The Key West citizen., 1940-03-22
Chapter II
Dinner With DircIf

my eyes away from the dressing
table. .--.-.-.---.-e-. -
The portfolio was propped
against the wall behind the desk.
Dirck laid it on the bed, united
the tapes and brought out about
dozen drawings. They were all
done in charcoal, heads sketched
from casts. I looked at them
carefully.
well" / said, "in the first
place, Mr.. Kolff, this is the work
beginners are given in art school,
but it seems to me they are very
well DONE"
The drawings had been sprayed
70 keep them from smudging, so
the dates in the corner were
iegible. The last ones were beau
tifully dcne, so she had improved
a lot from the time she started.
"You think she had talent?"
Dirck asked eagerly.
I nodded. "Quite exceptional,
I should say. Why?"
And then l knew the reason
why he was so interested. Her
bother had said since she had so
little talent they'd decided, she
pshould give up art school. We
stared at each other.
Il can't see for the life OF me
what they would have gained by
doing a thing like that" he said.
"If her mother felt that the girl
needed restraining it seems like
a petty way of showing her au-
thority."
1 nodded. Mrs. Macdonald
didn't seem like that to me,
either" said.
'No," Dirck said slowly, "but
could have sworn that she was
frightened about something, yet
that would seem impossible. After
all, she is the girls mother"
/ looked at him sadly. "Dirck," I"
said. your illusions are all very
touching, but they don't mean a
thing. Home life isn't always
cream and roses"
You may be right" he said,
but he looked annoyed. "We can't
jump to conclusions"
l felt sure that he was trying
TO convince himself that Joan
Kents mother had nothing to do
with it. "She must have been
home last night" l said half to
myself, "even though Richard
didn't see her when he got in."
Dirck dug in his pocket for his
pipe. Il talked with Richard. And
from all he told me, their mother
wasn't particularly dominating,
and yet"
How did she get along with
RichaFd?"
'Oh, fine. He said, though. that
he'd been home very little. He
went to Prep School and then to
college for a year. And this fall
he got a position with a broker
age house downtown, so he hasn't
lived home for a couple of years."
He broke off abruptly. "Chris, be
a good girl and wait a couple
more minutes. I've got hunch."
He dashed upstairs, so there
was nothing for me to do but take
my gnawing appetite back to my
own apartment.
During the day I didn't mind
the house, but now that it was
dark l felt depressed. The room
was Shadowy in the candlelight
and / felt uneasy. New York and
this house on George Street were
strange now, and frightening. |
was glad when Dirck finally came
back. He closed the door behind
him and walked over to me.
II know ALL" he whispered, his
eyes cleaning.
Very Well Heeled'
I WAS pretty we'll sunk and
L practically starving. "All about
what?"
Mrs. Evans. I ran into her
while I was upstairs" His lips
twitched with laughter. "Her hus-
band. James Evans, for whom,
you might be interested to know,
her dog, is named. departed this
life eight years ago. But she
keeps in touch with him through
the medium of the spirit and he
has warned her several times that
there would be trouble in this
house"
l raised a skeptical eyebrow.
did she really tell you all of
this. Dirck Kolff, or are you
making it up?"
He nodded solemnly. 81 heard
much more, lot of which has
slipped my mind, except that he
owned a laundry and died, 1eav-
ing her, as you would say, very
well heeled."
Il never said that in my life.
And if she has money. why is she
living here?"
Dirck raised his eyes to the
ceiling. "The money has gone to
the four winds because she didn't
follow his spiritual advice about
investing it."
/ was annoyed. "The more l see
and hear of that woman the surer
am that she isn't quite right"
The Sergeant called to us from
the hall and Dirck opened the,
door.
Well" said the officer, with no
evidence of good humor, "that
man, Whitefield. doesn't know a
thing. I've been up there all this
time trying 70 get him to admit
that he heard some of the com
motion last night. He didn't hear
a sound, ! asked him if he was
deaf and he admitted that his left
ear gave him a little trouble
sometimes