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Show " " i . . MY - - - Rv JOSEPH MC0RD s " THE STORY SO FAR: Larry Cutter rtartled pretty Jacqueline (Jack) Anthony, An-thony, public ttenoerapher at the Hotel Kaynear, by telling her she could realize real-ize her globe-trotting ambitions by marrying mar-rying him. Before their marriage, they INSTALLMENT SIXTEEN signed a contract providing that she may continue her present mode of living liv-ing for six months, after which she could tear up the contract. When her father, Vince Anthony, became 111, Larry Invited him Into the country to live. m j A After a month's absence, Vince returned to the city for a rendezvous with Larry. Jacqueline went In her father's place. Larry told her he was planning to break Into his old home that night. Now continue with the story. 1 At AL "What was Vince going to do tonight?" to-night?" Jacqueline asked quietly. "He knows less than you do," Larry Lar-ry assured her. "He was going along and wait for me. If I didn't show up, for any reason, he was going to take the car to town and report to my lawyer ... to Rannie. I believe be-lieve I told you that. NaturaUy, I wouldn't let Vince get into a jam on 7i- 7- - ' f- I think I was right. I scouted around pretty carefully and saw no sign of him. That will make it easier." "Are you real sure, Larry?" "Positive." He said it with an assumed as-sumed cheerfulness. "When we get. there, we'll coast by at a fair rate of speed. I'll be depending on your eyes. If we don't see anybody, we'll do the same on the rear road. Then I'll park the car in an unused road I know of and see what luck I have with the fence." "What are you going to do with me?" the rest of the surrounding shadows. No sound broke the intense stillness, a quiet so deep that the girl heard her own blood humming in her ears. Larry leaned down and placed his lips to the nearest one. "Listen. We're going to try the outside cellar door. It's in the shadow shad-ow and will take us where we want to go. Nerves aU right?" She nodded, unable to speak. Larry's Lar-ry's lips touched her hair in a swift, light kiss. "That's the girl. Move fast now . . . and easy." my account. Any more than I would you. It's all right." "I see." "Then you must see that you will have to give me a free hand. Be a good child now and let me set you on your way home. We'll drift along until we can pick up a cab." "I want to go with you, Larry." Jacqueline's voice was low, but steady. "I daren't dear. Here you are worrying about your dad, and then wanting to take his place! Think what it would mean to him, if I involved in-volved you in any trouble. Think what it would mean to you! Your reputation, job . . . everything., I know I've fallen rather low in your estimation, but you can't believe me that much of a bounder. And I must go, Jack. It's too late now to get Vince, even if you were willing. It's all right." "But it isn't all right, Larry. You're not married to Vince. You're "That s what s worrying me sick. You'll be safe in the car. Of course you don't know how to drive." "I have driven a few times. If you'll show me how to start it . . . I might make out." , "I hate to take that chance. I suppose a hard-boiled adventuress like you knows how to handle a gun. There's one in the door pocket beside be-side you." "I'd be scared to death to touch it!" Jacqueline shrank closer to him at the thought of it Larry chuckled. "It is a bit difficult to think of you in the role of a gun moll." "I'll be all right. I don't want you to worry about me. It isn't your fault that I'm here, you know." "Wish I could feel that way. We'll see." When they neared the former Cutter Cut-ter home, Larry slowed his car a trifle. "Keep a sharp watch," he cautioned cau-tioned in a low tone. "We'll have to depend on the lights. Wish it weren't so dark." They both strained their eyes, but saw no sign of the former guard. A survey of the rear of .the grounds gave the same result. A few rods beyond the boundary fence brought them to the unused road Larry had spoken of. He entered it and drove a few car lengths until the machine was screened in the brush, then extinguished ex-tinguished the lights. The two of them found themselves straining their ears for any sound, but deep silence prevailed all about. Larry fumbled at the side of the seat cushion and produced a flashlight. flash-light. He directed its beam to the floor of the car and spoke in a low voice. "You won't have any trouble with the starter. If you like, you can keep the motor running and throttled throt-tled down, but it would be best not to. The noise, you know." "T an etart it " A moment later they paused at the top of a short flight of stone steps which Larry assisted his companion com-panion to descend. He