The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-03-20
Chapter IS
Down The Drain Pipe

Down The Drain Pipe
IN a couple of minutes the Ser
L geant came back.
Il took a look at the drain pipe
from the side yard this afternoon, u
Dirck said. looking up from the
paper. THE metal clamps that
faSten it to the wall seem to be
strained loose"
The Sergeant nodded. That's
probably from weathering."
Then Norton came upstairs. He
seemed to me hardly the type to
try any stunts on drain pipe. He
was TALL but pretty heavy and he
seemed very clumsy as he crawled
out of the window and paved
around for a good grip.
We watched him breathleSsly,
and for the first few feet, except
he looked anything but happy, all
went well. Then before we could
even shout to warn him, there was
a grating noise and the drain pipe
and Detective Norton went crash
ing into the side yard. He hit a
snow bank, barely missing head
long flight down the steps of the
areaway into the cellar.
The Sergeant seemed to be con-
siderably amused. and when Dirck
rushed downstairs to help the de-
tective. | turned to him.
How you expected to prove
anything by that, | can't imagine.
That man Norton was too heavy"
Take it easy. Miss Howarth.
Maybe Kolff was right, but l don't
think So"
Well" | said, sit doesn't seem
necessary to half kill a perfectly
good detective to prove your
point"
Dirck came back and said that
the detective wasn't hurt, just
shaken up bit.
He's we'll padded" the Ser
geant said. And as for you, my
young detective. maybe the MUIR
derer did use the pipe, but you've
got to prove it TO me-"
Dirck ignored that. Such a
method of strangling," he said
slowly, must have taken time.
While the beads were being twist
ed around her throat she must
have fought. But no matter how
quickly it was done. there must
have been a few minutes of con-
seriousness and she could see her.
self in the mirror. The instrument
must have been blunt. You say it
didn't cut her neck"
Here's the note she left on the
desk, the Sergeant said. taking an
envelope out Of his pocket.
Dirck read it aloud:
~ couldn't talk tUith you to-
night because lUhdt haze TO tell
you Is too difficult TO say Father
IS al and | am Worried about
Richard. must 90 dlDdy and
can't 90 home. l'Ue caused you
nothing but trouble. She came
here again tonight Sometimes
IL seems as though Everyone
WOULD be happier if -"
Dirck stopped short and the Ser
geant SAID, "She must have been
interrupted, because the sentence
isn't finished and the paper was
turned on the desk with the writ
ing side down. Seems to be enough
IN that letter to give lot of work.
Who in hell is 'she'?"
Who was it addressed to?"
Dirck asked.
Tim Lathrop. There was no ad-
dress, only his name. so she wasn't
gong TO mail it."
DlrCk put the letter back in the
envelope. And Tim Lathrop can't
be located" he said slowly.
The Sergeant sat down in one of
the chintz- covered chairs. ITS a
funny case, however you look at
it." he said presently. 1.-The. thing
that gets me is, the girl and Rich
ard Macdonald were half-siSter
and brother and no one in the
house seems to have known it.
asked the maid and Mrs. Evans.
They were surprised to find it out.
And no one knew that Mr. Kimball
was Richards uncle, either. The
family is certainly mixed up. The
mother married twice :" He
stopped short. Say. how do we
know that her first husband isn't
mixed up in this?"
No Secret
DIRCK smiled slightly. 81 hard
II ly think he will trouble you.
Mr. Kimball told me he died years
ago"
The Sergeant looked Disguised.
We'll. tell me why they were SO
quiet about being related?" he de-
manded as he pulled a.cigar out OF
his pocket and lighted it.
II don't believe they deliber-
ately kept it secret. Richard Mac
Donald said they didn't mix with
the people in the house"
"All of these details are what
take time to go into and don't mean
a damn thing" The Sergeant
shifted and then turned, to. me
"That telephone call you answered
this morning came from a drug
store in Times Square. And the
detective |, sent out to bring in
Kincaid hasn't turned up yet"
The Sergeant seemed to grow
more FESTIVE by the minute. The
people in this case are scattered al
over everywhere, he said. %
spent half the afternoon trying t
round up Lathrop, and he hash"
been seen in his hotel since las