The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-01-09
Chapter IL
Alice In Handouts

A~S 80 44dAkd&oh5
THE telephone rang. shrill in
l. the stiffness. Each of us, save
Mrs. Warren, started up involun-
tarily, then settled tensely to wait.
What is it" she asked, conscious
of the change in atmosphere.
But we were all too busy listen
ing to answer. Andrew and Rob-
erts met outside the door, both
on the way to the telephone and
we heard Roberts say that he
would take the call Then he evil
IDENTIFY pulled the door of the lit
tie closet shut, for we could hear
nothing. And when he came out,
he strobe back to the library
without without word.
"Have they found herr" Mrs.
Warren demanded. -e---
l looked hopefully at the judge,
but obviously he had had enough
of Lieutenant Gregory and said
we would have to wait and see.
Well, so had / had enough of
Lieutenant Gregory. And why
should he be concentrating so on
Bill? Did he hope to break him
down finally. perhaps by con-
fronting him one by one with his
supposed accomplices? l could not
have told which was more tor
menting, Mrs. Warren's conversa-
ton or my own thoughts. but the
combination was rapidly becom-
ing unbearable.
They brought Alice back finally.
In handouts.
what the hell?" roared Bob.
take those things off my sister,"
"All right, all right" Anderson
agreed calmly. "But we had to get
her back some way. And we had
to bring along three cars. Hers
and mine and the troopers. There
wasn't nobody to hold her and
her fghtin' and scratchin' like a
wildcat"
"Ask him if our car is all right
Mrs. Warren instructed the Judge
in stage whisper.
"Yes'm," said Anderson. turn
ing politely.
"He says it's all right" doomed
the Judge.
"She went off the road" Ander-
son explained, "just after she
reached the highway, but just
down into a little gully and the
mud was too slick for her to get
out again."
tPd have been all right" Alice
told him spitefully. "if you hadn't
come along. These nice highway
policemen were getting the car
out for me. At least, | thought
they were nice then" She glared
at the two inoffensive young men,.
who blushed dark red under their
tan, and one of them rubbed his
hand across long scratch on his
cheek.
In spite of her upset state. Alice
apologized prettily enough to
Judge and Mrs. Warren when she
found she had taken their car.
Mrs. Warren prescribed milk
punch and bed Immediately and
offered to stay and sit with her:
but when Lieutenant Gregory
fixed Alice with his eagle eye and
said he wanted to wind things up.
she was surprisingly docile.
As Judge and Mrs. Warren took
a reluctant departure. Bill said.
"Pll go and see if Andrew has
the cars ready to travel. just in
case we ever need them again."
New Idea
7 FOLLOWED him as far as the
L dining room, where | told. him
about Mrs. Warren's surreptitious
visit upstairs. tits silly" | ac-
knowledged. "but do you think
they could possibly be trying to
scare us into selling at bar
gain?"
ASK me any Tuesday. Wednes-
day or Thursday and ! would say
that you are crazy with the heat
and full of prunes," said Bill,
passing his hand YEARLY through
his red hair. sbut on this week
end l am beginning to think any,
thing can happen"
Anything can happe !
agreed. but you didn't XIII Aunt
Maggie and we have got to find
some way to prove il
''That reminds me-" said Bill
"Pm beginning 10 think we got
a bum steer this morning. You
know that note about the silver
closet? | suppose ii was Aunt
Maggie's handwriting all right.
but | believe IL was planted"
PLANTED"
II mean somebody thought II
we were diverted 10 the silver
closet that we would stop looking
for any other secret room. How
did Won happen 70 find the note7"
Bob found IL. but that doesn't
mean anything. II was Kirk who
opened the table. Ard IL was Kirk
who went through Aunt Maggie's
papers this morning"
As we stared at each other un-
comfortably. Claire came In and
Bill excused himself and went on
20 the kitchen
Il suppose this proves Alice
lid IT," she said tonelessly.
You mean. her running away7"
Well. yes. that and things in
general She's acted 50 strangely
me whole time. | believe she
knew Eve killed Aunt Maggie"
I locked az Claire in axtonish-
vaent why do yea say THAR" ]
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