Evening star., 1941-08-18

| wv. tliouSllO SuIc ~ was MI. 1IOy
and I couldn't figure out why be
walked up instead CT ridin with
me-"
"It was probably some one at the
wrong door"
mo, ma'am. 1t wasn't the wrong
door. Because he unlocked 1t and
went in. And closed the door be-
hind him."
"You Must Be Wrong"
Carol said impatiently, You must
be wrong. Jinx. There was no one
here when we came in"
| Then he musta gone out again."
Jinx was stubborn.
Are you sure, Jinx?"
Sure I'm sure"
Then why didn't you do some
thing about him?" / demanded.
What do you mean by letting
strange men run in and out of my
apartment?"
Il told you I thought it was Mr..
Troy"
I looked at jeff. DO you think
we had burglar? He couldn't have
been a very good one. Nothing's
missing that know Of"
Jinx said. You sure was lucky!"
After this, Jinx," I warned him.
you beat any man who tries to get
in here to pulp"
"Okay, Miss Rogers. G'night." /"
He started for the door. jeff
stopped him.
Wait a minute, Jinx. What did
this guy at the door look like?"
Like you. Sorta tall. Sorta thin.
You know"
What was he wearing?"
Regular clothes. Hat and coat"
What color hat and coat?"
We'll, sorta darkish. I couldn't
see good. On account of one of
the hall lights bein' out And L only
seen him second. But I think it
was darkish :. sorta, anyway"
Listen, Jinx, would you know this
fellow If you saw him again?"
Jinx considered. IF it wasn't you
-. nav, don't think SO. The light
| was
Lost Key.
"Okay, Jinx, thanks" JEFF turned
him. "Haila, I want you to think
back. Did any one at the theater
know that you were going to the
Scriveners' party?"
why why, any one could have
known, guess. talked lot about
It,"
did any one know that Carol
wasn't going: that she was coming
back here after the performance"
"Yes, suppose so. I kept coax
ing her to go all evening. I made
something of fuss about it and
Carol kept refusing"
And then try to remember this,
Haila, did you tell any one that
you =. yourself =. weren't going,
after alp"
'I no. No, I'm sure I didn't.
You called just as I was leaving
the theater. I decided that 1 didn't
want to go without you and rushed
down the street to catch up with
Carol We walked home together"
I saw then what jeff was getting
at. Carol knew, too, for she was
staring at him, her lips parted
| slightly and her hands clenched
around the brandy glass.
How many keys are there to this
apartment" JEFF asked.
| 1.-TWO. I have one and Carol has
the other"
Where are they2"
Mines in my purse. I used 1t
tonight when I came in.' I looked
in my purse just to make sure, and
I held the key up in front of JEFF.
where's your key, Carol?"
She looked at him startled, as II
she hadn't been listening and was
trying frantically to piece together
the bits of conversation that she had
overheard.
Carol" I said, your key!
Where Is it?"
tits it's in my blue purse,
I think. Yes, yes, that's where it
is."
"Go look" jeff said.
Every One Knew.
Her purse was on the table in the
vestibule and I brought 1t In and
handed it to her. She began empty.
ing it, slowly at first-a handker.
enief, compact, little change purse
Then the things came out flying
lipsticks, a mirror, cards, cigarettes.
But no key. And she raised her
eyes, unbelievingly, from the stuff
spread out before her. She said, 1T
1t isn't here"
when did you have 1t last?"
81 I don't remember"
you had it Sunday night" I
said Just as we were leaving for
the theater I gave 1t to you. I
picked it up of the mantel and you
slipped 1t in your purse -. that
purse"
Carol nodded. Eyes, that's right"
And after Sunday night?" JEFF
asked.
She closed her eyes in an effort
to concentrate. II can't think, JEFF,
I'm so tired, :"
I said slowly: II used my key
Sunday night when we came home.
And Monday {. . Monday night at
the theater you borrowed mine,
Carroll"
jeff said, "You haven't seen your
key since Sunday night then, Carol?"
II :. no. guess haven't"
"But Sunday night you took 1t to
the theater in that purse?"
Eyes"
Where was your purse?"
I'm our dressing room. On my
makeup table"
"All EVENING""
"Yes."
Worse Tangle.
JEFF sat down and whistled softly.
every one at the theater knew or
could have known that Haila was 60
ing to party and that Carol was
coming home alone. Any one
could have sneaked into your dress
ing room while you we're on stage
and taken the key. Then he could