The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-01-13
Chapter "A
CoOped Up

COPON ~
GIT seems to me-" Mr.. Marshall
Il went on, "that there's no fur
Their use holding everyone here
for somebody to take potshots at
them with these-er-dartS or tC
strangle them on stairWays. / ad-
nit / don't feel any too safe my
self. Wouldn't it be the sensible
plan to let us all go back to town
and you take over the place for
as long as necessary? We can be
reached at our respective homes.
/ assure you that nobody Will
make any attempt to escape. IL
feel that / can be just as respon.
sible as though we remain here"
Sounds like a sensible idea to
me-" said Bill. This place has
been searched a dozen times al
ready and no results. I'll stay here
with you if necessary, but see no
reason for further inconvenience
for everyone else"
"But ] won't let you stay" !
shuddered. unless l stay, too"
Everybody, white-faced and
some of us more than a little
shaky, looked hopefully at Lieu
tenant Gregory. The servants,
quiet now in their little huddle,
added a petition. please, Mr.. Po-
liceman." implored Thomas. lust
let us get out O. here alive"
For a long moment Lieutenant
Gregory stood there and it was
something to see the look of in
decision on that usually deter
mined face.
NO" he said finally. you can't
60 yet. ! was ready to call things
of and 60 to town. But Mr.. Dod-
son insisted on his pretty little tea
party. And where does it land us?
One OF you confesses and then
everybody else says. oh. no, she
couldn't be guilty l did it with
my little hatchet.' Everybody so
polite. Everybody so ready to say
II was all his fault. Or maybe
everybody decided if they would
Just confess right quick, we'd have
TO shut UP shop and go home.
"Well," he announced, 1--WE are
not going to. Maybe those confess
sions were just a little leg pulling
to break up the show. 1t may be
that somebody on the outside did
open the door and turn out the
lights. Maybe, he even threw the
dart. But somebody in this house
party knows who 1t was. Maybe
you all know. All these wholesale
confessions look like it. And I'm
going to clean things up before
arybdy leaves this place. I'm tired
OF all this funny business" And
with that Lieutenant Gregory
stalked from the room. A few
minutes later we could hear him
growing into the telephone.
Bob closed the door and turned
the key in the lock. Feel little
safer that way" he said, with an
attempted grin. ANDREW. lock that
other door, please. AS least we
can make the police knock when
they want to come in"
Exhausted
THERE was nothing TO talk
4 about or there was too much
to talk about. For what is there to
say to four people who have all
confessed themselves guilty of the
same murder?
Besides. we had all been under
severe nervous train for nearly
twenty -four hours. We had strug-
.gled to maintain an outward APP
pearance of casualness but that
was no longer possible. | was tired
even of trying to think.
III Alice were guilty of Ewes
murder. had she killed Aunt Mag
gle too2 Had Alice really seen
something on the stairway before
she tainted? And even though
Ephraim conceivably might have
killed Aunt Maggie or any one of
us have killed Eve, who could
have opened the door and turned
out the lights while we all sat to-
gether in this room? And last. but
somehow puzZling too, where was
Plutarch? That luxury-loving ami.
NAL would never have remained
out of doors.
So we sank into the lethargy of
waiting. Once | reused myself
sufficiently 10 ask MIR. Dodson,
Are we going to find out any,
thing before we are all muir
dered?"
He smiled. Il don't think that
dart was really meant for any,
body he said. unless perhaps
for Gregory or me. | think il did
Just what il was intended TO do. at
least to an extent. That is, il has
broken up the meeting, But IL its
purpose was 10 persuade Gregory
TO 60 back to town, it doesn't
seem to have succeeded very
] don't know how Tong We sat
there before Lieutenant Gregory
finally came back and told us we
could have the run OF the house
but not 10 so outside. ! must have
slept finally, slumped on the sofa
with my head against Bilrs shout
der. for know /; took me a mo-
ment or two 10 reorganize things
when l heard Lieutenant Greg
oryss voice.
He hadn't appreciated the hui
NOR In locking out the police. And
they had found no one in their
kaArch az the holiSa o~ S~ro,,pds