Show I I 3 CAR CARIBBEAN II C I S J I CON CONSPIRACY A Ab i P i lJ I b 4 B BRENDA R EN DA co CONRAD N R AD N C THE STORY SO FAR FAIL Anne Heywood I I beautiful daughter of a wealthy Newt Newl New NewYork t l York newspaper publisher goes to Puerto Rico on an m assignment for her ber fathers father's paper Also on the Island arc are Pete Wilcox Wilcox Wil cox a reporter on her fathers father's paper now a U. U S. S Army Intelligence officer Miguel Valera a Puerto Rican educated In the tho United States whose orders to re report report report re- re port to an army camp were abruptly cancelled Richard Taussig an engineer whose Identity as a German agent Is suspected suspected sus sus- petted but not yet proved and Russell Russen Porter a young oung American engineer and his wife Sue Aware that she must get bet the story she was sent for Anne follows Mr Taussig to a secret rendezvous Hiding Hid nId ing lug in the shadows Is Miguel Valera CHAPTER XI Anne bent her head down and anddrew anddrew anddrew drew farther back into the tho dark dark- ness Miguels Miguel's hand dropped hers moved back to his hip pocket and rested there Her heart beat faster There must be four or five of them she thought trying to count the shuffling shuffling shuffling shuf shuf- fling feet above her Anne closed her eyes and took a along along along long breath She felt Miguels Miguel's taut body relax and then go rigid again so instantly that she opened her eyes in sudden fright A f filth fifth th man had joined the group group It was Diego Miguels Miguel's body was like a steel wire quivering under the impact of ofa ofa ofa a sudden blow His breath was coming coming coming com com- ing so sharply that Anne thought themen themen the themen men outside must hear it What had hadt nn h d s h h e did i n t know Then n suddenly it came m t to he her u H He hd hadn't t t known his uncle was there He hadn't even known he might be there k t Lets get out of here quick t f Miguel said quietly They slipped through the tunnel F and out into the street He took her arm As they started down the thet t street away from the direction shed she'd Y come in Anne glanced back There was no one in sight They turned k the corner She got into the car tired desperately desperately des des- r r tired all of a sudden Miguel Miguel Mig uel she said Wait a while Anne She sank back against the seat It was probably just hunger she thought but it was funny how this see-sawing see of emotions took it out of y you u. u She felt like an old sponge He maneuvered the car through the dark streets They came out suddenly in front of the great Indian laurel tree in the Post Office Plaza Anne sat up abruptly She hadn't an idea how they'd got there so quickly Where were we Miguel she asked He looked at her sharply If you dont don't know mow where you were its it's better for you not to know he said evenly after a mo mo- ment mente I wish you could forget the x Whole thing They were both silent for an in in- stant Then he said Youve got to L promise e me very seriously you YOUil 11 u I never say a word about it to any any- one What Wha t were you doing there And Andin Andin in Mr Taussig's room the other night Then you did know Miguel said without turning his head His eyes r were fixed on the ocean in front of them Im sorry I hope I didn't hurt you or frighten you too much I think you'd better tell me I all about it I couldn't ask you before before be be- fore It wasn't you that told Taussig I was there Miguel turned abruptly Does he know He knows about me Anne saidI saidI saidI said I dont don't know about you Listen Anne he said earnestly Youve got to tell me everything you know Its It's more important than you think Have you told Wilcox Anne shook her head He uHe thinks I youre you're a spy or something I did too But youre you're not are arc you von vou I T F didn't want want to believe it T Tell m ll me youre you're not Ill tell you something no one here knows he said slowly Im trusting you Anne In a way I have to to-so to so you'll see you have to keep absolutely quiet to everybody everybody every every- body Wilcox and nd everybody else Does your father know He shook his head The Commanding General knows theres there's somebody here here here-he he doesn't know its it's me He looked around and lowered his voice so that she could hardly hear him The The War Department sent me down on a special mission I cant can't t tell you what it is exactly I wasn't sure until tonight that Taussig was mixed up in it I dont don't know how much he And is is And how far I succeed depends on no one knowing Im I'm doing it You see that dont don't you I thought we didn't use agents provocateurs' provocateurs in democracies Anne said Right now were we're using whatever we have to it be better if G 2 knew about you so they wouldn't follow you around He shook his head Its better for them to As long as certain people know G 2 is on my trail they wont won't be suspicious And they'll know it sooner or