Show If- If e r CARIBBEAN CA RIB B EAN EANE lP O rp S I E 1 I Co CONSPIRACY N S P I RAC i t II b bi J- J BRENDA B R E N DA CONRAD Co N fl AD c- c 31 ht I E STORY SO FAR Anne Heywood to daughter of a wealthy New i ork newspaper publisher goes to Puerto I. I 1 Ico on an assignment for her fathers father's Ai paper aper Also on the Island bland are ue Pete Fete WUa WU- WU cox COXO a reporter report r on her fathers father's paper papers rI BOW a U. U S. S Army Intelligence officer el Valera a Puerto Rican educated th the United States who Is a secret U. U S. S sac sac-ent Richard Taussig an engineer whose whose Identity as a German agent Is suspected sus sos but not yet proved and Russell Rossell Russella porter a young American engineer and wife Sue who Innocently believes Mr Taussig can help belp Russell Rossell Knowing Il that Russell Rossell Is working on an Important e plan plan she offers to show It to Mr TauSsig as proof of Russells Russell's ability t t CHAPTER XV I d Taussig looked at his watch again JI I need about half hali an hour Per- Per I Gaps I could take them to my room nd d lay them out on the floor I uld get them back before I go goMp goP Mp P dine with the General at Casa janca anca He saw her hands close quickly it But But you wouldn't be comfortable ble lle Ie with them out of the house he het taid t id sympathetically I can see hat He rolled roIled them up again and hand- hand f pad d them back to her In fact I dont don't really think you'd J are to live in South South- 1 I 81 A Id live anywhere for Russell ue cried U Anywhere It doesn't atter Just so hes he's not slaving Inight Bight and day for nothing I want bim to do things certainly be doing them Mr r. r Taussig said And just the TUttle I Ive I've seen here I If l' Oh then take them with you youland Rand land jand look at all of them JI She thrust them back into his hands Half an hour wont won't hurt anything and it'll mean everything 2 tb Russell Oh please do ii Mr Mr Taussig got up still t jd d. d 1 lWell Well all right then Mrs Forer Forger For Por- J ger er he said at last Ill have hem em back in half an hour 1 Anne lifted herself out of the cool turquoise pool at the Country Club d stretched out on the brown sunO sun attress beside Barbara French O time is it iU she asked jIve got to go to Sues If Youve got lots of time Barara Bar- Bar jara jara ara said lazily one of the ovely things about the tropics Ma- Ma ajana l na land which isn't quite 31 li rue really It covers up a lot of Things filings like sometime at home Dome Do iome me and see us sometime which leans eans never Its It's the same here jr eYre just so polite around And She 0 glanced you in ion t have nave to worry about getting to toE ues ue's es e's because here Sue is Hi Sue E D der us a drink will you Well We'll be bein Sip dip in a minute OkaY Sue Porter called across 1 he e pool Hi Anne She danced gaily up the steps 1 me stood there watching her a ald old ld dull sensation moving into her Barbara got upI up jf ri I wonder what's happened to our 1 ue she remarked You wouldn't Suppose she's just got Russell made president of Consolidated I 1 hope hopet's ts t's all right dears have you heard Sue Acclaimed exclaimed abruptly cutting off oil ti she was saying to the girl ext to her About Miguel Valera r rt your friend Anne The War Department De De- De- De cancelled his orders t 1 for someone asked casu- casu lly i Sue shrugged Three guesses Everybody knows mows they're i ti P PAnnes PAnne's Anne's Annes fingers tightened on the of her chair tJ Ive often wondered why the Army irmy wasn't a lot more careful lue ue said Its about time were we're to wake up I Tell us more Barbara French FrenchI Is Don Alvaro going to I torm arm El EI Morro I JAnne got up Barbara was looking look look- ing g at her with calm expressionless yes l IJ Going she asked f I Anne Anne nodded Ive got a date ith Miguel Valera she said calm calm- Were going to steal the plans lith the Generals General's shower room But ont tell a sou soul Wait it a minute darling Sue aid Wheres the check This is isay isy ay y party Bye everybody iSho She followed Anne downstairs Look she said when they were et Russells gone to St. St Thomas for two or three days Why dont don't if you come over and stay with withe i jie Se e till he comes back Ill I'll have a ai ot of people in and some attractive t.