The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-03-26
Chapter 20
Accusation

Accusation
DRCK opened the carton of
~ cigarettes deliberately and
lighted one for me. The shop was
hot and stuffy and | was tired.
'What tim was that?" the
Sergeant was asking Adrianne
Wells.
1t seemed to me that the ques-
tioning would go on endlessly and
nothing would be any clearer. !
looked at Richard and then at his
uncle Did they know anything
they weren't telling? Or was the
missing Tim Lathrop the one who
knew why Joan Kent had been
murdered?
While the Sergeant questioned
Adrianne Wells about the lighter
/ paid little attention, until he
asked her if she'd taken it from
my room. She stood in front of
the Sergeant, perfectly still. with
out speaking.
"Well?" said the Sergeant.
81 had every right to take it"
Her voice was harsh. "It belonged
to me-"
Then he asked her how she
happened to look for it in my
room since she didn't know that
Harry Kincaid had dropped it
there.
She threw back her head an
prilv 81 inst walked int0 the
room" she said. Il didn't know
anyone was living there"
The Sergeant had the same
thought as l. With all of my fur
niture in the room it was surely
evidence that someone had moved
in. He asked her about it. But she
stubbornly refused to answer, just
told him that she saw the lighter
and took it, thinking that Harry
Kincaid had left it there for her.
The Sergeant was cycling her
shreWdly. 1T wasn't because you
were afraid when you saw it?
You didn't think it was strange to
find it on her chest of drawers?
You weren't protecting Mr.. Kin
caid, were you?"
The barrage had the desired eff
feet. Her pale face paled under
his questioning and all of her
self-posSesSion vanished
When she opened her mouth to
speak. her lips trembled. mo, no. +"
she whimpered.
Dlrck. with an apologize glance
at the Sergeant, asked her in a
iyR ~
Mr.. .Klncaid was in the house last
nigh;?"
She stared at him, angry now.
'How am | supposed to know
where he Was?" she said rudely.
81 wasn't in last evening"
"But you see" Dirk said
smoothly. 1.-The Sergeant happens
to know that you tUere in the
house. II would help him if would
be frank"
81 don't know anything that
would help YOU" she said sulkily.
The Sergeant threw up his
hands in despair. 81 ought to
throw the whole bunch Of you in
Jail as suspects"
He turned back to Miss Wells.
1--WE know where you were last
night. Why you didn't tell us in
the first place, | don't know. Now.
answer me- When you went up to
Whitefield's apartment, did you
see anyone in the hall?"
She pressed her lips together
and then told him reluctantly that
she'd seen Richard going into
Joan's room. And when the Ser
geant asked her what time that
had been she showed the first
sign of flippancy.
He Killed Her
"DELIEVE it or not, Sergeant,
ID but l looked at my watch, u
she exclaimed. at was exactly
fourteen minutes past nine"
The Sergeant swung around in
his chair and asked Richard il
he'd seen the girl, but he remem-
bered only that someone had
come out of the front apartment
SWELL" said the Sergeant, "that
checks with the time you said you
left for the station"
And Richard M acDonal d
shrugged his thin shoulders.
The Sergeant turned again tC
Adrianne and asked her if she'd
seen anyone else during the eve
ming, or night. For a person try
ing to conceal something she did
a very poor job. Behind those
stormy dark eyes lay fear. Final
ly she said mo" in a queer, tight
voice.
"Its odd that when you were
right there on the third floor you
didn't hear the quarrel that al
least two other people h e r
sometime around midnight"
Kincaid up to this time ha6
been standing quietly by the desk
Now he stepped forward, his eyes
on Adrianne Wells. "You may as
well tell them," he said. There's
no use trying to hide it."
Sergeant Long rubbed his hands
together and nodded with a salts
fed air. That's better. So you
two met up last night. What time
and where?"
The girl sat motionless, her lips
drawn in a thin line, fury in her
dark eyes.
Harry Kincaid cleared his
throat. "After I came out of Miss
Howarth's apartment" he said,
SAdrianne came downstairs from
the third floor"
eyes, yes, go on"
"We had a few words together
and then left the house."
~More than a few words" the
Sergeant barked. "MrS. Evans
heard you clear up in the attic. +"
swell. we were having sort Of