Show BOMBS BURST ONCE 1 GRANVILLE CHURCH SERVICE E 4 if THE TIIE STORY SO FAR Jeff Curtis and ands J his Js s wife Lee arc are already on their way yh to Tierra Libre when toben he be receives a note rn l. l from Zora Mitchell warning them not to come com e. e They arrive to find both Zora Ul and ber husband dead Although he lie In Investigated In ti the tho fruit company that hired Sa s him Wm before accepting a Job as chief en en- ineer Jeff Is already suspicious of the theand company and of his employer Senor taya Conversations Con with Jerry Me Me- Innis who works for a rival company and with Bill Bm Henderson and md Slats Mona 1 han ban reveal that there Is something going 4 j f on on en and that Mitchell and Zora were rf killed because they knew too much macho Now 3 has just called Jeff to tell him ir If f that Henderson too has bas met with an M r accident and is dead A hasty inquest i S. S M being conducted NOW CONTINUE WITH THE STORY STORYE I t 1 CHAPTER VIII i Also present w were e a lieutenant and ormed aid from the During the entire 1 Rene cene they said nothing aloud only gei his his ered to each other as they aVe notes Extraordinarily reo re- re o oj oli these two hombres Of the theng Jig ng presence of death or Senor Mona Mon Mon- a 11 Jaya iya ya Curt was aware of them only ti He stared down at Henderson A severe blow on t he back of the head Dr Berry had said raid al IAn An idea Reaching out Curt rolled r ack ck one eyelid of the unconscious an n then the other Both eyes were lear One pupil was contracted the he other dilated that was the me cond con- con d 1 g gussion But the whites were clear Ac At yurt rt compressed his lips He l lifted ted lie Ke a square of gauze that hid the I sPi SPI Tangled angled chest The stain of the crania iDia was there but it ita a ad red It was scarcely copper Sink ink mk When Henderson was drunk this irea rea of his skin became fiery his yes ryes bloodshot But hed he'd just lost a areat Teat reat deal of blood How much would that affect the skin And if 1 d drunk only a few minutes bere bere bere be- be re re the accident perhaps there have been time for the theres I IJ yes res es and the skin to betray the fact Curt became aware of the sur- sur rise of the doctors that as as eyeing him closely The two taro Hen rien en from the constabulary had eased ceased ased whispering in sentence mid-sentence o 0 watch The photographer photographer- alone Said aid Curt no attention Still champ- champ ro iOng ig on his gun gurr he was setting up equipment I f How did it happen asked Curt Bitterly utterly itterly Dr Fisher gave them the story Henderson lived at in the lame iame building which housed the Young young bung doctor a bachelor quarters it t was a sort of hotel for the single white hite men working here Fisher iwas I chew mew that Henderson had shaved d showered after coming in from work ork then changed into whites that I jl e e planned to run up to San Alejo is d idS He asked me if I wanted to go Wong long Fisher said But I couldn't tot t having arranged previously for forn Belief n lief I dont don't think hed he'd had a ank at that time when he went o the shower room i n However doors were never locked t tj tere re and were carelessly left ajar often than closed Passing d ills ill's room later after Henderson tad lad iad gone Fisher had noticed a half bottle and glass on HenderSon's HenderSons Henderon's Hender- Hender Sons Son's ons on's table I That didn't seem strange he laid id I II thought nothing of it at the thee e eft ime In D 1 From there then on Fisher had to ree re- re e e the unfortunate mans man's manso o oll Henderson first went to the e dispatchers dispatcher's office for an ap okay ld jn his trip that much was fact the track wasn't clear So Henl Hen- Hen l lerson Ierson drove to the end of the yard shrew mew a switch and backed his mo- mo orcar onto a siding to let the in- in oming ming train pass on into the yard jhen then the track would be clear for limo lim Apparently his drinking had be- be his brain so that hed he'd forI for- for I gotten to throw back the switch he e incoming train a locomotive d three flats took his siding plowed on head-on into the motor- motor ar telescoping it throwing its en- en rs cJ r llie back against Henderson la 8 YoUng Lister had by now got his here The others followed Hm soberly out into the yards ards while whileS pad padla I la S fe a took pictures o of the wrecked car ow w a mass of junk There was wasI i I thing more to be done so the dur our ur men headed back to San Alejo tOn On the way continued to eke oke his long cigarettes He emed angry bitter brooding frus- frus I it Ou rated About halfway across the tats fats ts he held forth J There is no DO excuse for this kind f accident There is no excuse for inking to excess More than once have thought of establishing a rule at any becoming drunk n the grounds