Show BOMBS BURST ONCE 1 CHURCH SERVICE V THE STORY SO FAR Jeff Jea Curtis and andUs Us his wife Lee are on their way to Tierra Ubre Libre when Jeff JelI receives a note from Zori Zor Mitchell S beU hell warning them not to come Lath Lat Later r be he e learns from Jerry McInnis that ZOr has bas been murdered and andIs andU U it Is his Job as chief en engineer for a frt that Jeff Jett has been called to filL When they arrive In Tierra Libre Jerry tells Jeff JelI there Is something strange going on Jet Jeff and Lee meet Jeffs Jeff's employer and go o with him to San SaD Ale Alejo Jo where 1 tells teUs them that Zora Mitchell Mitchel has committed suicide Neither Jeff Jea nor Lee believes that her death was suicide Zora ZOn they agree was not the type to commit suicide Jeff Jea suspects fa 1 of arranging arranging ar are ar- ar ranging or at least of knowing about both loth Zoras Zora's and her husbands husband's death NOW CONTINUE WITH THE TOE STORY CHAPTER IV IVi i Every day was a new day at San Alejo fresh arid and cool and clean at dawn no matter what the blazing sun un might bring later Even the asphalt underfoot was toned up by bythe bythe bythe the dew as Curt swung along for his early appointment with Curts Curt's mind should have been toned up too by the tangy air so much like a Fall morning at home but buthis buthis buthis his last words to Lee just now now now-he'd hed he'd read the pucker between her eyes eyes eyes- were still in his ears Dont you be worrying about Zora Mitchell hed he'd told her I admit suicide doesn't sound like her but we hadn't seen her for six years and that length of time will work changes in any of us It was her little girl I was thinking thinking thinking think think- ing of of Lee had answered him soberly so so- berly Ill find out about her Curt made his way to Monta as office a high room paneled paneled pan pan- and furnished in unvarnished whitewood An impression of coolness coolness coolness cool cool- ness was heightened by Venetian blinds and a grass rug Curt came to the point before Senor could broach busi busi- ness He said suggestively The news of Mrs Mitchells Mitchell's death was a considerable shock to us us-to us to my wife and me looked at him in silence as though the words needed tion I mean we should hardly have expected suicide of Zora Mitchell especially as she was leaving a small smaIl child Nor did I expect it it The senor made this statement as a sort of admission He fumbled among papers papers papers pa pa- pers on his desk bringing forth two large square envelopes From one he spread several photographs photographs pho pho- before Curt They showed from rom different angles Zora Zorn Mitchell slumped over in a bamboo peacock pea peacock peacock cock chair her head at a curious angle There was a hole bullet-hole in her left temple and blood had run from the wound coagulated stained her dress Her left hand band hanging over the arm of the chair held a gun Curt recognized as a Luger A Luger he thought instantly Funny Where'd she get that He recalled how Mitchell had always always al al- al ways favored a Colt 45 against all foreign makes of small arms Another question forced itself on Curts Curt's mind Why hadn't the physical physical cal shock relaxed Zoras Zora's fingers and made her drop the gun Now in the case of her husband hus hus- husband band we had no no chance to obtain photographs on the ground The body was moved to But we did the best we could I had sketches made From the second envelope Mon Mon- taya spread out these sketches and with them a map marked with an X and two photographs of the body as it lay on the flat handcar An inquest was held of course as in the case of Mrs Mitchell Both Both Both-ah ah incidents were quite properly properly prop prop- erly handled by our local police We have a here another at The sketches and the map were valueless but the photographs Curt picked up one of them The picture was sickening the body slashed clashed and mutilated beyond Man Many of the cuts were clean however and something about these clean n cuts rang a bell in fn Curts Curt's mind d' d the rea reason on didn't at once click tha tha didn't bleed had to be ter death after the blood stop X in the body What about ejr little girl he asked Only five isn't she Ah Au but it is sad about her Poor little thing We have her at the hospital for the present where the nurses can look after her I am trying to get in fn touch with relatives In the States stacked slacked the photographs and sketches replaced them in Jn their envelopes He drew from his pocket an oversize cigarette case and tamped against the lid one of the special six-inch six Turkish cigarettes he be used wed Apparently he was con con- some problem At length he said picking his words It would