felt over the surface of the heavy door that barred their progress, then snapped on the light long enough to reveal the fastening he sought. A heavy padlock, securing a short length of chain. All rusted from disuse. "Lucky it's still on the outside," Larry whispered. "I've got something some-thing that will take care of that Wait." There was a grating noise; Jacqueline felt Larry's arm heave. Then the sound of something giving giv-ing way. Door hinges protesting after aft-er a rest of years. A musty odor emanating from the black void. The intruders stood motionless, listening. Larry led Jacqueline within, placed her with her back to the wall close to the door and signified, with a pressure of her hand, that she was to remain there. He moved a few steps away, then sent the beam of his flashlight on a scurrying trip. Shut it off, then whispered close to her ear. "Coast seems clear. No signs of anybody having been here. Give me your hand." He led her across the room. "This is the workshop my dad had," Jacqueline heard whispered close in her ear. "I told you about it. Just in front of you is an old fireplace. He had a little melting furnace set in it for his experiments. We're standing on the old brick hearth. He had a fireproof box under un-der it. That's what I've got to look for. Get down on your knees, if you don't mind, and hold the light for me. If you hear a noise . . . shut it off and make for the door." "Larry . . . did you bring that gun?" "No." He chuckled silently. "Didn't dare risk the temptation. married to me. I've got some rights." "You mean ..." "I don't know what I mean . . . I guess. Oh, Larry, it all would have been so much simpler if you'd let me understand just a little more!" "Do you think it was easy for me, Jack? To know that you were suspicious of me . . . and with every reason in the world? I had to do what I did. I didn't dare confide con-fide in anybody. Especially, when I found I was being trailed. That almost knocked me off my feet. Although Al-though I might have known they would get wise, with me cruising about under rhy own name. And you complicated matters . . . Bless my heart!" "I?" "Of course. I didn't know that I was going to fall head over heels in love with you. When I found that you were in the world and that there was a chance for me . . . well I had to make good on this. And everything else." "Oh." "This ends the days of grace I asked for, Jack. You won't have to trust me after tonight . . . unless you want to. It's make or break." He leaned forward and turned on the ignition switch. "We'll have to do something right away." "I'm going to Fairlawn with you." "Still the little adventure hound, aren't you!" Larry tried to laugh, but it was a failure. "Are you under un-der the impression that you're going go-ing to talk me out of it?" "I don't intend to try, Larry. I just want to try to undo . . . things." "Jack, dear . . . does that mean you do care a little?" "I'm . . . I'm afraid I do. And I'm going with you." Larry gave something that sounded sound-ed almost like a groan as he started his car. "You win. We'll work out some plan as we go along. It's just possible possi-ble that I may fall down altogether. "And you'll have to back out. Here's the reverse . . . like this. Now, when you're ready to start ahead . . . low, second, then high. Don't forget the way it goes." He showed her again, then looked at his watch. "Twenty minutes to three. Here, you'd better keep this. It has an illuminated dial. I'll have to take the flash. I think you'd better bet-ter give me until four . . . still be dark then. Try to make your way back to town and get in touch with Vince. He'll . . ." "Larry!" Jacqueline whispered nervously. "Well?" "I ... I can't stay here alone. I . . ." The words ended in something some-thing perilously like a sob. "But you'll have to now, dear. There's no danger. I'll not be long. Buck up." "It isn't that I ... I love you, Larry!" Larry's hand came out and caught his wife's in a rough grip. "Do you mean that, Jack? Do you really love me, or is it . . ." "No, Larry. I do! I guess I didn't know it until . . . now. I can't let you go without me." "How can I?" "I'm not afraid . . . with you." "I wouldn't dream of it, if I thought there was any physical danger. dan-ger. I don't believe there is. But the other ... Do you realize what that might mean?" "I'm still not afraid. I must go with you." "All right. Don't make any more noise than you can help." They left the roadster, gained the road and started back toward Fair- Might mean an extra ten years in the hoosegow. Hold the light . . . like that." Larry was on his knees close beside be-side Jacqueline. He had a short steel bar in his hand, one end fashioned fash-ioned into a point. With it he