and he forgot what
ever he was going to say.
'Well?" the Sergeant said.
Norton's mouth snapped shut.
ct h ere are no footprints" he
mumbled.
OK. Stay outside the front
door"
What's The Matter?'
MORTON nodded and went
~ down the stairs with a back
ward glance at Adrianne.
Where's Miss Roger s?" the
Sergeant asked just as Mary Ann,
flushed with sleep, came out in the
hall. Over her pajamas she wore
her blue bathrobe. She looked
very young and appealing with
her drowsy brown eyes and
tousled red hair
She was startled at having been
awakened so abruptly. whats
the matter?" she asked the Ser
geant.
Get in there" He pointed to
my apartment.
Next, James trotted down the
stairway, looking very alert, fol-
lowed by Mrs. Evans in her red
eoolie coat. She heSitated in my
doorway, for some reason obvi-
ously reluctant to enter. But the
dog showed no such discrimina-
ton. He gave a snappiSh zap at
the Sergeant'S ankles as he passed
him in the doorway and imme-
diately made himself comfortable
on the couch.
When Mr.. Kimball and Ishi
came upstairs they were followed
almost Immediately by Dirck,
who told Sergeant Long in a low
voice that the Medical Examiner
had arrived. And there was that
peculiar quiet in the house that
seems TO follow a sudden death.
My apartment was the largest,
the Sergeant said, but it was lit
tie difficult to seat so many people.
Mr.. Kimban remained standing
by the fireplace, one arm resting
on the mantelpiece. He looked
very tired and his face and hair
were the same color, a grayish
white. The effect was startling.
Dirck and shared the couch with
James who greeted us effuSively,
and Mary Ann sat in the swing
chair with Adrianne on one arm
Of il. Bowling at everyone as he