The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-04-03
Chapter q
Body In The Snow


IT CAN'T see why Mary Ann
would have been deviling
Joan Kent" Dirck said with a
frown. "All l know is, don't like
the girl"
why, Dirck? She's awfully
pretty and she seems nice"
Women like that, Miss Ho-
warth, are leeches," he said in
loud voice as he came over to my
chair.
Quietly, quietly, Mr.. Kolff. I
don't want the whole house to
know you're rooming with me" y
He grinned. 81 trust that I'm not
adding to your already frayed
reputation"
Couldn't we hang a blanket
between uS?" asked. II saw that
once in the movies and thought
it was enchanting.
Il dareSay it won't drown out
your snores," he said politely.
$50 why bother? Are you or are
you not going to bed?"
I'm not" I said firmly. when
the next person comes down that
fire escape l want to have both
feet on the floor ready to run.
Preparedness is my motto"
Stop smoking and put your
arms down. I'm going to tuck
you in"
He wrapped me up SO securely
in a heavy blue blanket that /
couldn't have moved an inch If
the murderer had given me ten
minutes notice.
Il hope l won't have to get up
for anything" | said very feebly.
He glared at me, turned out the
lights and curled up in chair by
the door. In two minutes he was
asleep, very obviously asleep. l
saved that up to tell him about in
the morning.
Instead of feeling tired, amaZ-
ingly was quite wide awake and,
putting Dirck firmly out of my
mind, I set out to solve the myS-
terry.
Joan Kent was murdered, and
by whom?
There seemed to be quite few
people who had motives of one
sort or another. 1t was surpriS-
ing that a girl of her age could
get so involved and so innocently
involved. at least as far as l
could tell
First of all. Harry Kincaid who
had obviously made himself OBJ
jectionable and had been forced
10 leave the house because Rich
ard had threatened to kill him.
MY theory was that he'd have
killed Richard, not Joan.
Then Adrianne Wells, in love
with Harry Kincaid and jealous
of Joan. Her actions were enough
TO send her to the gallows, but
would she murder anyone? I
could imagine her doing all sorts
of petty things, but hardly muir
der.
And what did little red-headed
Mary Ann have to do with it?
Richard apparently had some
thing against her and she'd been
annoying Joan. And then l re-
membered that Mary Ann said
she'd dropped in to see Joan that
evening of the murder. Since
Adrianne was up in Whiteheld'S
apartment no one knew positive
~ that Mary Ann had come home
and gone directly to her room. |
was one up on the Sergeant. He'd
never mentioned that, unless the
color of her hair automatically
removed all guilt.
Tim Lathropl He was very
much in love with Joan, but driv-
en- by his wife. And from all
heard about her she would stop
at nothing. Had she been up to
see jean more than once? Tim
had been up. too, and the girls
uncle. and Harry Kincaid, and
then for the first time I had a
vague bunch, but before could
pounce on it my mind refused to
work any more. I fell asleep
thinking vaguely of Toby and
Bermuda. A hodgepodge of coral
beaches, tennis shoes, white roofs
and bicycles. In the past twenty
four hours Toby had beaten
hasty retreat in my mind.
Something Wrong
A ND sleep l did. I could have
"A been strangled and not have
Weakened. Dirck told me later that
he called a dozen times, quietly
Of course, so as not to waken the
others in the house, before I final
" opened my eyes. It frightened
him. I must have been dreaming
because / seemed to be shut in a
dark closet with someone who
was trying to lock my arms in a
tight grip. And when / finally
came to and realized where I was,
Dirck was shaking me by the
shoulders.
Dazed as I was with sleep, l
knew something had gone wrong
In the dim light Dirck looked
tired. his face was white and his
eyes hollow. He motioned me not
TO talk as he unwrapped the
blanket and drew me towards the
window
/ stood beside him, Shivering
and bewildered, as he pushed the
curtain side and drew up the win
dow.
In the cold gray light Of that
winter morning ! saw a police
man standing at the corner Of the
house.
On the walk beside him
stretched a figure, a man,
sprawled grotesquely, one leg
doubled under his body. his fair
head lying in the darkly spread
ing stain on the snowy path.
At my side could feel the pres