The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-01-16
SSS lS9g22 2
BY MEDORA FIELD.

Then ! held my breath and
waited, certain that the kidnap-
murderer was coming nearer
every moment.
Discovery
THE door opened, and beyond
l. the screen / saw the bobbing
beam of a flashlight. Certain that
my time had come, I almost cried
Aout, unable longer to stand, the
suspense. a.
There was a scuffling of foot
steps and then a voice said,
Smells sort of smoky in here"
1t was a voice that sounded
somehow familiar, yet / could not
quit place it. What was that
noise?" the same voice asked and
l recognized it then.
The alleged plain clothes man.
To think that 1 had met the
murderer face to face and had let
him get away. In fact, had helped
him. Now, unless unexpected in
tervention came, / would meet
him face to face again, but
Gust that damn cat" said an
other voice, a voice pitched so
low that it was almost impossible
to hear, what with the pounding
of my heart.
So there were two of them. But
that was not surprising. One man
could hardly handle such a job
alone.
II told you he followed me
down here" the second voice re-
sumed, little louder now. And
why the hell didn't you stay down
here, too? Don't you know the
house is full of policemen"
My heart stopped beating and
the world rocked under my feet,
for this time l recognized that
voice. mo, no." l whispered over
and over to myself. Something
wet dropped on my hand and /
realized that / was crying.
But even in my shocked horror
and grief, l knew that I must be
careful. Perhaps, oh, perhaps,
they would go away and later l
would be rescued and could tell
of finding Mr.. Brannen. could
say quite truthfully that l did
not see the men who came into
the secret room.
Quarrel
lCETTIN' scared, are you, Bud
~ dy?" Sneered the first voice.
"What'd you expect me to do, wait
down here all night? / know how
to keep out of the way of the po-
lice. Sides they amt got a thing
or me. Why shouldn't / come out
here to call on friend? How'm
l to know he's committed a cupla'
murders?"
Damn you, Spike" The second
voice was loud and angry beyond
all sense of caution now. Whose
fault is it you didn't come back
last night like / told you to? We
could have got him out of here
all right if you had had the car
ready"
There was the sound of a chair
scraping across the floor and al
most simultaneously a quick fe-
line wall and indignant splitting,
which made it all too plain that
Plutarch had got in somebody's
way A moment later, tail flashing
and full of protesting meows, Plu-
tarch rounded the screen and was
rubbing against my leg, but I did
not dare reach down to comfort
him for fear of knocking against
the cot or screen and thus re-
vealing my presence.
Spikes raucous laughter finally
died down and he resumed the
conversation. How the hell was /
to get the car here?I see that
wrecked truck thing and that road
that looked like it was knee deep
in mush and l know I'd never get
no car out of it if come any far
Their. Had a hard time turnin'
around and gettin' out as it was"
Didn't seem to bother you
much that l was left with the bag
to hold. And the dope just about
all gone, too. Had to give him so
much he'll probably wander
around and get run over if we
turn him loose on the highway
tonight. That is, if the police ever
get out of the house"
Your little stunt didn't seem to
do much good, did it,"
mo, just messed things up
worse, suppose. But it seemed to
me if they thought somebody out
side the room was mixed ND in il
all, they would realize there was
no sense in holding everybody in
definitely"
'Well, done my part. How'd
you get such a fool idea, anyhow?
Didn't you tink it'd work when
you wanted me to do it,"
"Oh," YEARLY, lust a play I
saw when I was a kid. Thirteenth
Chair. Only it was a knife"
Nov. you're talkin'. Buddy.
With a knife you've got some
thin Them damn dart things,
they amt no good. Say, when !
was THROWN knives in the circus,
like l tell you"
Yes, | know. You've told me
you were good. But you haven't
told me yet how you are going
10 get Hugh Brannen out of here.
Has il dawned on you for a mo-
ment that / was to have no con-
nection with this job except to
furnish the hide-out? You and
your pal were to get him mere and
get him away. You were to handle
the kidnap notes. Everything. Like
he'll. you did"
IS what you get for nessin'
things up with murder. S what I