later But working dangerous isn't it dangerous working dangerous working I alone Its important Miguel said Now begin at the beginning Anne hesitated I If If a member of my family seems to be involved he said quietly quietly quietly qui qui- etly dont hide it I wouldn't wouldn't- Its just your uncle Anne said quickly as if his uncle didn't mat mat- ter You dont don't think your father father father fa fa- fa- fa ther His voice was a little unsteady I hope not My I father means very much to me Go on There were only a few cars in front of the when Miguel Miguel Miguel Mig Mig- uel pulled in to the curb As they got to the door a car coming along the road suddenly that stopped so L L it sounded as u if the DraKes cranes had been torn from their from their linings with an anguished anguished anguished an an- shriek The uThe way you people here punish cars Anne Anno said without turning Miguel looked back The man at atthe atthe atthe the wheel was not a Puerto Rican He was Captain Peter Wilcox of the United States Army He was sitting sitting sitting sit sit- ting there staring at them Miguel hesitated for an instant turned and followed Anne inside After all an it was a Saxon who said whatever it was about love and war war- Furthermore Furthermore Furthermore Further Further- more he had the sharp impression that Captain Wilcox was drunk Mr Richard Taussig had never taken the doctrine of the Master Race particularly seriously nor did he regard himself per se as an example example example ex ex- ex- ex ample of it He was a realist and a business man and Ilis business was Empire or rather the undermining I of existing empires leading leadin to their a Ile sir O Oit it fi t i ii I i I r r l ti- ti They slipped through the tunnel and out into the street destruction in the interests of what he ref referred to as World Order but thought of merely as New Empire for Old He had spent too many years in too many ends and corners and crossroads of the world to think that any anyone one nation was in itself superior to all others and especially ordained by God for world domina domina- tion He was however aware that the desire for world domination exclusively exclusively exclusively ex ex- and without regard for existing existing ex ex- existing concepts of law and ethic and the acceptance of any and every every every ev ev- ery means to attain it were the most powerful weapons the human mind could forge A realist by nature nature nature na na- na- na ture he had become a cynic by necessity and an eminently successful successful success success- ful opportunist by scientific application tion of whatever means came to ton I hand n He did not 0 object to men L n t h 1 the V uj or gove en s w o respected i CU ut virtues of honesty tolerance and sin sin- On the contrary he preferred preferred preferred pre pre- dealing with them because they were always the slowest to recognize the Indian sign of the Double Cross and by the time they did recognize it it was too late On the other hand and Mr I Taussig Taussig Taussig Taus Taus- sig was thinking of it as he crossed the Granada lobby toward the newsstand newsstand newsstand news news- stand they were unknown and frequently frequently frequently fre fre- fre- fre unpredictable aspects imponderables imponderables imponderables im im- im- im he called them that had to be recognized and dealt with Sometimes it took the form of the honesty and unselfishness of a particular particular particular par par- individual More often in his experience it was what hed he'd tried to warn Diego about that morning He had in fact wondered wondered wondered won won- dered many times whether the emotional emotional emotional emo emo- equation coming in with its attendant jealousy wasn't actually more trouble than it was help Graciela's Graciela's Graciela's Gra- Gra ciela's rage against the American girl had been a help certainly but Miguel Valeras Valera's apparent entanglement entanglement entanglement entangle entangle- ment with her was anything but Young Wilcox's too Wilcox fortunately fortunately fortunately fortu fortu- wasn't particularly tant If he had a roving commission commission commission commis commis- sion and was in his own country it would be a horse of another color As it was his hands were tied first by Army regulations and second by his unfamiliarity with either the people people people peo peo- or the terrain Miguel Valera was different He was as far as Mr Taussig could see potentially much more useful than his uncle slightly tarred by his connection with the war in Spain Perhaps he should have taken a chance and let bring him to their meeting that night was positive his nep nephew ew was in complete complete complete com com- agreement with them His devotion devotion devotion de de- de- de to his father would make him ready to put Don Alvaros Alvaro's passive ideas into action if he could be shown the way But Mr Taussig wasn't so sure It was the emotional equation coming coming com com- ing