shall be let out at ace nce nee But I cant can't do that he rugged No jNo one answered t Suddenly 4 Curt remembered the theo o khaki-clad khaki police ves He wondered Did their whis- whis ering and taking note-taking constitute an inquest Was Vas this kind of inquest eld in n the cases of Mitchell and ands vis s wife More than likely he bought Without a doubt ILd gowned Downed the police and it wasn't o his advantage to stir up any fuss I I curt Curt told Lee about the accident oe lD to f without dressing up the story Gave Gaver Per ter r the simple facts without the Cilery ory details She was silent for fort foru t u tro- dome minutes a Then Jeff she said quietly I Im I'm m no fool What's the answer lg-a lg his is the third death by violence 4 w here in less than three weeks Curt was sitting on the low couch couch- hammock on the porch bent forward forward forward for for- ward elbows on knees His hands were busy with his pipe Lee dropped into the hammock beside him strange strang about it he returned returned returned re re- re- re turned at t last But he didn't lift his eyes to hers Theres always a lot lotof lotof lotof of drinking and sometimes sudden deaths among construction workers in a place like this You know that It was so in the the earlier earlier days of of As Associated As- As across the river He reached for her hand pulled her closer to him But But There was a catch in her voice Oh darling darling be careful be so very careful If anything anything anything any any- thing should happen to you There was a Catholic church at San Alejo and a small nondenominational nondenominational nondenominational national chapel between them a burial ground It was here Mitchell and his w wife e now lay side by side Service was said over Bill Henderson's Hendersons Hendersons Henderson's Hendersons Henderson's Hender Hender- sons son's bod body early Sunday morning and he was lowered into the ground before the sun was high Lee clung close to Curt during these last rites and Curt could feel her trembling She dabbed at ather ather ather her eyes and turned homeward as Curt went on to his office where was to join him for their first major discussion of the engineering engineering engineering en en- work Curt had taken over While waiting for the Spaniard Curt pawed over in his mind this a 1 i iI ii ir it i I r t 4 I IThe The whole thing is none of my business chain of deaths All three were so apparently what they seemed to be bea a a grudge killing a suicide from grief a drunks drunk's accident Yet there was that telltale coincidence among them All three victims had kno known something There were too a few details which just didn't fit They haunted Curt One was the fact that letter offering Curt this job was written written written writ writ- ten before Mitchells Mitchell's body was discovered discovered discovered dis dis- dis- dis covered by a Another not only was Zora Mitchell Mitchell Mitch Mitch- ell very definitely not a neurotic type but where would she get hold of of-in of in the Mitchell household household-a a foreign foreign foreign for for- eign make of gun And though it was not out of character for Bill Henderson to have taken a drink it was certainly out of character for Bill to forget that switch even if hed he'd been rolling drunk 1 Bill was a railroad man Curts Curt's thoughts harked back to Mitchell What was it the man had known Hed He'd done some muttering muttering muttering mutter mutter- ing about sitting on a powder keg He couldn't have meant revolution for that wouldn't have upset Mitch Mitch- ell Hed He'd been through them before in this country No American who minded his own business had anything anything anything any any- thing to fear on that score Hed He'd also done some muttering about the Canal about wanting to go gothere gothere gothere there or did Curt have that right As near as he could remember remember remember ber the Canal business was a vague yet so-near-and-yet-so-far sort of thing that had no meaning at all Curt had been fiddling absently with his tobacco pouch He now flung it to the desk angrily and jumped to his feet Im an engineer not a sleuth Maybe Mitchell did know something something something some some- thing but I dont don't and the whole thing is none of my business But it was and he knew it Walking Walking Walking Walk Walk- ing in at that moment raised smoothly clipped brows as he saw Curts Curt's congested face I ICI was only thinking said Curt in violent explanation what a shame it is that liquor cant can't be out out- I ICI quite agree Mr Curtis said gravely I HI will not permit permit permit per per- mit drunkenness among my key men at any time on the job or off oft as you know from your contract Of course among construction workers He He shrugged But let us get to work You have not had much time with your so charming family since arriving You will want the