The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-10-09
&huahters
by VIRGINIA HANSON

D-Gil Oil IGI dCCOQIlL, 1 may dQU,
that l have played the fool. She
is not quite subtle enough. fortu-
nately for me, to realize that
more than one can play at that
game. Though she may have had
doubts of me originally she
quickly lost them. l could almost
hear her think that no man would
deliberately make such an idiot
Of himself"
81 saw through that" I re-.
marked complacently.
GAS 1 have said elsewhere.
you're a discerning young per-
son. But not. fortunately. dis
corning enough. I blame myself
for not making sure you under
stood. But you see, thought you
were perfectly safe at the Pen
nants. You told me. if you re-
that you were spending
the night there" he added re-
proachfully.
"Circumstances-er. arose." I
said weakly.
Il hope you'll be more care
full about circumstances in fu-
tire. then. Have you any idea
how you disrupted the forces of
law and order last night?"
What do you mean?"
Il thought you pro b bly,
wouldn't know. Well, to begin
With my movements last night:
I left you at the remnants before
dinner and drove to Fieldstone
Inn where l had an engagement
to meet a colleague. No, not the
gentleman in need Of eyelashes.
That was a reporter. The man I
met last night was the operative
who hopes to identify BPdeyen
as soon as the poison oak heals.
| concluded my business came
back to the post, to the club
to your rooms, to be exact. l was
still concerned about that short
hand notebook which l had not
been able to locate. And there it
lay. in full view on your table"
While I was absent with JEFF.
| reflected.
1mpaSSiOned SIush'
Il SEIZED upon it and took it to
L my rooms. I'm no expert. It
took me a while to decipher that
sluSh. Kay, Pm sur
prised at you. l did think it might
be in code. but l gave that up
when l came to the line at the
end. I gave it up in favor of a
search for Lovers Return. l seem,
by the way. to have been the
only person involved who did not
know about that manuscript.
Next time you're passing the in
formation. please give me a slice
tool
81 came back to your rooms
because, of course, it had to be
something Of yours. l went quiet
ly. because l had no desire to at
tract attention. And of course I
saw your things were packed. I
thought you had been there.
packed up and gone back to the
Pennants, leaving your things to
be called for in the morning. You
see. everything was dark. / had
no way of know ing you were
bunking with Felicia"
you thought LOVERS Return
might be story in a magazine"
l said. smiling a little at memory
of my fright. $50 you leafed
through the stack on the table,
didn't you?'
How did you know?"
Never mind-gO on"
We'll. of course. | thought of a
and did what l should
have done earlier-went back to
the colonerS quarters to ask you
about it"
Leaving the notebook behind"
Forgot it." ne said briefly.
Though l can't say it seemed an
oversight"
1T wasn't" l assured him. IF
you mean that by doing so you
my life I had already
thought of the manuscript and
gone to find il when l saw the
notebook. l suppOSe-they had it
all day."
"Unquestionably. And the night
before. when you heard someone
about in your rooms, It
must have been Bridewell look
ing for LoUer'S Return. ! have a
theory that Sandra was carrying
the notebook. probably just hav-
ing added her postscript, when
she was killed. But didn't you
have a copy OF the manuscript in
your paperS?"
yes. but it wasn't named, I
couldn't think of title until /
was copying it; and of course
SandraS story wasn't in the copy
| kept And that makes me think
Of something else"
l told him then about the IL
brary in the chapel and the book
Come Back. Nh Heart. at must
have been that by then they were
at straws."
so finally they decided to
leave the notebook there for you
to find and lead them to the right
story"
81 wonder if Felicia didn't guess
when I read her the letter. She
went right to the chaplain's
rooms said he needed towels
You can depend on it. they
would leave no stone unturned.
He was probably on his way to
break open your suitcase when
he found you there ahead OF
him"