The Key West citizen., 1940-12-13
Chapter 19
On The Hunt

"OH," said Claire, q was going
~ to suggest last night before
before anything happened, that
we look for the secret room to-
day. Il would have been such fun,
such q grand way to spend a win
ter Sunday in the country. We
could have offered a reward to
the winner"
Sally" Kirk approved. that's
an idea. We might make more
progress If we Just tried to find
the room itself. without looking
for a clue to guide us"
More than once / have mar
veled at the drama that can be
introduced into any atmosphere
simply by the entrance of beau
tiful woman. and when two men
present are both in love with her
1t is seldom they can agree on
even the most insignificant de-
tails. So was not surprised when
Bob said, "Oh. l don't know. Have
any of you stopped to consider
that there may not be a secret
room?"
what do you mean?" de-
manded.
well. think of all the changes
that have been made in the house
since it was built" he said. Part
Of the back hall has been con-
verted into breakfast room. The
basement has been changed.
You've torn out that partition
which separated the double par
lors. And. Sally, haven't | heard
you say that this entire third
floor was originally a ballroom.
with stage al one end for mu-
sicians or amateur theatricals as
occasion demanded?
"And there's another thing TO
consider" he went on. as nodded
my head. I've noticed that the
walls of this house are at least
three feet thick and that all the
chlmneys are incloSed. That
means. except where there Is a
recess on each side of the CHM
ney. that there is a good deal of
space between walls. How do you
know that what was once the
secret room may not now be a
plain. everyday clothes or storage
closet, with no mystery about it
at all?"
"Of course. an architect would
think of AN that" | agreed. more
convinced than | had meant TO be-
'It seems TO me that this floor
we are on would be an ideal place
for the secret Toom," Bob con-
tinued. When was it cut up into
bedrooms. Sally?"
MY great great grandfather
built the house" ! said. "He was
middle-aged man when ne
came here from Darien, Georgia
I've always heard that it was my
great = grandfather who changed
the plan of the third floor. Some
relatives from Virginia were COM
ing to visit and more bedrooms
were needed. You know how peo-
pie came and stayed months in
those days"
$50 that explains it," said
Claire. 81 had been wondering
why most of the furniture on this
floor is Empire, while the rest of
the house is so definitely eight
eenth-century."
Seems to me it fits perfectly"
said Bob. "The chronology, ]
mean. Aunt Maggie said your
grandparents didn't know the To-
cation of the secret room. That it
was lost between generations"
But if there was not a secret
room. the bottom dropped out of
all my theories with regard to the
murder. | was getting ready TO
say that perhaps he was right and
then quietly follow my own in
clination. when Claire spoke up
again.
"Oh. LET'S look, anyway" she
urged. THAT is, if it is all right
with Sally. We might find some
thing. We can sound walls and
push panels and examine closets
and all that sort of thing"
"All right" Bob agreed, too
much his amiable self to argue
further. But. you know, Aunt
Maggie didn't say she had found
the room. She only said she
thought she had found a clue.
However, we may as we'll look.
We've got to do something while
We wait for the police to come
and take US all off in the patrol
wagon"
Eve Again
I COULD see that Alice did not
i relish Bob's facetious reference
to the police. But why couldn't
she try to understand that Bob
and the rest Of US were only try
ing to do the best we could in a
difficult situation? / was begin
ming to be little fed up with her.
this feeling aggravated by her
very appearance Of futility.
On the other hand, one always
felt that even without beauty or
money Claire would still present
a smart appearance, for she uses
sense about her clothes as she al
ways has about everything else.
Except Bob, perhaps.
Claire said. well. let's be of.
How shall we 20 about it7"
Lets divide into crews as we
did last night" suggested Bob.
"Claire and I can start in the