The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-12-22
Chapter IS
The Fire

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"CEVEN people were killed in
- the fire" JEFF said, six of
the audience and one member of
the company. the juvenile. His
body was found In his dressing
room. And they found the door
to that dressing room locked. !.
from the outside. There was an
inquest, of course, and the cor
uner's verdict was death by some
person or persons unknown.
There wasn't a scrap Of evidence,
there never was, and the case
went unsolved. But il could
have been solved. There was a
witness. Eve North saw Clint
Bowers lock that door"
But, JEFF, why? Why did he
do it,"
"He was rather reticent about
the motive. II involved woman
who IS still living. No one knew
about that woman and Clint
Bowers but the Juvenile. He
tried blackmail. he worked
on both OF them, and when
neither could meet his demands
he threatened exposure. And he
meant il.
Bowers never thought of kill
ing the boy to protect himself
and the woman. He wasn't a
murderer :. not IN those days.
He thought there was no way
out
~But, then, between the acts
that night, a fire broke out In the
theater. II was none of Bowers
doing. A short behind the switch
board caused Il No one person
could actually be blamed. The
flames swept Through the drap-
cries and scenery and in a mo-
ment the place was filled with
empowering smoke.
Bowers slapped a wet cloth
across his face and rushed to the
dressing rooms. He found no one
in any Of them until he reached
the top floor. And there he found
his blackmailing friend cropping
Historically for his door. In try
ing to save his wardrobe, appar-
entity, he had waited a moment
too long; the smoke had got him.
Bowers took one step toward
him and stopped. If, instead of
leading him to safety, he shut
the door and turned the key! The
flames were gaining Roadway;
the entire theater would surely
be demolished. No one would
ever know that the door had
been locked. No one would have
seen him do it. So Clint Bowers
turned the key and rushed
out Of the theatcr.
He was wrong on both points,
of course. Eve North, trapped in
her dressing room at the other
end of the hall. had seen him
turn the key before she slipped
into Inconsistencies. overcome
by the smoke. Bowers hadn't
seen her, hadn't heard her gasp
for help.
"And consequently Eve was
left to burn 8. almost to death.
The firemen got to her in time,
but they didn't get to the iuve-
nile until Ii was too late. And
they did discover that the door
had been locked.
Nest Egg
ct DON'T know if Eve ever
Il knew why Bowers had
killed the boy. But that didn't
matter. She didn't have to pre-
sent the police with a motive to
have Bowers hanged She had
plenty; she had been an eyewit-
ness to the murder. But Eve
never talked. Perhaps her own
tragedy kept her quiet. Or per-
haps. even then, she was saving
her knowledge for a little nest
egg"
Jef stopped long enough to
beckon the waiter. I've got. to
have another drink; my threoats
parched. That damn fire" He
asked for another brandy and a
large glass of water. Now where
was II" he asked. 81 wasn't lis
tening to myself"
Eve knew Bowers had killed
a man and she kept quiet"
When she got out of the hos
pital. despite her SCARED back