The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1943-01-16
MRS LII1Isys &c
lakes I,
by George
Harmon
Coke

OoOA OCAO1G oOySC IOu4Q IdnS ucI
arm.
I'm going with you." Joyce
said, and opened the closet door.
Della stamped her foot n ex-
ASPIRATION and tried to pull Joyce
aside. Il won't have it, l tell you.
You're not going" Tears of vexa-
ton brimmed in her eyes and
then Joyce opened the door and
was talking fast, her chin firm and
| eyes resolute.
I'm going, Della. / won't even
get out of the car. You can meet
him by yourself, but I'll drive
you there. ;. We should hurry.
shouldn't we? There can't be
much time"
In the car Della said: "I'm sorry
lost my temper"
You didn't really" Joyce said.
But l had to come"
Della fell silent and watched
the panorama of lights slide past
the car windows. The city was
taking on new character now.
Gradually the weller of little
neon signs became more widely
spaced until there were none at
all save those on all-night drug
stores and greasy-looking sand
witch shops that posed as restau-
rants. Presently Joyce turned
right and then they were in a
street where even the drugstores
could not flourish.
We're nearly there" Joyce
coiI fEFFhf1 Hor4oz
Della sat up. Even by daylight
the street must have been a dis
couraging prospect; at night it
had become an avenue of empti-
ness and shadows. where three
and four-story brick buildings
marched along in unbroken ranks
and the street lamps on the COR
nerS served only to make the
middle of the block more obscure.
The Number
ITS the next block, l think"
L Joyce said. See if you can
find a number on one of those
stores"
The car was throttled down as
far as it would go now, and when
they crossed the intersection,
Joyce shifted into second so that
they might move even slower.
"Yes," she said presently. This
is it. l just saw number 220."
Park anywhere" Della said.
''Not too close. Joyce"
The car nosed in toward the
curb and came to a stop in the
middle of the block.
She looked at her watch. It was
five minutes after ten.
Joyce cut the ignition and
switched off the lights. For few
seconds they sat there without a
word, and Della could look down
along the empty sidewalk to the
next corner.
well she said, and reached
for the door handle. ''It shouldn't
take me long"
= You're sure you don't want me
to"
quite The rest should be easy.
Room twenty-four, he said" She
and for just an instant her de-
termination wavered; then the
moment passed and she was all
right again. She put her hand on
Joyce's and pressed it. and found
herself on the pavement. "I'm
glad you came" she said. 81
needed YOU"
and if you're not back in five
minutes"
Ten, Joyce. Make it ten"
"All right" Joyce said.
"And then you'd better call the
police. You're not to follow me.
no matter what you think"
She shut the door and went
along the empty sidewalk, snug
Cling her coat more tightly about
her, telling herself she was silly,
melodramatic, talking about the
police, and what to do if she did
not come back within ten minutes.
There was no sense in that. The
man wanted the envelope, not
her.
Above a doorway she saw the
figures 264 and realized that the
numbers did not run consecutive
ly, but Jumped ahead at will.
Stepping from the curb, she
started diagonally across the
pavement her shoes clicking
loudly in the surrounding quiet.
The number she sought was
stamped in stone above a narrow
doorway.
To be continued