The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-01-11

I-of chivalry, I suppose" Kirk
answered. "Just a gesture"
what the hell do you mean.
just a gesture?" Lieutenant Greg
DRY demanded angrily.
Kirk gave him look for look
and suddenly Kinks own eyes
were full of a reckless, smiling
deviltry. Effect of the old South.
you know. This house. White col
umns. M agnolias, Hospitality.
Haven't you felt it too, Officer?
Rather dying out down here. Too
bad"
'He drunk. Mr.. Dodson," said
Bill.
mo, he's not drunk" declared
Lieutenant Gregory. Roberts, put
the handouts on him"
mo, mol" Claire cried, as Rob-
erts laid down his notebook, stood
up and reached into his coat
pocket. And mo" someone else
said.
cts all foolishness," Bob add
ed. Il killed Eve Benedict. After
all, nobody had a better motive.
She had it coming to her and I'm
not sorry"
As we all sat there in a sort of
stupefied silence. Lieutenant
Gregory said, -Four confessions.
This is carrying politeness little
too far"
Bob remarked, as casually as
though he were really seated in
movie theater, well, this seems
to be where / came in. Shall we
be going?"
EYES," Lieutenant Gregory be-
gan. we'll all go to the tower
and" 9.t af
Then three things happened in
such rapid succession as to seem
also simultaneous. Although no
one in the room appeared to
move, the door to the hall opened,
all the lights in the house went
out and something whizzed past
overhead and came to rest with a
sort of thud in the wall above the
mantel.
There were screams and NUT
tered curses and general confu-
5lOlA 1S VIC dl1 (ClltC " jill 1CGb
and milled about in the dark. l
grabbed Bill and held on to rim
and Lieutenant Gregory yelled
out to Roberts to "catch him." But
Roberts, at the door, shouted back
that no one had gone past.
Then somebody struck a match
and somebody else struck one and
candles were lighted. Roberts
touched with an experimental fin
ger the button of the electric
switch at the door and the light
came back on in spite of the fact
that the hall and library remained
dark.
"Look above the mantel." Mr..
Dodson commanded.
We all looked. There, stuck in
the canvas of Uncle Fred's por-
trait, right through that fierce old
gentleman's beard, was a feather
tipped dart, similar to the one
that had killed Eve Benedict.
Still Prisoners
WELL, that ties it." snarled
w Lieutenant Gregory, when
he saw the dart buried in Uncle
Fred's beard. First, we have a
murder when only the house.
party guests are present. We have
another when the police are in the
house. Now, third is attempted
when the entire group-and the
police -- are gathered in one
room"
"But nobody in this room could
have opened the door and turned
out the light" Roberts objected.
"They might have thrown the
dart. but they couldn't have
opened the door. | was right here
and I'd have seen them"
"And I'd have heard them,"
said MIR, Dodson conclusively.
There was no unusual movement
in the room before the door
opened and the light was turned
out. couldn't be sure about just
afterward, for everybody began to
shift at once and sounds were all
mixed up. Somebody in here pos
sibly could have thrown that dart.
Or 1t could have been thrown
from the hail.
Then what are we waiting
for?" Lieutenant Gregory de-
manded, with the anguish of a
bull who finds himself tethered
in china shop. Roberts, Ander-
son, nothing to do but search the
damned place again. I'm going to
telephone for more men. I'll get
TO the bottom of this if have to
call out the national guard"
Anderson and Roberts, with
drawn revolverS, were already
outside the door and Anderson
shouted back from the drawing
room that the light there and in
the hall had only been switched
off and that nothing was wrong
with the current Apparently who
ever turned out the library light
had first turned out all the others,
and reaching in to press that but
ton had been able to step back
ward into dark cloak Of invisi.
hility
Guess we might as well lend
a hand, too" Kirk suggested.
How about it Lieutenant" he
asked. as the diSgruntled officer
paused in the doorway do we 60
or stay2 mean, as a confessed
murderer, do I have the run of
the premiSes?"
You're all getting big kick
out OF those confessions, | guess"
Lieutenant Gregory observed sur,
lily. No. everybody STAYS in this
room until the place has been
thoroughly searched. Mr.. Mar
Sh9N l hold you responsible for
the presence OF everyone until
have had time to telephone for
relnforcenlents. Ought 10 be some
body here from the solicitor gen
ag>nFa mRaMn