The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-04-13
Il s
r BY Ann Demaresf
Chapter SO.
The Murderer
BY Ann Demaresf

THEN the doorbell rang and
Il Dirck hurried downstairs, re-
turning in a couple of minutes
with Harry Kincaid. who glanced
about as though we were COM
plete strangers and didn't even
look at Adrianne. He refused
chair in a surly voice and stood
by the fireplace. No one talked.
We just stared at one another
with hostile eyes and waited for
the Sergeant. "
But Dirck apparently had other
plans. Leaning against the desk,
he said, you've been wondering
why I've asked you to come here,
of course, and / hope you'll be
patient. This afternoon it occurred
to me that all of you could be of
great help to the Sergeant. He'll
be along shortly, but we may as
well begin. There has been a muir
der committed, two murders. in
fact" he added quietly. land you
people have the misfortune to be
involved. / think you can be of
help"
I knew then that Dirck would
be a successful lawyer. He had a
very impressive way of speaking.
He hesitated for a moment and
glanced around at us. AS far as |
could discern from the noncom-
initial faces. the only reaction was
a wary one, except for Harry Kin
caid who darted quick look
around the room, but didn't speak.
Then Ishi slipped into the room
and crouched, as usual, on the
hasSock. - ~
Dirck proceeded. ITS my plan
to outline for you the way think
Joan Kent was murdered. And
please don't hesitate to interrupt
me if yoa think I'm wrong on any
point. We're trying to get to the
bottom of this murder and of
second murder"
The tension in the room in
creased when he said that. Each
person, without moving, seemed
to stiffen, and from that moment
on Dirck held their absorbed at
tention.
ITO make it simple" he said,
resting on the edge of the desk,
well call the murderer Jones.
He murdered Joan Kent deliber-
ately. 1t was premeditated and
circumstance made it favorable
on Monday evening. We can fig
ure out the motive later. Anyone
could have entered the house on
Monday evening, so we won't 60
into that. I'll start at the time be-
tween 1l:G6 and HAS. When Miss
Howarth knocked on the door to
Joan Kent'S apartment, Jones was
inside. He had already murdered
the girl and was, | believe. leaving
by the window" f.i.''
Dirck turned to Adrianne Wells.
"Did you look down the stairway
any time earlier that evening? !
mean before you saw Harry Kin
caid"
Without any hesitation Adri-
anne said she had looked down
once before and had seen. me
when | knocked on Joan's door.
&lk AGSl sic NOAAd ORCoh VIC ~ 6SAA
without being afraid. snt
We'll" Dirck said, before Miss
HoWarth knocked on the door and
called out to Miss Kent she heard
the window being raised. So Jones
didn't leave by the window be-
cause he was frightened BY the
time she knocked he was out of
the window and sliding down the
drainpipe at the side of the house"
He looked up. How about you.
Kincaid?" he said. did you see
anyone coming out of the side
yard as you came in the house
that night?"
Kincaid shook his head and a
Surly expression crept over his
face as Sergeant Long entered the
room. The Sergeant nodded briefly
and stood just inside the door, mo-
tioning Dirck to go on.
Very Simple
AND Dirck continued. at was
livery simple" he said quietly.
There were people continually
going in and out of the house and
Jones took pains to unlatch the
street door so that anyone might
have entered the house without a
key. While Jones was in Miss
Kent's room he locked the door
and took the key so that the MUIR
der would not be discovered I'M
mediately. Sometime later Jones
returned by the stairway and UNI
locked the door to make his exit
confusing to the police. / am GER
tain that if Jones had heard Miss
Howarth try the door, only to
find it locked. he wouldn't have
come back to unlock it. We could
tell quite definitely by that, that
the window was used as the exit.
Dirck's audience remained
breathlessly silent. / was a little
afraid of what he was doing. Was
he going to try to bluff someone
into confeSSing?
Jones'" he went on slowly,
could have been anyone who
knew Joan Kent at all well. She
admitted that person to her room
at a fairly late hour that night.
Her refusal to see Mr.. Lathrop
was explained by the letter she
left behind. When Mr.. Kincaid
knocked at her door she was al
ready dead. However, Jones was
allowed to come in. he gave her
the necklace and she accepted it
or she wouldn't have been at the
dressing table trying it on, Actu-
ally it was very simple. the cir
cumstances could prove that any
one of number of persons might
be guilty."
l followed Dirck's gaze around
the room; his eyes fingered on