The Key West citizen., 1940-12-02

discover that 10 was only twelve
o'clock. So much had happened
since I looked at my wrist watch
at eight o'clock and decided that
dinner must be served at once,
lest Bob drink more than even he
could carry gracefully.
| Talking it over, we figured that
it must have been about ten
o'clock when Aunt Maggie was
discovered at the foot of the back
stairs.
Bessie and Andrew had not
finished clearing up when ! left
them in the kitchen" recalled,
"and-and found Aunt Maggie"
'T was In the powder room"
said Eve.
And at that everyone tried to
remember where he or she had
been at the particular moment
when the alarm first sounded.
Nobody, it seemed, had been
with anybody else.
Bill had taken Kirk to the
game room after dinner, but had
left him there for a few minutes
to 60 upstairs for the ping-Pong
net and rackets, which he had
failed to bring down earlier In
the evening. Alice was in her
bedroom on the second floor. Not
even the engaged pair were to-
gether.
81 was looking at those minia-
lures In the drawing room," said
Claire. There is one that looks
very much like you, Sally, but ]
suppose you know that"
Bob said briefly, 81 had gone
upstairs to my room for a mo-
ment."
But none of the three on the
second floor had come down the
stairs together. Andrew, who had
summoned Bill, had followed him
down the back stairs. Alice had
descended by way Of the front
stairs. Bob said he had seen her
below him in the hall when he
reached the landing.
Il heard someone behind me,
Alice affirmed. 'But I hurried on
without looking back,
'It must have happened when
l was right there in the powder
room," Eve said slowly, as though
| the idea had just occurred to her.
A puzzled look came into her
dark eyes, then her expression
cleared and she added, THAT
must be why I thought"
But as we all turned our atten-
ton full upon her, she broke of,
leaving the sentence hanging in
complete in mid-air. Thought
what?" Bob asked for all of us.
She laughed a little uncertainty
for one usually so belligerently
| poised. Nothing" she said. "Just
something l hadn't thought of be-
fore"
Death Watch
THIS did not strike me as in
l. any way significant at the
lime. 1 was too busy reSenting
Ewes intrusion at Wisteria Hall.
for it had just dawned on me
that except for her egotistical
dissertation on jade, which had
held me in the library, ! might
have reached the back passage
way IN time to prevent murder
Surely Aunt Maggie could have
been dead only a few minutes
when l found her.
Aunt Maggie had had her cof-
fee and had left us. The sweater
showed that she had returned to
4 her room and had probably meant
to spend the evening in the study
Certainly that had been her an
nounced intention. Something or
somebody had brought her down
stairs to her death.
These reflections on my part
were broken in upon by Bob. 81
know this is on everybody's
mind" he said, as he refilled and
lighted the pipe which appar-
emily had been a bone Of conten-
ton between himself and Eve,
land. Of course, we are all sad
because of Aunt Maggie's death.
She was really just like a mem-
Der of my own family. But, after
all. there is nothing we can do
about it tonight. So let's try TO
talk about something else. Or bet
ter still, why don't we 60 to bed?
Tomorrow is bound to be quite
a day for all of U.s."
Nobody was sleepy, of course.
But Bill added his approval to
Bob'S suggestion. There viii have
to be an investigation and prob
ably an inquest" he pointed out.
I'VE will all have TO answer queS-
tlonS as witnesses"
But that's Just the thing" said
Alice. There weren't any wit
neSseS. And. anyway, how can
anybody try to sleep with a mur-
derera running around loose? We
might all be murdered in our
beds"
81 figure we are probably safe
enough" said Bob. ''Why should
somebody make sure that we are
stuck here, with no means of out
side communication, unless he
wanted to make his own get
away?"
THAT sounds reasonable
enough" Kirk agreed. IF any
thing about the situation can be
called reasonable"
"Just the same" said Bill, 81
think III keep at least one eye
open"
Il was just getting ready to
suggest that we take turns at
sentry duty said Bob. "And III
be glad to take the first shift"
".Oh, Bob. must your" Alice
| objected.
"And why not, for heavens
sake?" he asked sharply, as
though his nerves had finally
worn thin from too much sisterly
clinging.
Both Bill and Kirk insisted also
that they would take the first
Shift. or remain I'D the rest of