-t t. Heres Here's Here's Heres my car Ill I'll take you orne ome Thanks Sue youre you're sweet X ne said I think Id I'd better stay here I am You know its it's ch a mess packing things any- any Jay all right Its It's just so mn- mn r where you are INot at all aU I love it Sue was silent for a moment as asey asty ty ey t started off oil lYou f You may think its it's funny for me l h be giving you Advice she said Sien Fn ien Youre Y re 1 so comPetent and Im I'm Imor or t. t But T Ive I've been down here longi long- long i j than you have lave Its It's a all aU right for bt b to be U interested and all that 1 t I dont don't think youre you're being very y yu JA nse se in the people people- J lYou u mean Miguel Valera Anne Annea ill ked a little dangerously Oh dont don't pretend youre you're naive lime inne e. e They all love American girls girls' girls f I I blondes especially What do you suppose they're being so nice to you for You'd be a swell catch for anybody anybody anybody any any- body with the money and position your fathers father's got The Valeras have money money and and position too Anne remarked They dont don't need either one And look Sue What I hope about you is that you didn't do anything crazy this afternoon Sue Porter looked at her sharply What do you mean she de de- de- de A bright pink spot burned in the cheek next to Anne You know what I mean Anne said quietly I told you to be careful care care- ful lul of Mr Taussig aussig You dont don't know anything about him Oh dont don't be like that Anne She was young and pleading again all of a sudden All Im I'm trying to todo todo do is help Russell Dont Don't you see She turned the car into the Granada Granada Granada Gra Gra- nada and stopped under the portico Oh of course I see Its It's just that oh well Anne leaned over and kissed her warmly on the cheek Thanks an an- gel Ill I'll be seeing you As Anne went through the arcade a girl at the desk talking to the clerk turned around quickly Her dark eyes met Annes Anne's and held them for a moment then she hurried hurried hur hur- ried ned across the lobby She was al almost almost almost al- al most running as she reached the a.- a. I They're just so polite drive and cut through the garden to the street Anne went on to the desk The clerk reached up for her key and handed it to her with a letter She looked down at it The handwriting handwriting handwriting hand hand- writing was laborious and her name misspelled It was on the hotel hotel hotel ho ho- tel stationery the flap still moist and smeared with dark lipstick Did she leave this she asked The room clerk shrugged his shoulders and looked a little uncomfortable uncomfortable uncomfortable un un- un- un comfortable she thought The telephone telephone telephone tele tele- phone operator was watching her curiously She went up to her room closed the door and put her hat and bag bagon on the bed She looked at the envelope envelope envelope en en- for an instant tore it in two suddenly and tossed it into the waste basket She didn't want to read it It was also nearly eight o'clock and she knew that Miguel was coming coming corning com corn ing in spite of what Graciela had said said knew knew it before the operator called to tell her he was there He was waiting pacing nervously up and down the lobby When he saw her he dropped his cigarette in inthe inthe inthe the jar of sand by the newsstand and came quickly forward He took her hand and held it a moment tightly looking at herI herI herI her I must go home tomorrow home tomorrow Anne thought quickly She smiled Its nice to see you she said He put her arm in his pressing it close to his side and they went out put onto the terrace Without saying saying say say- ing a single word he had said a n great deal Cant we have dinner out here Anne asked She turned from the balustrade with the cool breeze from the oce ocean n in her hair Surely He called the waiter Anne stood there watching the waves break white against the reef He came back and took her arm again What happened today he asked quietly She shook her head I dont don't quite know After I got your message I went to the Central Pete Wilcox came out just in time I think I got dizzy or something I dont don't know I was scared stiff still really He held her arm more tightly He had not sent the message that took her out to the mill Should he tell her She might be safer if she didn't know too much Hereafter dont don't go anywhere I without me or Wilcox or some someone someone someone one you know very well he said And dont don't take messages messages from any any- body tI C. I wont won't again She glanced around They were alone on the terrace The window of Mr Taussig's room