The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-01-17
Chapter 48
The Shot


know he may not hear?"
"All right, Buddy, all right. But
what / can't see is what you want
ed to do the old gal in for?"
Hell, I told you she was on the
way here. She had found the key
that rhyme. I tried to dissuade
her. Tried to convince her it was
just a crazy riddle. But there was
no stopping her. She started to
scream. Then-then / did stop her.
And when 1 put my hands on her
there was nothing to do but
finish the job. Ugh"
Cant take it, can you Buddy?"
tainted Spike. eff you'd a'done
like was in favor of, we'dve
finished the old man off when we
brought him out here. Then when
we got the money, we'dve been
through. And everything safe. But
you wasn't goin' to have nothin'
to do with murder. No, sir. old
man Brannen was goin' to be took
care of. No blood ON your hands.
Well" he snarled, ''just look, at
'em now"
Damn you, Spike. I never
meant to kill anybody. If you had
done your part"
"Okay, Buddy, okay. But that
don't get us nowhere now. What
the boss sent me out here to get
is the ransom money. When the
police shell out, I'll take the dough
in and you can come on later and
get your cut when you've turned
the old man loose. Or you can just
leave him here for all care"
mo, you don't, Spike Sellers. l
take that money in myself or it
stays here in this safe. Nobody
else knows the combination"
Reckon the boss wouldn't have
no trouble getting a good safe
cracker out here" Spike remarked
confidently. Then his tone
changed, as though he might be
wheedling child. Buddy, you'll
get yours, all right. Maybe you
you don't know it, but you're on
a spot, right now. They amt been
able to pin nothin' on you yet, but
you can't tell. Somebody ought to
have that there money to take
care of it. The boss just"
I've got my own reasons for
holding onto that money. l don't
trust you and I don't trust your
boss. Your boss has something
that belongs to me. And he's going
to hand that over to me before
anybody touches that hundred
thousand"
$50 that's the way it is? Well,
get this straight, Buddy. I'm not
here to take no funny business.
Before / leave, you are going to
open that safe and hand over the
money. Then you can get on back
upstairs with your cronies and
the cops. When the coast is clear,
I'll do my fade-out. You can come
back later tonight and let out the
old man If you want to take a
chance on it. Just drop him here
in the yard if you are scared to
take him to the highway. My adj
vice is just to forget him..
Still leaving me all the dirty
work, I see."
We'll, who messed things up?
Who was it knew about this fine
hide-out? Secret room. House GO
in to be empty till summer.
Everything just swellelegant. Oh.
yeah? Who was it popped the old
gal off? Aw, hell, let's get gein'.
Come on now and open that safe"
This was the end. The hair lit
orally crawled on my head Could
! possibly slip around one side of
the screen as they came from the
other direction? But from which
direction would they come? Could
/ crawl under the cot? No. il was
too low, and anyway. they would
be sure to hear me. What could ]
do?
Murder Again
THEN / breathed again. The ar
Il gument was still going on. a. :.
told you ! wouldn't let anybody
touch that money until I've got
what belongs to me-"
you won't, eh. Oh yes, you
will. March, Buddy-Now. now,
don't be a fool. Fold up that gun"
Who's being a fool? You stay
here, Spike Sellers, as / told you
70, until the police are out of the
house. I'm going back upstairs"
One OF those long. quiet mo-
ments followed. punctuated by the
quick breathing OF the two men
on the other side of the screen.
Then there was a sudden move
ment, gasp and the writing,
rasping sounds of a struggle. They
were so close that I expected the
screen 10 be knocked down any
moment.
Something dropped to the floor
and rolled beyond the edge of the
screen, shedding an innocent little
pool of light in this inferno of
darkness. Did | dare grab for IL?
Luck was with me, for the wrest.
lers on the floor were too ab.
sorbed in their struggle to be
aware of anything else.
Nerving myself 10 make a dash
for the stairway, hoping with the
aid Of the fiaShlight to be able
10 locate the spring which would
open the trap door, ] was instant
" stopped in my tracks by the
sound OF a deafening explosion,
followed by a horrible groan.
With the smell of smoke and pow
der all about me, | waited in a
vacuum Of suspended animation 70