The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-09-13

41G SOl1t4C1 SAGpL1Gdl. 2NO, Go1l y
say that we have. We had a wire
from his people this morning
his mother and father in Brook
lyn. The address was among his
papers and we notified them last
night. Early this morning, rather.
Soon afte- we found him. They
want the body sent home"
'The devoted servants" San
dra breathed softly. 'aThey would
have followed him to the ends of
the earth"
It sounded like a bad radio
drama. Was 1t possible that San
dra believed all this stuff? Didn't
she know that everyone who
came out of Russia during the
revolution was at least a grand
duke? And there was that child
ish joke about BERTHE Wooster
that Gerald had perpetrated last
night, and Ivan's outrageously
phony British accent. He had
never seen Oxford; thought it
unlikely that he had ever seen
the British Isles.
There was a short pause, then
Adam spoke regretfully.
81 had hoped you could help
us. You see, it seems such a point
less crime. There's no motive"
isn't there?"
My flesh crawled a little at that
fiat, emotionless voice. She might
as well have come right out and
accused JEFF. Did she really be-
lieve he had killed Ivan? Could
any woman marry man she be-
lieved to be murderer?
Adam chose to ignore the i'm
plicaticn.
well, you see," he said
smoothly, hardly anyone here so
much as knew him. Colonel Pen
nant says he had never seen the
man; Mimi thought she might
have met him once at your apart
ment, but she couldn't be GER
tain; JEFF says he had only the
most casual acquaintance with
him. Now as a rule a crime like
murder presupposes a strong mo-
tive. I wonder-you say he had
powerful friends. Had he any
enemieS?"
Spies
ALL highborn Russians have
"A enemies" she said gran
diosely. "But il you mean one of
them killed him, that's impoSsi-
bic. They are all abroad-com-
nIIniSt agents SDieS"
1--WE have spies and communist
agents in this country too, you
know" Adam said dryly. "And
not all in books, either"
But not here, on a Middle
Western army post" She sound
ed amused.
"Why not? Maybe you read in
the papers about a recent case
that involved an enlisted man at
Mitchell Field?"
mo. No, / didn't see that"
There was a short pause, dur
ing which she seemed to be di-
costing this information, for
when she spoke again she sound
ed less certain, less in command
of the situation.
IL can't believe that. You're
lust trying to find an excuse,
aren't you? Aren't you? Oh, l
know how it is in the army
protect the personnel at all cost.
| Especially when it's a civilian
who gets killed. All this talk Of
spies! You don't believe that, do
you? Do you?"
But there was no question in
my mind that she sounded wor-
ried.
Adam was silent under this
shrewd counterattack. Perhaps he
was remembering the talk we
had had before she came in. But
he would not ask her what she
| meant, at whom she was limiting.
And by marrying jeff she had put
herself in a position where she
| could not come out openly and
accuse him. If that was what she
wanted to do. And ! was becom-
ing increasingly more certain that
| il was.
eff you are in possession Of in
formation discriminating to any
one, regardless of the person, it
is your duty to report it" he said
stiffiy. Her attack had been
shrewd, but she had lost ground
! with Adam by implying that he
would evade his duty. AS / may
have remarked, Adam is a man
of principle.
1--WE told you all I cam" she
said, and with that equivocal re-
Spouse put a period to the inter-
view. / heard her rise and take
her departure.
I came out of the bedroom
holding my fingers apart to let
the enamel dry and found Adam
standing in the middle of my sit
ting room staring at the floor. /
asked him for a cigarette and he
| placed one between my lips,
struck a light and held it for me,
but all with the same air Of alb
straction.
II was going to ask you to have
supper with me-" he said abrupt
ly. "But l can't now. I've got to
see to things. I've decided to take
the body Last.
Couldn't som cone else do
that"
"Yes, but / want to talk to that
pair-those devoted servants"
Surely you don't believe that
tale?"
1T isn't a question Of what !
believe. It could be true. Sandra
obviously thinks il is. And for
some reason or other ! threw an
awful scare into her when /
talked OF spies. want TO find out