in again Hed He'd seen him with Anne Heywood on the ship and seen them together in San Juan Hed He'd seen the look in Miguels Miguel's face Hed He'd seen it in other mens men's faces and knew mew what it meant Mr Taussig bought a newspaper and made his way across the lobby to the desk to get his key It was extraordinary he was thinking how Anne Heywood got in inthe inthe inthe the way Not only tangibly with Miguel and little Mrs l Porter but I intangibly too The fact that she was at all serious about him was in effect a potential surveillance that he couldn't afford to risk He stopped in front of rif the counter The clerk put his hand up in the pigeon-hole pigeon numbered and turned back No she hasn't come in The girl standing there hesitated apparently reluctant to go Mr I Taussig glanced her over with an appraising eye wondering what she I wanted with Miss Heywood Sh Shwas She was Puerto Rican dark and full full- u L aLL LL L mown at ai aT that inai brief DrIer attractive stage before avoirdupois and middle age set in at thirty She was expensively expensive expensive- ly dressed almost too much so and obviously nervous and ill at ease She was also obviously determined The clerk handed Mr Taussig his hiskey hiskey hiskey key and two call slips said Good evening sir in English and turned back to the girl His attitude was interesting Mr Taussig thought It was as if he had to be polite to her herbut herbut herbut but nevertheless wanted to get her herout herout herout out as quickly as possible You can leave a message for her he said usually very late The girl moved away without answering answering answering an an- wandered over to the arcade arcade arcade ar ar- ar- ar cade and sat down looking around with a kind of moody defiance in her herset herset herset set face She apparently had made up her mind to see the American girl and was not going to be stopped Who is that young lady Mr Taussig inquired with a slight frown as if he knew her very well but couldn't quite place her at the mo mo- ment The clerk looked at him politely politely- but blankly I dont don't know her name he said with exactly the effect effect effect ef ef- of saying Its none of your business sir Mr l Taussig looked at the slips in his hand Mrs Russell Porter had called him at six Mrs R. R Porter had called at thirty eight-thirty and left her telephone number Th There re y were re two more moe slips lips for calls in his room that had been left earlier It was working out very nicely on the whole Mr Taussig glanced back at the girl by the door She was sitting tight He looked at athis athis athis his watch It was not quite ten and this might be interesting The girl obviously had something on her mind she intended getting off before she went away On the other hand time seemed to be important She kept looking nervously at the clock and comparing it with the gold watch pinned on her dress Then she got up abruptly and went to the writing desk Mr Taussig Taussig Taussig Taus Taus- sig watched her chewing the end of the pen writing crumpling up what she wrote and stuffing the paper paper paper pa pa- per into her bag Suddenly in something something something some some- thing like despair she threw the pen down and hurried out without having having having hav hav- ing written anything Mr Taussig went slowly over to the arcade She was going quickly down the drive He saw indistinctly indistinct indistinct- ly lr because of his short range hort- hort ange vision that a car stopped for her to get inand inand in m mand and went off toward Santurce not San Juan He went over to the elevator There was something about the incident incident incident inci inci- dent that disturbed him without his being able to say exactly what it was It was another of the intangibles intangibles intangibles bles that seemed to make action imperative before they became tangibles tangibles tangibles tan tan- gibles to disrupt his plans He walked slowly down the hall to his room A letter that he had been writing in his head from time to time since he talked to in the th morning was going through his mind again It was very clear to him Tomorrow night he would put it on paper for the morning Clipper My dear friend the letter would say Thank you for the Guide GuideBook GuideBook GuideBook Book to this beautiful and historic island It has been interesting and invaluable I Have you heard of the tragic thing that happened here today A beautiful American girl Miss Anne Heywood met her death by a frightful fright fright- ful accident at the Central Valera My efforts to save her very nearly resulted in the loss of my own l life e which I should gladly have given to save hers She and I were the guests of ot Senor Alvaro Valera on his sugar plantation outside of San Juan Senor Senor Senor Se- Se nor Valera was not with us only the foreman of the mill and Senor Diego Senorita was also along but she did not go through the plant with us Thank God she was spared that TO llE DE CONTINUED I |