The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1943-01-21
Mr. MURDOCH
AK |. .S3
by George
Harmon
Coke


not have known about the call
He could have come in afterward,
rubbed out Nick. and then later,
heard you coming and ducked be-
hind the door. With you laid out
he'd seen the envelope anyway"
/ He grunted again. ''But that
doesn't matter either now"
what should we do?" Della
asked.
what can you do? Up to now
you've been fooling around try
ing not to burn your fingers, but
this is different. 1t is for me any
way. Now Pm in it, and I don't
like to fool around with guys like
Bacon when it's murder. It's like
this"
He took off his hat and put it
on again.
"If you're right about that Gig
arctic case--and you probably
are-Bacon's going to hook you
up with that first job. Technically
both of you are liable to arrest
Not for this thing. but for holding
out on the first one. You give him
the run-around on this and later
he finds out you knew things, he's
going to get, sore. He'll make il
plenty tough. If you get him up
here now and he thinks you're
coming clean and trying to help
he'll forget about the other.
Oh. he'll be sore at first, but if he
thinks you're on the level he
won't bear down too much"
He stepped to the desk and
picked up the telephone. "And
you can't blame him, you know.
He's got a job to do and you've
actually been trying to make a
sap out of him. It's going to be a
lot easier to have him on your
side" He paused, a wry grin tip
ping a corner of his mouth.
"Okay?"
Joyce glanced at Della, who
looked up at her and then over at
Fenner.
"Okay," she said.
The Closed Door
IT WAS three o'clock when Kent
Murdoch let himself in the
apartment. The assignment that
had taken him from home at eight
in the morning had proved to be
more than just another explosion
aboard ship. The ship had turned
out to be destroyer, and subse-
quent developments indicated
sabotage.
AS result ne had been on his
feet all day and he was dog-tired
in body and disguised in mind be-
cause he had been unable to pen
citrate adequately the cloak of of
fetal secrecy that had been woven
about the affair.
Yawning. he got rid of his hat
and coat, and slowed his camera
and plate case in the closet. He
moved through the dimly-lighted
living room on tiptoe and was half
way across it before he saw the
pajamas and robe on the divan.
He stopped and glared down a.
them. reluctantly accepting their
presence as his notification from
Joyce that the guest room was
for him. a.,
Company, huh?" he muttered.
oh, well"
He picked up the garments, not
ing that the robe was his old
green one. and started for the
hall. Swapping off the light, he tip
toed on. stopping at the door of
his bedroom.
Very gently he turned the knob
and opened it, standing there un-
til his eyes became accustomed to
the half-ight. When he could see
that both beds were occupied he
eased the door shut.
Della Stewart. probably. And
what did that prove? Was this
murder case starting TO pile up on
her? He CROPPED his way along to
the next door and, still wonder
ing if the guest actually was
Della, opened it and stepped in
side. 81
He felt for the wall switch and
then, before he snapped it on,
stopped short. The door of the
room had been closed. Why?
To be continued
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