day with them I have gone over your memoranda carefully One of Curts Curt's suggestions had been to bring in some additional draglines and bulldozers and to speed up the work in two shifts per day using flood lights for the few hours of darkness they'd overlap Two sh shifts ts of work it is a good idea agreed As HAs for more equipment I have two three- three yard shovels now on order They should arrive soon HYou ll need more Curt an an- But when the work for such equipment is completed It will be bea a lot of money to have tied up Theres more work here for such machines than you think Youre You're going to install overhead irrigation when the more important work is out of the way You plan to pump from the rivers but I can show you youa a better way Curt strode to the huge photographic photographic photographic photo photo- graphic map and picked up the pointer In the end agreed and by phone then and there ordered the necessary radiogram sent to his New Orleans office Other business followed disposed of item by item glanced at his wrist There are two men you have not yet met Knowing you would be befree befree befree free at this hour I asked them here Sunday seemed a good time not to interfere with the routine of any any- one He opened the door to the outer office nodded to someone outside held the door open In marched two young men in freshly starched whites punctilious and stiff of manner They could be only the Swedes whom Curt had heard mentioned so many times Both were tall both dark blond with fair skin and blue eyes both wide of shoulder and hard as nails There the resemblance ceased One was round of face with full lips that held a curious quirk in the corners He had wavy hair Not too strong a countenance this The others other's face was square with thin straight lips frosty eyes and stiff cropped hair There was an anold anold anold old scar on his left cheek Mr Curtis this is Mr who out our transportation problems Square-face Square bowed stiff stiff- ly And Mr Lannestock our Chief Pilot The other followed suit Neither Neither Neither Nei Nei- ther smiled Curt extended a hand but felt no warmth in their response Palpably Palpably Palpably Palpa Palpa- bly they were ill at ease and Curt presently put this down to their poor command of English Flying always seemed an arven- arven adventurous life to me Curt said by byway byway byway way of conversation Do you enjoy enjoy enjoy en en- joy this sort of utility flying Freighting laying chemicals that sort soft of thing It is a job was Lannestock's He had trouble answer with his j Hj was more voluble A good flyer likes any kind of flying It is not always work There was the map He cast a glance at the big map on Curts Curt's wall And the alli- alli gators explained Before the swampland was drained of surface water alligators were quite a nuisance And yes some danger As fast as the clearing clearing clearing clear clear- ing progressed Mr bombed them from a low altitude with gre gre- nades Those that were not killed were driven down the rivers into the marshes between and the sea A curious look livened eyes as spoke They took on a merciless slant Lines of cruelty cruelty cruelty cru cru- elty tensed his thin lips Features that a moment before had been merely cold took on a hint of leashed fury and hate The sudden transition hit Curt like an electric shock He shifted his gaze to Lannestock There was no viciousness in this mans man's face but Curt got the impression that Lannestock Lannestock Lannestock Lanne Lanne- stock was dominated by the other Karl and Gosta continued continued continued con con- in a tone shaded with affection affection tion were invaluable to us when we needed two time full-time flyers to freight materials There is is still much work for them to do I could not get along without them Here was was' another surprise surprise- warmth from The Dark Lily Planes have their uses Curt admitted What make of plane do you use Hed He'd asked this question before and got no answer They are old planes spit this out with it giving a dirty look The Spaniards Spaniard's teeth shone affa affa- bly Here was nothing new He was indeed mildly amused H Always they ask for new ma ma- chines He shrugged expressively But if the planes they have will fly I cannot be putting several times the price into new equipment for or orthis this heavy work They too become at once second But repair work asked Curt to keep them in condition Both Karl and Gosta are quite competent at repairs And they have good mechanics to assist But always we repair like we glue together Some day we come cometo to pieces in the air and have no glue 1 shrugged again less Jess good Karl you are too toe good a flyer to take up a bad plane I have no fear of that And how howlong howlong howlong long would it be with new planes before you would have to r repair pair adjust tighten TO 70 BE CONTINUED J |