The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-03-19

valuableS you're afraid might be
stolen" he added with a twinkle.
IF had any valuables," ! said.
II wouldn't be living in this
neighborhood. Painting water
colors isn't as lucrative as it used
to be. I'll leave the door unlocked,
but I'm glad Taylor fixed up my
will before he left" ~
Don't be morbid"
ITS because haven't had any
lunch,"' | said sadly. They're
pretty strict about letting us out
Of the house"
my darlingI" He got up. I'm
sure" he said as he poked through
his oVercoat pockets, "that I'VE
got something in here for you"
| Chocolate cake maybe, or
chicken sandwiches" said hope
fully.
He beamed as his hand struck
something. He threw me a pack
age. 1t was throat lozenges. !
threw them back.
"Sit tight" he said. I'll run in
and talk to the girls in the front
apartment, and then we'll. feed
you lavishly." He opened the
door. "By the way, which one
was l to fall for?"
IF you have any taste at all
in girls or like very interesting
shade of red hair. you'll know
which one"
Through The Window
WHEN Dirck finally did come
w back to my room it was
after five and dark outside. / was
sitting by the window. feeling at
low ebb, with only the candle for
light. I'd put the spare bulb in
the bathroom to battle and dress
by. though l didn't have the
energy to do anything about it.
Dirck said he'd been up to see
Richard Macdonald. but before
he had time to come in and tell
me about it the Sergeant came
upstairs and Dirck followed him
into Joan Kent's apartment.
"All he can do is throw me
out" he said cheerfully as he left.
But he wasn't thrown out. and
in a couple of minutes he called
me in. The Sergeant was leaning
at a perilous angle out of the
window. He motioned to Dirck to
close the door to the hall and then
turned to me.
Think carefully now" he
said, very much excited. "After
you went back to your own apart
ment last night, did you hear the
door of this room, or any door, be-
ing opened or closed?"
mo. I didn't. I'm sure / would
have heard it, too, because l stood
inside of my own door trying to
lock it."
did you hear anyone in the
hall directly after that?"
mot for about twenty minutes.
Then ! heard someone come up
stairs. 1t must have been the man
| who came into my apartment.
After he left / heard the quarrel
ing, and after that someone else
came up from the first floor"
"That must have been Miss
Rogers, the pretty red-haired
girl" Dirck said. "She said she
got back about twenty past
twelve"
The Sergeant sat down in a
large chair by the window. God,
I'm tired" he said. resting his
feet on footstool. Nov. Kolff,
what I can't understand is, when
the murderer could so easily have
left by the door, why you should
think he left by the window. I'm
still convinced that he waited
until the coast was clear and then
left by the stairs. There were no
footprints in the snow outside,
because that fool ianitor turned
up in time to clean the snow out
of the side yard and the path to
| the garage this morning. If your
idea is right, there would have
been footprints. But I still stick
to the stairs"
Dirck shook his head slowly
and the Sergeant scowled.
He might have opened the win
dow" he went on, so that the
/ body would get cold and make it
hard to determine when the muir
der was done. AS a matter of fact,
the girl was in her nightgown and
ready for bed. Maybe she opened
the window herself"
/ ut was too cold" Dirck said.
Il don't think she'd have opened
1t until she was ready to get into
bed. She'd have hardly been sit
ting there with the wind blowing
over her and only a thin silk
dressing gown on over her night
dress"
The Sergeant regarded him
sourly. "It would take an athlete
to get out of the window and
swing down to the court"
Il don't think So" Dirck said.
The only difficulty to my mind
was doing it with gloves on. 1t
made it hard to get grip on that
| drain pipe"
/ We'll. wen try it out. I'll get
| Norton and maybe can prove
my point" the Sergeant said as he
left the room.
| Dirck was busy making some
calculations on a piece of paper,
so | looked around the apartment.
It was lovely room, perfectly
furnished and arranged. You
could get a pretty clear idea of
the girl from her things: the duh
i blue rug, the chintz- covered
chairs, bowl of moss roses. now
| wilted with the cold, on the drop
| leaf table and on the low coffee
table in front of the couch COLI
lection Of funny little carved
i wooden dogs Poking out from
low tootstool were pair Of small
brown suede pumps. their round