The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-04-01
Chapter Is
Fright Of A Lifetime

A FTER they left untangled my
"A self from the blankets and
went on very uncertain legs into
the bathroom to mop off some of
the mud and change into fresh pa
jamas. When I finally got up cour-
age to look in the mirror | nearly
tainted again and reached hastily
for a lipstick.
They came back in about ten
minutes and by that time l felt a
little better. Dirck had glasses for
all of us. Two small ones for them
and a tumbler for me. He poured
me about half glass.
ITO be taken in quantity for
medicinal purposes" he said.
! grinned and slipped it slowly.
It picked me up quickly.
Richard built a fresh fire while
Dirck settled himself in the wing
chair opposite me and started to
explain what had happened.
1--WE were sitting up talking" he
said as he lighted a cigarette for
me, land l went to the window.
The room had gotten pretty warm,
so / opened one window a little
and glanced down in the yard, new
er expecting to see anything. But
there was someone wa kin G
around"
l took another sip of brandy.
'What did you do?"
Dirck picked up the story again.
Il crawled down the fire escape
trying to keep close to the house so
! wouldn't be seen, and Richard
went down through the house. We
thought between us we might cor
ner whomever it was. You see, al
though it wasn't very light in the
yard, was certain it wasn't a po-
liceman walking around down
there. Anyway. when passed
your window | gripped on the sill
to lower the ladder to the ground
and knocked your plant on the
floor. But l was going so fast |
couldn't come back when | heard
the crash and guessed what it
might be. The ladder had swung
back to this floor again. BY that
time there was no one in sight in
the yard. Richard came around the
side Of the house and we looked all
over the place. Then I saw you
and called. I'm frightfully sorry.
Chris"
"You gave me the fright of a
lifetime, Mr.. Kolff," l told him.
when there was no answer to my
signal on the pipe thought you'd
both been murdered in your BEDS"
II thought of that" Dirck said,
"but it was too late then to do any
good. was in the yard and Rich
ard was on his way downstairs"
'Didn't Sergeant Long say he'd
leave a detective on guard in the
shop"
Dirck nodded. 'He was sound
asleep. We looked in at him and
then l rushed up and found you on
the floor in the dark"
''How did you get in here, any,
way?" l asked him curiouSly. "You
must have broken the lock-"
He didn't answer me.
In the pause that followed he
and Richard stared at each other
and Dirck's face in the freight
looked strange.
"Dirck. tell me, how did you get
in?" l could hardly force the words
through my lips. And my hands
were shaking so badly had to put
the glass on the coffee table to keep
from dropping it.
He leaned forward. your door
wasn't locked, Chris" he said
quietly.
Like A Meringue'
TOR moment had to press my
n hands over my mouth to keep
from screaming. 'Dirck, it was" l
painted. Il locked it when l went
TO bed"
He shook his head with a faint
smile. "You must have thought
you did," he said.
81 know il was locked. The night
before it stuck, but tonight it
locked perfectly. ! tried it a couple
Of times to be sure. And no one
could have unlocked it. l felt the
key in the door"
simultaneously our eyes turned
towards the door. There was no
key in the keyhole. It was on the
floor a few feet away. could see
IL shining in the light.
Dirck stiffened. 81 wouldn't wor-
~ about this" he said, and l
knew he was forcing his voice to
sound casual. perhaps the lock
didn't catch, and when we opened
the door the key fell out"
I nodded slowly, trying to ac-
cept his explanation, but / knew
IL wasn't true.
snow listen to me, lady" Dirck
said. "Pm sure nothing more will
happen tonight. But the most dam
Rerous points in this house are the
two apartments on the fire escape.
yours and Richards"
interrupted him. II never knew
that fire escapes were regular
boulevardS before. A man came
down last night right after I moved
In and nearly scared me out OF my
wits"
Richard ierked around on the
stool. when was that? You can