be natural for lor you to want to see the murderer of Mr Mitchell brought to justice I also do But I assure you everything was done that could be done You may may believe me Mr Curtis it would be n a waste of time for lor you to try where we have failed Curt stared before he managed Oh quite Splendid Besides shall I confess confess confess con con- fess to a n selfish motive If It-it It if I Icay Isay say cay rte lie have been mistaken and the murderer is still about then he heis heis is a n more clever man than we wo think l 1 And If it you should Interest yourself in the case you might perhaps Invite invite in In- vite a similar fate tate no put an end to the subject subject sub sub- with an apologetic flash of teeth I cannot risk that Engineering work is behind schedule I need you so very badly Mr Curtis The next hour was spent in meeting meeting meet meet- ing key workers of the general staff persons with whom Curt would have frequent contact It was a whirlwind tour The bulk of employees numbering fifty to sixty sixty sixty six six- ty were Americans with a sprinkling sprin kling kung of and other Euro Euro- Then said This is the best time of day for you to meet Dr Later he is likely to be bein bein bein in the field Using a handy phone he called for forthe forthe the Ule laboratory and when he got his connection spoke in French French queried Curt as the theother theother theother other hung up I thought the name was Dutch 1 smiled perfunctorily Oh Dr also speaks SpanIsh Spanish Spanish Span Span- ish and English English after after a fashion He Heis Heis Heis is more successful with French You do not then speak French As Curt shook his head I thought not He will use English with you The Agricultural Department occupied oc oc- occupied an adjacent building filling a corner left leU by the administration tion building and the hospital Mon taya pushed on through the outer I office vacant except for a young man typing cards and on to a door at the rear In the huge working laboratory there was shelf upon shelf and row upon row of carefully labeled boxes and jars Along one side of the room a number of steel filing cabi cabi- i iA i x i 1 t 5 A lit litAh Ah Ab but it is sad about her Poor little thing nets stood in hi a straight line On the work tables were shaped odd vessels vessels alembics alembics glass funnels re reo re- re torts Dr below medium height in hi a dirty linen laboratory smock proved a colorless individual Indeed Indeed Indeed In In- deed with his full bearded face and careless dress he looked fair prey for a caricaturist sighted Near-sighted he be wore lense lense hick lense spectacles which gave him a eyed bug-eyed appearance The first words were conventional greeting Then Your shipment of of-ah of ah chemicals at Cabeza aroused Mr Curtis' Curtis curiosity curi curl yesterday Monta a said I told him such questions were your special province Geniality left the bearded face Hostile gray eyes bored through the thick lenses into Curt You ver vel vonce der across der asked the Dutch man Curt nodded smiled deprecation of ot the doctors doctor's English hadn't been an exaggeration Six years ago I know Panama disease has shown up with them and that they've tried a lime treatment for it It was a simple question I put The quantity of lime landed on the docks docks- docks Ah ja It iz lz I use der lime lime but but alzo also der del oder chemicals Vat I use iz my Der banana bana- bana I ana na ant pla vill be der more healthy und and vigorous from my chemical treatment wI der del soil und and so ve ye combat der fungi more better as asyet yet Den vill ve ye hat naff der pla in hi Tierra Libre If Dr did have a D miraculous lous bus cheap compound for soil soU treatment treatment treat treat- ment something to allay the dreaded dread ed fungus disease something with which Associated could rejuvenate their used lands then there was good reason for or guarding the secret You still half naff ofer der Negro Associated The amusement in Curts Curt's eyes was wasa a better answer than his words The trend of the Interview Curts Curt's feeling that was exhibiting exhibiting exhibit exhibit- ing him to the doctor a certain Indefinable indefinable indefinable In in- definable deference In attitude at at- toward the Dutchman convinced con con- vinced Curt that whatever the dumpy bearded man had hed he'd sold on It pretty solidly At last as final courtesies were being said the worthy doctor let letdown letdown letdown down the bars He asked with what could best be described as a 8 cunning cunning cun cun- ning look You blay ja Cribbage Curt laughed Sure I know the game Goot We blay sometime ja Certainly explained as they left the laboratory Dr one regret here Is that he has no good opponent at athis athis