The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-01-16
Chapter Al
Sinister Visitors

sinister Visitors
COULD this explain Alice,s
~ ghost? Had the kidnaper, per-
haps afraid to replenish the fire
and also afraid that his prisoner
might develop pneumonia and
die, gone foraging for cover and
used the down comfort as a dis
guise IN which to escape from
/ shuddered as / pictured him
on his search for that extra COW
erlng. Stealthily turning door
knobs in the night until as last he
found one that yielded to his
touch. Suppose our bedroom doors
had not been locked? Would he
have invaded them and what
would have happened, had he
been discovered? 1t was all too
horrible TO think about.
Mr.. Brannen," / called softly,
then more loudly, but he did not
stir. shook his shoulder, but he
only moved restlessly and num-
bled something that / did not I'M
derstand. Gradually, the cause of
that heavy breathing began to
dawn on me. He had been
drugged.
In the act of tearing away the
tape from his eyes, | withdrew
my hand. Should the kidnaper re-
turn, undoubtedly it would be bet
ter for him to find his prisoner
as he had left him. Conscious, Mr..
Brannen might be able to help me
plan some method of escape, but
so long as he slept that terrible
sleep there was no hope of any
assistance. t
Walking back around the
screen. ! spied, by the light of the
fast-decreasing candle, a piece of
green paper on the floor near the
table. 1t had jagged edge and
was no doubt the piece from
which the scraps had been torn
for the notes planted in our bed
room. 1t was all beginning to fit
together. The jigsaw puzzle made
up OF scraps OF paper and scraps OF
silk.
Could the kidnap notes have
been written on this same sort of
paper? Was that why Lieutenant
Gregory had regarded with such
interest the notes we received and
why he had refused to answer
questions about them? If so, it was
no wonder he had gone after Bill
so relentlessly.
Picking up the paper with the
tips OF my fingers, ! carried it
behind the screen and showed it
under the cot. Perhaps there
would be fingerprints on it, even
though there had been none on
the notes themselves.
But what to do? Plutarch
seemed to feel the same way, for
he looked at me questioningly.
Then / noticed that he was sniff
ing at a milk bottle full of water
which stood on the floor with
cup turned over it. So thirsty that
i forgot all about fingerprints or
germs, l poured myself a drink
and then filed the cup for Plu-i
tarch, who Tapped greedily, stop
ping now and then to look up at
me with that same questioning
look in his eyes.
YES" I said, 81 know. it is Mr..
Brannen's cup, but maybe we will
be out of here before he needs to
use II again" Plutarch switched
his tail and we moved together
into the open part of the room.
The candle was almost burned
Nat 1xx
matches. Although kindling and
wood lay on the hearth, I did not
dare make a fire, for fear of its
effect on the kidnaper. In the back
Of my mind was the thought that
when he came / might be able to
escape by hiding under the stair
way and watching to see how he
opened the trap door on the way
out.
But why on earth hadn't / tried
20 find the opening while there
was enough of the candle to guide
me? And, I realized sickeningly,
1t was possible that in my preoc-
cupation with exploration I had
failed TO hear footsteps il they
passed along the landing above
the stairs.
Standing there, completely dis
Outraged, admitted to Plutarch
that I was the worlds biggest
fool. My ankle. forgotten until
that moment, began to broadcast
uncomfortable twinges. Panic was
crowding close again.
Oh, well, I would 20 to the
stairway and listen, sitting in the
dark and boarding my infinitesi-
NAL bit of candle and the three
matches. Every now and Their !
would call for help. If no one
came finally, / would still have
the matches and scrap of candle
10 light me back to the room,
where l would make a fire. Sure
fy next day someone would see
the smoke and try again to find
me. Beyond that. my thoughts did
not dare 10 travel.
AS / reached the brick passage
leading from the room 10 the
stairs. q faint slit of light told me
that the trap door was being
opened. But silently. Not as n res
cuer comes. with shouts and reas-
suranceS.
Shrinking back inside the door
way as the slit widened. I tried
% tell myself that II was all right.
But / knew that IL was not, and as
I heard footsteps descending the
stairs hastily blew out the can
die and hid myself behind the
screen. realizing that | was fol-
lowing blind instinct and that my
hiding place offered no real pro-
lection.