The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-03-07
Chapter Four
Telephone Call

Telephone Call
ICREPT forward and touched one
i of her hands clenched to the
arm of the chair, thinking that she
still might be alive. Yet knew she
wasn't and her fingers were ice
cold.
1 drew my hand back quickly.
My one thought was to get out of
the room, away from that terrible
reflection in the mirror. Turning,
tried to run to the door, but my
legs seemed made of wood. Then
the telephone rang shrilly on the
desk. l must have screamed then.
It was so unexpected, so awful.
The telephone was ringing for
that poor thing-dead-horribly
dead
And then the telephone rang
again insiStently. I tried to SWal-
low the lump in my throat. Some
one had to answer it. So stumbled
over to the desk and, because l
hated to touch anything in the
room, l pulled a handkerchief out
of my bathrobe pocket and used it
to pick up the receiver.
As I answered the call the
woman came into the room.
Hello" said and my voice was
little more than whisper.
A mans voice asked if Joan was
there.
looked at the woman question
ingly and motioned towards the
dressing table "Is that Joan?"
"Yes, Joan Kent" she said in
harsh voice.
turned back to the telephone.
'No, this isn't Miss Kent. No {.
you can't speak to her. She's &.
something has happened. There's
been an accident. She is -"
He seemed to realize finally that
she was dead.
"Who is calling?" 1 asked, sud-
denly coming to my senses.
The only answer was a click
when the man hung up the re-
ceiver. The woman spoke abruptly
as ! stood there staring at the tele-
phone.
eve must call Mr.. Kimball-not
that he'll do any good, but the po-
lice must be notified"
'Yes, of course" ! said calmly as
I could.
Il might have known" she went
on, glancing towards the dressing
table, shat after such goingS-on in
this house it would end up in muir
der. It's no place for respectable
woman to live, and just wait until
my husband hears of this" She
looked at me sharply. when did
you move in?"
swallowed. Last night"
"When?" She asked in a fiat
voice and at last it came to me that
she was hard of hearing.
Last night"
moved unSteadily towards the
doorway. She was right. Someone
had to tell Mr.. Kimball. My legs
felt so weak that when / got out in
the hall sat down hastily on the
top step. The woman bent over me
to call down the stairway. There
was no answer. The door was open
leading from the hall into the shop.
/ crept down a few steps, but the
shop seemed to be empty.
/ turned back to the woman.
"There is no one in there" l said.
where's that Ishi?" she said
more to herself than to me. Il sup
pose he's mixed up in this, too.
There isn't a person in this house
I'd trust out of sight"
The Police
YOU'D have thought the house
L was peopled with murdererS
to hear her go on. Then the street
door of the shop opened and we
could hear brisk steps across the
floor.
I called to Mr.. Kimball and he
came into the lower hall with his
hat and coat on, his cheeks red
with the cold.
Hello, Miss Howarth. I hope
your apartment is warmer this
morning. Patrick turned up in dis
grace at the crack of dawn"
Then he saw the woman at the
head of the stairs. why, good
morning, Mrs. Evans"
Surely he must sense that some
thing was wrong. / started down
the stairway towards him, 1t
seemed a long while before / could
move my lips TO speak.
You'd better do something, get
someone. Your niece IS something
has happened" mumbled uncer-
tainly.
He stared up at me. ''To Joan!
Why-what?"
Without waiting for an answer
he hurried past me on the stairs.
When he reached the hall Mrs.
Evans pointed to the girls apart
ment and he stepped inside the
room.
stood there leaning against the
banister while he was in that room
looking at the girl. After a long
moment Mr.. Kimball backed out
Of the room, his face drawn and
white. And then he saw the maid,
now stirring, and his eyes turned
wildly to Mrs. Evans.
"Sarah!" he gaSped. whats the
matter with her?"
"She's tainted, that's ALL" told
him quickly as l came up the stairs.