upstairs was dark Miguel she said slowly Do you know Russell Porter I 1 know about him Hes He's doing a good job jOD here know what I wanted to about Is there anything in his work that would interest well you know said Very much Miguel Valera gravely Why Anne looked up at him If I Itell Itell Itell tell you something will you promise to try to see it doesn't hurt Russell Russell Russell Rus Rus- sell What is it Anne You haven't promised I cant can't promise anything he answered answered answered an an- quietly Nothing personal counts You must know that after last night and today She hesitated and went on Im not sure about this Its It's a mixture of fact ct and guesswork But the other night after dinner Sue Porter and Mr Taussig were talking talking talking talk talk- ing about Russells Russell's job Taussig said if Russell could do that what that what whatever ever it was was was-he he was a genius it was every engineers engineer's dream Sue said he had done it and he was a genius and she tried to get Russell to go get his specifications to show him Russell clamped down hard and sent her to see after the kids I have an idea that Sue showed them to him today Russells Russell's away and she's terribly ambitious for him and thinks because Taussig Is Isa Isa isa a great sanitary engineer he can cando cando cando do something She wouldn't knowingly knowingly knowingly know know- He interrupted her with impatient irony People never do What What time today Anne About four or thirty four-thirty Id I'd guess What would he do if 11 he got gotthem gotthem gotthem them Hed make a microscopic photostat photostat photostat photo photo- stat and return them to Mrs Porter in an hour Hed He'd tell her she was right about her husband and to keep absolutely quiet and they'd hear from him Sort of their secret secret secret se se- se- se cret his and hers Nobody would know the plans were out so no changes would be made And Taussig Taussig Taus Taus- sig wouldn't have any large blueprint blueprint blueprint blue blue- print to smuggle out They dont don't steal plans any more They just take pictures and enlarge them Then theres there's nothing nothing- He shook his head There are the films Im I'm glad you told me The waiter brushed the crumbs from the cloth and brought their coffee He poured it black and fragrant into the cups and left the terrace Miguel leaned forward looking at ather ather ather her in the pale silver glow of the rising moon Anne he said He hadn't spoken for several moments Yes Im going to ask you to do some some- thing Will Vill you She smiled Depends Im going to ask you to go home His voice sounded a little like silk tearing She put her cup down and looked out at the reef A lighted ship was moving far out beyond it going home She looked back at him Do you want me to go No he said quietly I want you to stay here always He put his hand out and took hers lying on the table I love you Anne The knowledge knowledge knowledge knowl knowl- edge that you will go sometime is very hard be lonelier than you know mow But if you go quickly quick quick- ly Is that why you want me to togo togo togo go she asked softly No I want to keep you as long longas as I can But it isn't safe for you If I could only ask you to marry me me He stopped Anne waited aware of the soft fragrance of the night isolating them for a moment in a small infinitely lovely world all their own as fragile and tender as the silver glow of the on the ocean It was what she wanted what she had lived for There was no shadow of doubt in her mind She waited for him to go on When he didn't she raised her eyes slowly to his Cant you Miguel she asked softly Her heart throbbed with a sudden rich warmth In his face was passion passion passion pas pas- sion muted saddened even with a a tenderness she had never seen be be- fore For a moment they were lost in inthe inthe inthe the electric world that held their eyes together saying more than their lips could say Suddenly he lowered his head He was trem trem- bling Anne could hardly hear him whispering Oh Anne Anne I I love you I cant can't let you go Then ask me to stay Miguel She got up and moved over to the balustrade He came after her Anne do you mean it He caught her hand and held heId it itin itin itin in both of his She turned and looked up into his eyes her own radiant as stars I do mean it Miguel Migue His voice was strong and clear Will Will you marry me Anne Yes darling Yes Yes a million million million mil mil- lion times Oh lOh my dear my dear TO BE CONTINUED |