athis his favorite game He smiled politely po po- He is very good at it I hope Mr Curtis you will be able abl to stand up to him Curt chuckled If I cant can't Ill I'll sic my wife onto him She can play the game backwards and forwards He added with another chuckle If U hell he'll comb out his beard first Their final stop was the engineering engineer engineer- ing office a story one structure square like the laboratory It occupied occupied pied the corner between the general offices and the clubhouse thus completing completing com com- the layout of principal company company company com com- pany buildings about the square and balancing the community center Here Curt was introduced to his own staff It was now midmorning Three draftsmen were at work two at detail drawings the third on maps One room room was reserved for forthe forthe forthe the field men when they came to San Alejo to submit their progress reports There was a room dark and a big vault containing records and master charts From photo photo- static machine down to electric erasers the equipment throughout was ultramodern ultra Curts Curt's own office was airy light cool with both desk and big table on which to spread out his papers a swivel chair between a handy upright rack for rolls of blueprints But the one thing which instantly took his attention was the huge aerial aerial aerial aeri aeri- al photographic map of the C C. C A. A T. T tract permanently framed against the wall Here was something led the way across the room room to tap proudly with his finger tips Id never have gotten my planting under way without this This map showed a rough triangle of about hectares or acres The Quebrado Mountains formed the western boundary Along the south and east flowed the Masica River joining the turbulent unruly Rio Negro the northern boundary just below the rise of land where stood No buildings and no engineering work showed on the map It had been made before any preliminary work had bad been done But it gave Curt an instant picture of the entire entire en en- tire project of the drainage necessary necessary necessary sary to clear the huge swamp dotted dotted dotted dot dot- ted with stands of jungle of the levees necessary to hold back the rivers of the best terrain for tor spur tracks to feed the farms The Negro is a wild stream that requires taming said We work on that now Along here he Indicated with a pointer taken from a rack beside the map we make a twenty three levee Your most important job Mr Curtis Curtis Curtis Cur Cur- Is to see that it is completed within the next five months On that 1 I L gamble acres of planting plantIng planting plant- plant Ing The Masica r will hardly worry us this year In fact fact since the the the-ah ah unfortunate happening to Mr Mitchell Mitchell Mitchell Mitch Mitch- ell I have halted work on the Masica Masi Masi- ca levee and put those machines on the Negro levee Flooding of the thc Masica will not endanger present present pres pres- ent planting Along this line he Indicated with the pointer is our main canal Already it has drained several thousand thousand thou thou- sand acres Here will be secondary ditches But we have so much to todo todo todo do yes so many laterals to dig The canals in the upper half of the tract must also be completed before before before be be- fore the rains come Now we have four draglines and anda a yard three-yard shovel and laborers la laborers laborers la- la borers at work on the engineering projects This wasn't even the beginning More and more Curt realized hed he'd stepped into a size man job And with people who knew where whore they were going what going what they wanted and how to go about getting it Who made this map Mr and Mr was the answer In a plane I chartered especial for the purpose a year before I was ready to start work It takes long to secure a concession to plan It is good work no They are competent young men That is why I am so happy now to have them under contract Bueno Here are progress reports reports re re- re ports on the Negro levee the main drainage system and the railroad You will wish to look them over but you will be brief It no Directly after lunch we shall start starton on an inspection tour of the val val- ley For this we shall take the rest of today and tomorrow so you will bring what personal articles you need for overnight In the meantime I have much to do myself my my- self self self Curt hardly noticed s de dc- He even forgot the worries worries wor wore ries in hi the back of his mind What a job The best equipment to work with a challenge to meet with the next seasons season's rainfall the deadline He a swelled to the task his eyes shone He could have stood for tor hours before that map Noon rolled around all aU too soon coon TO BE CONTINUED |