The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1942-12-26
fxia.1 E1Sa


overStuf1eo pieces The finger
print man was again busy with
his camels hair brushes and pow
ders; SO was the photographs.
Throughout the building q couple
Of plain-clothes men were cueS-
tloning tenants in an effort 70
find out who had tipped of the
police.
Awaiting the arrival Of the
medical examiner, the body had
npt been touched. and Murdoch
clrcled over to II
His profession had accustomed
him to the sight Of death. vet he
could seldom look upon Il DIS
pasSionately, and there was some
thing about the still figure on the
floor that stirred him SIN clad
in the gray striped trousers,
Perry Clarke lay fat On his back
a few feet back from, and slightly
to one side Of the door, his feet
pointing towards II He wore q
heavy silk house-jacket and un-
derneath this a pearl-grsy vest
which had been unbutt0ned-
Both this and the shirt were
blood-soaked and there were two
or three small stains along the
front of the trousers. extending
to the knee. One thing which be-
came at once apparent after close
inspection of the vest was that
the position of the two tiny holes
proved that this garment had
been opened after the man had
been shot.
Hey. looki"
Next Door
THE fingerprint man was stand
Il ing by the doorway to the inner
hall. pointing to something In the
wooden frame. "HsTs's your slug
One of 'em anyway.
Murdoch went over with Bacon
and Keogh. About three feet from
the floor and half buried IN the
dark wood was a bullet
Good" Bacon said. ''Cut Il out
and don't scratch II The other
one must be In him"
The fingerprint man dropped
to one knee and just then the
door opened and IN walked q
dapper, middle-aged man clad IN
Chesterfield and black Homburg
He wore thick-lenSed glasses and
a mustache, and IN one hand was
a leather bag which he promptly
dropped on a chair.
Hello" he said to tine room AZ
large
Hello, Doc Bacon said. Sorry
to get you out"
Hahi" said the examiners
physician "You did me = favor :"
He slid out of his coat, removed
the one underneath and rolled I'd
his sleeves Eyes, sir, and IN the
nick of time. I'd just bid fOEr
no-trump and my wife laid down
her hand. You should have seen
it. Fd've been lucky to take SIX
tricks
Bacon and Keogh moved I'D as
the doctor knelt beside the body
Murdoch sat down again, trying
to remember what Joyce had told
him about the meeting Of Perry
Clarke and Ward Allen the night
before. Even then. ne realized.
she had been troubled by Aliens
reaction; now with the added
complication of murder Murdoch
was more worried about the affair
than he liked to admit. Perry
Clarke had been in Caragua-
Allen mad been in Caragua.
"Who opened the vest. Lieute-
nart?"
The doctor had paused in his
inspection to ask the question
and there was a note of asperity
in his voice.
81 wish | knew" Bacon said
st was like this when you
found him. huh?"
Bacon nodded and looked up
as the doctor opened and burly
six-footer entered.
Eyes, Malloy."
Got something I'd like 20 show
you," the plain-clothes man said
Bacon went to the door and
Murdoch tagged along behind
| Keogh.
I'VE can't find anybody that
called or heard the shot" Malloy
said. There's four apartments on
a floor. The one next TO this"
he gestured toward the front OF
the building-''is vacant. But this
one-I want to show you"
To be continued