The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-03-27
Chapter 81
A Woman Suspected

I'M HE way upstairs nad 9
" strong bunch that all wasn't
well. OF course, l thought, if Tim
Lathrop were the murderer, then
obviously as long as he was in the
hospital the house was safe. If he
wasn't the one, then anything
might happen. While l walked up
the steps to the second floor |
counted them. II was an old trick
of mine, but when l counted thir-
teen | must admit l shivered. Su-
perstition wasn't one of my weak
points, but at that moment in the
dimly lighted hall felt pretty I'M
easy. And l kept thinking | heard
whispers. 1t frightened me at first,
but l heaved a sight of relief. 1t
was Mary Ann and Norton talking
together in the hall outside of her
door. l pretended | didn't see them
and walked into my apartment,
whistling.
BY the dim light from the bath
room | had to screw the electric
light bulbs into the fixture in the
ceiling. And the room was dark
except for that thin thread of light.
So it was either nervousness or be-
cause the chair was Wobbly that
made me drop one of the bulbs as
tried to reach upward. The eXplo-
sion was terrific. | almost col
lapsed, it scared me so badly. And
even before l could get off the
chair l could hear Mrs. Evans rush
ing down the hall, shouting for the
police. She was followed by Nor
ton. Then Mr.. Kimball and Ishi
came upstairs and all four of them
found me crouched on the chair in
the dark. was almost hysterical.
"Who did you shoot?" Mrs.
Evans screamed from the doorway,
and the dog ran into the room and
jumped up at me. barking madly.
mo one" snapped. II dropped
an electric light bulb"
could hear Mr.. Kimball laugh
with relief.
Il don't believe it," Mrs. Evans
said, advancing. what are you
doing here in the dark? Tell me
that"
didn't bother to answer her. BY
that time Mr.. Kimball had IShi
screw the bulbs in the sockets and
the room was lighted. He and Tshi
left and so did Norton. On the way
out he said, Gave me quite a
scare, Blondie."
Mrs. Evans fingered in the door
way, obviously distruStful. 1.-THE
goings-on in this house are pc
culiar, l must say, and artists have
a funny way of living" With that
Witticism she departed and the dog
followed her, waving his tail dis
painfully. Then Patrick came up
with basket of wood. l was glad
to have him for company as he
built the fire.
I'd intended going to bed early,
but the excitement left me thor
oughly awake and / thought Dirck
might be back, so l settled down
with book by the fire. My chair
was facing the door. But found
myself reading sentence or two,
then turning to peer over my
shoulder at the fire escape.
TITS nonsense to be so fidgety,"
/ told myself firmly. So l fidgeted.
After what happened last night
wouldn't have felt safe in cell. l
walked restleSsly around the room,
took a drink of water. powdered
my nose. then sat down again to
look out at the fire escape.
A Large Surprise
THEN | thought of the newspa-
L pers. I'd brought Dirck's bun
die of them upstairs with me and
they were lying on the chair with
my coat and purse. So | curled up
again in the chair by the fireplace
where | could see the door and the
fire escape and looked through the
papers. That the account of the
murder would be we'll buried !
fully expected. Where l come from
in Ohio a murder is generously
given all of page l, but I'd finally
gotten accustomed to seeing sud-
den and violent death relegated to
the depths of the New York papers
unless the person was socially
prominent or had an euphoniouS
name
had large surprise. The story
of Joan Kent'S death was on the
first page of all three of the papers
Dirck had bought. The reason for
it was even more surprising.
Twenty-Five years ago Joan'S
father, Warner Kent, an attorney,
was mySteriously shot to death. !
shivered. It was curious that the
father and the daughter should
both die by violence.
And the story of Warner Kent's
death was strange. In March, 1914,
he was found with a bullet hole in
his head and a revolver lying a few
feet away, in his private office in
Wall Street. The case was officially
closed as suicide but rumors per.
sisted. A socially prominent CIR
was supposed to have been cloSeted
with him for two hours the after
noon of his death and the gossip al
the time was that she was madly
in love with him.
All of this happened when Josn
was two or three years old. Was
it coincidence, l wondered, OF
could her death be linked with her
fathers?
The story the papers carried OF
Joan's death held no surprises I'M
til came to the bottom of the col
umn. An arrest was to be made
shortly. A woman. AS far as | knew
Twas the only woman the Sergeant
suspected. He got interested in