The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-12-10
MADE Up TO KzLLB
Chapter IS
Bad For Tommy

the hook.
Your little roommate Aid
they Is she an riehtzp
l was running nv fingar 49,,
ne rs 70 find the Bristol Hotel
wished ferVeBtly that this taii
gray woman would let me alone
yet ! was borrowing her uhone
and 4 would have been dificnlt
% tell her to be quiet. / fo,,nd
the number at last, and dialed the
number. SO
Good afternoon, Bristol Ho.
tel, said a lifting female voice
tom Nelson. please, ouiekf"
There was a pause, then the
voice came again over the wire
still lifting. Sorry, Mr.. Melissa
has left word that he is NOT IN - -
disturbed" =
Hes got to be disturbed. I've
got to talk to him"
Sorry. Mr.. Nelson has left
word :"
Listen" ! said, and nv voice
was definitely not lifting s'this Is
important. Pm calling for ~
police. You ring Tom Nelson's
room and you ring it right awav .
! heard the buzzes then. short
impatient ones. l counted ten Of
them and ! jiggled the receiver
hook. viii you have him PACED
pieaseg ! asked when the qiri
answered.
The gray woman touched me
lightly on the shoulder. Her face
was worried and she was bffik1k
her LIP. This Mr.. Nelson you're
calling. Is ne a suspect2's
You bet your life he is / said
grimlv, holding the receiver
against my cheek.
You mean it's possible that he
mignt have tried to kin Miss
] nodded. ! could hear a bell
mop calling Mr.. Nelson at the
other end.
And his first name is Tom /.
"Yes. Tommy Nelson He was
IN our show"
She walked TO the window and
booked out into the street. There's
quite a crowd in front Of the rs
quador- Three police cars and
don't know how many policemen.
The operator at the Bristol was
back. Sorry. Afr. Nelson doesn't
seem TO be In the hotel Just now.
Is there any nsessage?"
4 hung up and started for the
door.
Wait q secondl Please. lust a
seconds" The woman was standing
with her back to the window.
grasping the siils with each hand.
and the knuckles shone white
through her bony fingers. /
stopped. She glanced out into the
street again, then back at me Her
lips frightened as she spoke. Il
think ! have some evidence
l looked at her sharply. Evil
oence2 You don't mean you saw
who fred that ghot?"
She shook her head. NO. no
Nothing like that. Nothing ike
that at all Why, I was was
IN my ktchenette when | heard
the shot, and when I ran 10 the
window there was no one there.
It's something else. something
=. / overheard"
~Overheard2 Where?"
In your apartment. One night
about two weeks ago. / was sit
ting IN that big armchair over
close by the wall reading And the
voices came out TO me very dis
tinctly. / had no intention Of lis
tenings absolutely none at all
Just happened to overhear, that's
all"
She blushed furiously as she
spoke and ] knew at once that she
hadn't happened to overhear any
thing. The woman was a chronic
eavesdropper. | thought of some
Of the rare and spicy tidbits she
could have picked up in my
apartment during the last year.
and / felt myself reddening with
her. For moment we must .hfEe
looked like couple of Indian
squaWs.
'eYour little friend, Miss BIah-
ton, was there. We've spoken to
each other several times ing4he
elevator and in the lobby and /
recognized her voice immediately.
The person she was talking to was
man whom she called Tommy.
That's why thought when ]
heard you calling
'Tn Kin You"
IVES. It was probably Tommy
Nelson. He's been up several
times"
Il don't believe that anyone else
was there because they were
aQuarreiingG Tommy and Ca
ooh, yes. Yes. quite violently.
They raised their voices AMI
talked very loud. That's why I
happened to overhear them. you
understand"
Yes, Of course
II couldn't hear all they said
because they spoke so fast. You
know how people do when they're
angry. But ! did hear one thing
and il worried me even then. Not
much, Of course. for people say
things they don't mean when
they're angry and their tempers
are aroused. But then. nothing
had happened to Miss Blanton
and I forgot about It. really"
She stopped and knitted her
bony fingers together, studying
them irfentiy. 81 thought II
wasn't any Of my business be-