The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-08-01
Chapter IS
tJekyn And HYDE

JekyH And Hyde
WITHOUT speaking Lenore set
w tied In the seat Just vacated
by Rose. His face hardened, dark
sned; his long fine hands showed
white where the fingers gripped
the steering wheel. He set the
tram rolling toward the end of
the line a few blocks ahead.
When his passengers had dis
embarked, while he waited for
the seats to fill again, he said
without looking at her:
"And now that you've found
me, Lenore?"
She asked for cigarette. Her
soft, white hands, red-tipped,
were quite steady, he noted. Her
tone when she spoke was amused:
her eyes were not. "Just what sort
OF Jekyl and Hyde game are you
playing, Derek? It's rather ridicu-
!ous-what you are doing-isn't
it?"
mot to me-" He toyed with the
idea OF telling her he'd lost all his
money, but no, she could check
on that too easily.
The girl I saw you with,
them" she asked, lightly. "She
seemed rather a pretty little
thing, the flash / had of her. But
why all the elaborate mystery
of going to China? On, yes, have
friends at Malibu, too. They
thought it strange, to say the
least, that you paid up rent for
the entire summer. locked your
house, locked your car in the
garage, left a note on the door
and adventured off without a
word to anyone"
They would think it a lot more
strange. he thought, if they knew
he'd left every Identification in
his house, had wandered down
the beach in trunks at dawn;
brooded on the deserted sands for
hours, then plunged, unseen, into
cold surf, cherishing the bitter
knowledge that no one would be
sufficiently interested in him to
check passenger lists of boats to
China.
The seats were filling. Derek
stood up and went around the
little car to collect a nickel from
each passenger, making change
from the contraption fastened to
his belt. AS Lenore watched, her
frown of irritation deepened. It
was all too, too ludicrous!
Derek turned the tram around
and started back the crowded
walk, tootling his silly horn at
people in the way. I'll drop you
off at the Club, Lenore."
81 won't get off unless you
promise to come back later and
have dinner with me-"
mo"
'Then I can think Of nothing
more fascinating than spending
a hot Sunday afternoon riding
beside you. my dear"
A flush of angry annoyance
crept up under his bronzed skin.
Lenore was quite capable of max
ing a scene, he knew. A quite,
dignified scene-still a scene.
"You win" he admitted ungra-
ciously. "Pll call for you a little
after six"
He stopped the tram and let
her off, went on without comment
and did not glance back at her.
All afternoon he piloted his
car, unaware of the yellow sun
dappling the blue sea, of gaudy
beach umbrellas, Of noisy shout
ing children and sandwich
munching parents, aware only
that he must escape Lenore.
Foolish Questions
a 7 SIX o'clock, when another
"A driver relieved him for the re-
mainder of the evening, he went
to the Office of the beach trans
portation company, quit his JOB
without explanation and collected
his pay to date. Too disturbed
and restless to go home, he saun-
tered off down the beach, sat on
the sand watching fog obscure the
setting brilliance of the sun. re-
manned there until the chill OF
evening wind drove him back TO
the big red house. The clock in
the hall said eight.
Jan heard him and came down
stairs Il kept dinner hot for you
in the oven." she smiled. I'm
sorry you had to work so late.
You must be tired"
Surprisingly enough, he was
hungry. He savored the roast meat,
the brown potatoes and smooth
gravy. the crisp vegetable salad
she set before him. Coming into
the house he would have sworn
he couldn't touch food. His meal
finished, he lit a cigarette to &C
company his coffee, and looked
at Jan. She appeared drawn and
tired, he thought Too much care
on her too young shoulders. Lance
was behaving badly, he knew.
Roses new attitude of cynicism
was helping matters little. Norma
crept around as if she expected
laShing at any moment. Johnny
spent little time here since the
night he quarreled with Jan over
the party dress.
Ever think of taking a vaca-
ton, puSs?" he asked Jan now.
mo"
Foolish question number one.
Here's number two: What would