The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-01-05
The Cree JfiG: Man
!. by Fronees Shelley Wees :

Shelley Wees
| that this contretemps did not arise
sooner"
"Have you any definite sugges-
tons to offer. Mr.. Deane?"
He hesitated the merest second.
His hands, Michael noticed, were
shaking, What was it jameson had
said? when he gets excited. his
hands shake"
"Ihave," he said after a moment.
II should suggest that you ques-
ton his wife closely-very closely.
Ask her, for instance. wherenshe
was the night he disappeared"
"She has already said that she
went to bed at half past ten"
"She has? Then I should chal-
lenge that statement. ! happen to
know that she was not"
"Where was she, Mr.. Deane?"
He purSed his lips. II do not
wish to make trouble for her. all
though if she has murdered her
husband she must expect trouble"
He spoke of murder as if it were
as ordinary as cooking dinner.
eyes | will tell you-that night
at midnight, saw her getting into
a car that stood over near the side
Of the mems residence"
"You do not know who was driv.
ing the carr" ....
81 do not. 1t looked like a taxi
cab"
"She was alone?"
81 cannot say. doubt it. She is
rarely =. alone" There was sub
tie insult in his tone.
How was she dressed?"
"She had on a long dark coat.
That is all l can say"
Gordon emerged from the back
Of the tent. II got it all DONE" he
said gruf1y. dt
"HdUe it all DONE" Deane said
sharply. He swung on his heel.
"You will not mention that have
given you this information, Mr..
Forester" 1t was a command.
Michael did not reply. Deane
said Good night" and walked
with short, quick steps into the
house.
Missing
4 T TEN o'clock that night Devoe
came over to the Forester
home in state of tense excite
ment.
'My mother is missing" he said
to Michael, who answered the
door. eve are very worried. Can
you help us to find herr"
"How long has she been miss
ing?"
"Since just after dinner. Marie
and | were drinking our coffee in
the living room. Mother said she
had headache not to be Won
dered at -" he said bitterly. "And
we thought she was in her room.
But she is not in her room. She is
gone"
"Where do you think she is?"
"She has been going for walks
in the wood great deal lately
think that is where she is-some-
where in the wood But cannot
think why she should remain
away from home at this time of the
night 1t is =" he wiped his brow.
The veranda light made his face
appear very pale. ut is very wor-
rying. We are having" he
paused. then looked full at Mi
chael. you will come and help me
find her? It may be that she is in
grave danger do not know what
to think"
Mr.. Devoe," Michael said cold
ly. Il was shot at yesterday Twice.
The bullets almost got me. |
wouldn't 60 out there in the wood
tonight to search for the Queen of
England | will call the police"
Not the police!"
Michael turned and looked at
him. us your mother missing or
is she not?"
She is"
Michael stepped back into the
hall, and lifted the receiver. His
call completed. he said to Devoe,
"Will you come in and wait? AS
told you, | will not venture one
step outside my own gate until
they come"
Without a word Devoe crossed
the threshold and sat in the chair
Michael indicated. 1t was only a
matter of minutes until the police
car slid to stop at the front door,
and six stalwart men in blue
stepped out. At the back of the
garden, in the shadows, two of
their fellows regarded them in
tently, but did not disclose their
whereabouts. 1t was their Job to
watch the Forester house. and
Michael went out into the wood
with the other men secure in the
knowledge that Tuck and Bunny
were well guarded.
The men spread out fanwiSe,
searching the wood for he miss
ing woman. Their flashlights flick
cred through the trees like great
glowwormS, and for half an hour
their whistles answered one an
other at short intervals. Then
there was one long blast on a
whistle, and thereafter silence.
For they had found her. Not far
upstream from Gordon's hidden
cave, she lay quietly in the shad-
owS, and did not answer when the
man who stumbled over her gave
a startled exclamation.
The burly officer who knelt be-
side her touched her with careful
hands. He saw the pearl handle of
the penknife protruding from she
cold left hand over her heart, but
he did not touch it.
Suicide" he said calmly.
Michael turned sharply to the
shivering man beside him. In the
beam from the flashlight Jared
Devoe was pallid and the great
dropS on his forehead looked like