The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-11-18
Chapter SIX


= my little white-potted cactus
plant and deposited his shoes
WITH . bang on my Windsor table.
SPRAYING out on the studio
couch he dug his head into the
ragged
7Do you really mean to lie
there calmly and 20 TO sleep
while Carol Blanton is in Belle
yue poisoned? Listen. JEFF, some
ppay tried to kill herl Aren't we
going 70 do something's"
Not tin eleven o'clock. Then
we 60 see Bowers"
And until eleven we Just sit
here?"
you sit here. sleep" He
rolled over on one ear and pulled
down a pillow to cover the other
one.
Sleep. damn you. sleep!" /
said and sat down YEARLY at the
desk. / tried TO think of somebody
who could have poisoned Carol
and why and what I should do
Hnpuf II, ] put my head on the
red leather memorandum pad and
closed my eyes.
II was half past ten when JEFF
sAook rae, and there was the love-
~ bubbly sound of coffee perk-
Ing IN the kitchen. / took a cold
shower, slipped into my old tweed
suit and did hasty job on my
face. Then, standing wedged in
hctlveen the stove and the refrig-
orator, we gulped iced tomato
Juice and cups of strong black
cpltee. 1t tasted wonderful.
II was cold and bright as we
walked down Fifth Avenue to
Forty fourth and over Forty
fourth to the Colony. Clint Bow
ers' Office was on the third floor
over the theater and we squeezed
into the self-operating elevator
and went up.
Before the great mahogany
desk that seemed to sag under its
load Of Uttered papers, letters
and photographs, Bowers was sit
ting. his head resting on mis- hand.
His face was drawn and grayish
and his crisp hair rumpled as
though he had run his fingers
Through it many times.
Phoebe Thompson, who did a
slIaettering of secretarial work for
him d during the mornings, sat
across from him, her pencil poised
OYER page on which nothing had
been written. And striding back
and forth in front Of the one win
dow was our ubiquitous new
friend, Mr.. Peterson. His head
terked N cur direction as we en-
tered.
oh, it's you two. You can come
Ia, Sit down"
Clint" / said, without any pre-
hninary greetings. Edo you know
how Carol is?s
Tive been calling the hospital.
her condition is
Favorable. / know. I've been
calling them too"
Peterson said: hYour friends
all right. Lieutenant SULLIVAN Just
x1tade a report on her. She'll be
out Of there in no time at all.
Nov, will you sit DOWN."
I'VE did, on the edge of our
chairs. Peterson drew a long
breath.
nAll right now, let's get back to
where we were. Miss Thompson,
you said that you have charge of
those glasses, didn't you?"
Phoebe nibbled at the end of
her pencil Il :. yes. / do. take
them out of the prop room and
arrange them on the table on
stage. And ] see that they're put
back in the prop room after the
shows over"
and last night? Did you do
that last night?"
'KeS As soon as the set had
been put up I carried all the
things in ana nxed the table, the
silver and china and glasses.
busted them and
busted them7 You busted the
.ylasses?"
sYes. they'd been standing in
the prop room all day and they
needed 1t. l busted each one as ]
set IL on the table
@And there was nothing in any
Of the glasses then?"
SIN positive there wasn't"
"When did you do this busting
what timer"
Two not more than three
minutes before the curtain wenI
up on the third act"
Time OF The Crime
JEFFERSON wheezed with salts
\ faction. "Welll That's what
you call placing the time of the
crime, all right. In those few min.
utes after you busted the glasses
and before the curtain went uE
soneone dropped morphine ir
Carol Blanton'S glass"
Not necessarily" JEFF said.
"What?"
IT could have been dropped in
any time from when Phoebe dust
ed the glasses until Carol drank
the stuff.
Peterson glowered at him. "You
mean that one of the actors might
have put it in after the curtain
went up? While the play was 60
ing ONT"
ats a possibility"
Peterson smiled. Il think you
better try again, Troy" He turned
back to Phoebe, who was on the
stage while you were liking the
tablet"
why why, nobody"
NO one at all? How GOMEZ"
nThe company all had costume
changes and they were in theiE