was exploring the joints between the dusty bricks. Looking for loose ones, his confederate conjectured. "Funny," she heard him mutter. His hand came out and shifted the direction of the light beam. "It's been years since I saw Dad work this stunt," he whispered. It seemed hours to the girl while the search went on. Her legs camped; her hand shook so that it was difficult to keep that little circle of friendly light on the spot where Larry's bar was probing. Presently Jacqueline heard the sharp intake of his breath. One of the bricks moved. A grating, prying pry-ing noise and it was lifted from its place. "I've got it!" With rapt attention, Jacqueline watched; another brick come out, another an-other . . . until six were removed. The resulting rectangle showed a layer of smooth yellow sand. Then Larry's two hands, scooping furiously furious-ly as he dug down. In a moment he had revealed an iron ring and was tugging at it. Jacqueline almost fell into the hole from sheer excitement. Gone now was any thought of danger. It was so like the stories of buried treasure she had read that she would not have been in the least surprised sur-prised to see a glittering hoard of pieces of eight winking up at her. TotoiH the lifted cover revealed In that case ..." "I'd rather know than wait." "All right, little pal. We're on our way. Something must be left to the moment" CHAPTER XIII Larry remained silent, wrapped in his own thoughts as he picked a course around the edge of the city. Jacqueline was leaning back in her corner of the seat similarly engaged. en-gaged. A tense excitement held her, making it difficult to analyze her thoughts. A strange mixture of fright and remorse re-morse held her captive. Fear for Larry, remorse that she must have misjuagea mm. tie naa read ner intentions rightly. She did have some wild, vague idea of deterring him from his mission by her presence. pres-ence. But it was different now. If he were in danger, it was her right to be at his side, sharing. That was all that seemed to matter at the moment. mo-ment. She did not try to make herself her-self admit any other reason. Afraid of that, too. Afraid of, but not for, herself. When the roadster finally nosed into the road leading to Fairlawn, Larry brought it to a sudden standstill stand-still and prepared to get out "I want to put the top up," he explained. ex-plained. "It won't take but a minute." min-ute." Then, when he was in the car again, he explained, "I thought it might change our appearance a bit in case . . ." "I understand." "I've been around here once or twice of late. Jack. Walked by on foot, aftr dark. I figured that your bald-heaned friend would report to his chief that I had left town and that possibly, the gorilla we saw out here would have been taken cfT the job after the excitement died. they reached the wire fence, Larry laid a hand on Jacqueline's arm. "This will do," he whispered. "I've got a pair of lever cutters here that will take care of the wire. Keep your eyes and ears open while I try them." He moved nearer the fence and felt over the heavy mesh. There came a rasping click. "Fine!" he whispered. "I'll run a cut up alongside this post and roll the wire back." Jacqueline listened nervously to the steady "plop'i of severed wires. To her overwrought nerves, they sounded like so many pistol shots. "There we are," Larry reported in a few moments. "Hear anything?" any-thing?" "No." "Then in with you. Give me your hand. I know every inch of this ground. I'd rather not use a light. Take it easy." Her cold fingers clutching Larry's, Jacqueline stumbled along obediently obedient-ly after him. Their progress was slow owing to the brush and weeds. At the edge of the clearing, her guide paused to reconnoiter. The bouse loomed up, a darker blot than a second container. Sand was drifting drift-ing down into it partially covering a small, wrapped package. Larry caught it up and thrust it at Jack. "You take it!" he directed sharply. sharp-ly. "Hang on to it . . . it goes to my lawyer ... to Rannie." Larry was intensely excited, but Jacqueline could not help but admire the precision pre-cision with which he was thinking things out He was depending upon her! "I'd better try to fix this back in snap'," were his next words. "It may give us mor time. We're all right now." It was Jacqueline who heard it first a slight scraping noise. Before she could touch Larry, a harsh voice came out of the blackness. black-ness. "Stick 'em up. you two!" Jacqueline was too nearly paralyzed para-lyzed with fear to remember about turning off the light. She remained motionless, clutching the parcel tiphtly to her breast The voice spoke again: "Get on your feet . . . and keep that light pointed down. I got you covered." (TO BZCOyTlMID) |