| Show CE W TS THE TilE STORY THUS FAR FAit Zorie Zone Corey Is railroaded into taking akin a 3 Job she does docs not want helping old Admiral Duncan write his memoirs She is in love with Paul Paw Duncan the admirals admiral's grandson While aboard the Samoa en cn route to Hawaii she is thrown overboard o and before arriving at Oahu Pearl Harbor Is bombed After landing Paul and md Zone 3 overhear overbear Pauls Paul's handsome brother Steve with whom Zone is infatuated plotting with Winthrop Lanning to deliver some someI I radar equipment to the Axis Believing Steve In danger Zor Zone Zoric e rushes into the night to save him and discovers the thed d body of beautiful Amber Lanning Winthrop Win Win- Lanning LanDIn binds Zone and drives her herk herto herto k to a cabin In the mountains S to CHAPTER XV SV XVI I Is there anything you can say to tome tome me he asked gently that might i be useful useful useful-on on your behalf Mr Stromberg is a realist and a man of quick decisions I do not know what I he will decide to do but I assure you I will do everything to save your life You are so innocent and so beautiful Will you tell me who nah Ah-nah is Zone Zorie asked But of course Miss Corey I I will gladly answer all of your questions nah Ah-nah is Pierres Pierre's way of pronouncing pronouncing pronouncing ing Anna He is referring to one of the bravest cleverest most brilliant brilliant bril bril- 1 t pant most dangerous secret agents who ever lived lived Anna Anna Boland She 1 was an English girl of about your 8 age age an an amazing person She was shot by a firing squad in Berlin six r months ago Do I resemble her Mr Lanning laughed sharply My dear girl you are arc Anna Boland Boland Bo Bo- land It is the most amazing resemblance resemblance resemblance re re- re- re semblance I have ever known Is that why Pierre threw me overboard Yes Yes and and for other strangely coincidental coincidental coincidental co co- co- co incidental reasons Do you recall the night in the rain in Ellery ton when you met Steve Duncan Yes I What you may not recall was that while you were talking to Steve beside that telephone pole a sedan a a pale green sedan sedan came came along Do you recall that Yes I I 1 was in that sedan So was Pierre We saw you talking er As we passed Steve Duncan ill t pulled you behind the pole Why said Zorie Zone Steve explained that to us very u lucidly He did some very quick r l A thinking He had seen your igling mg ing resemblance to Anna Boland Then he recognized me in the sedan tl He reasoned that in spite of our be belief li th that t Anna n Boland was s ded dead your resemblance to her placed you in danger He pulled you behind the pole to protect you Might you or Pierre have shot me something me-something something like that I I would call that a very remote possibility Mr Lanning answered In spite of his lazy way Steve Duncan thinks with great rapidity He was simply taking no chances And of course Zone Zorie said That made you suspicious At least it made us very curious I But we did not see you well enough that night to notice your remarkable remarkable remarkable remark remark- able resemblance to Anna Boland It was later when we saw you on ont t the ship that we pieced things to to- gether In Ellery ton we merely thought that you and Steve were being being being be be- ing extremely furtive t there were other suspicious i mill circumstances One was your pos- pos loa ioe I B session of a certain engineering pa- pa td er on the retooling of the n brik Krupp plant for increased war ar production It was the sort of document Anna Boland might have t. t had Another item w was as your stenographic steno- steno cj graphic ic notebook or dote She wondered why y he was going f tO all this bother He didn't have motto explain anything b to her Certainly a t he expected to learn nothing of im- im ortance from her Back of his air of solicitude was a quality that WF W 1 td d her Why she a asked herself was as Mr Lanning being so out- out 7 I Mr Lanning paused He Hc took anI anither anther an- an titer ither drink J You realize of course that Pire Pi- Pi Pirre re killed Amber by mistake When your our ur fiance made that unfortunate 0 l disclosure on the lanai I knew that sn Pierre would go berserk It has taken aken all my persuasiveness all m my Y to keep him in hand so ar r. r All along he has been very e suspicious of Steve Steve and and certain that you fou ou were Anna Boland If he kills Steve teve he should be here at any mo- mo pent pent When he finds that you are till alive he is apt to be quite upset You see Anna Boland oland was some- some lill hing ing of a legend gend Every time she as ras killed she popped up some- some here a little later more later more alive than thany y ver Pierre has already killed you 11 rr once ice once b by y drowning once by oW o Wrangling He is a very niu ous us man His face if he comes or or V Unto nto this room will be very interest interest- nd o yng j r ro g to watch o t a t I I With you Zorie Zone said insisting at I am not Anna Boland and with cba insisting that I J am why am-why why rl t you check up Couldn't you youw I 1 b dJ w have radioed Berlin and act iJ Anna Aland's Bolands s 's death Ive I've 21 wed red in Ln Ellery ton all my life It l l uld have been te r so easy age rp 53 Mr Lannin Lanning g Jumped lumped up But my myn n rear girl that is the most amazing ell u ll art rt of all The day before Pierre ted led to drown you we sent two t diagrams one which reached Berin Berin Ber- Ber in roundabout round ways the other i to a man I 1 happen to know in Chicago Chi Chi- 1 cago cago-a cago a faithful man man but but not too I intelligent I instructed him to proceed proceed proceed pro pro- a at t once to Ellery ton and send us a brief report on or you to be followed followed followed fol fol- lowed later by a more detailed re re- re- re port My message to Berlin must have fallen into the hands of an overcautious overcautious overcautious over over- cautious clerk I said in substance Is Anna Boland dead Her duplicate duplicate duplicate cate is aboard this ship under very suspicious circumstances The answer said Perhaps it was Anna Bolands Boland's double we shot Of course that bolstered Pierres Pierre's suspicions tremendously but not nearly so much as the answer we received from the man I sent to Ellery ton This will amuse you very much Miss Corey Mr Lanning paused for another drink and Zorie Zone wondered if anything anything anything any any- thing could ever amuse her again His reply decoded said literally this Zorie Zone Corey left for Hawaii on fourth Was Vas employed by Professor Bowdoin J. J Folsome past four fourc c IF p 1 c rM fP r s 4 e a I II I I II I iq 1 s Mr Lanning paused for another drink months He says she is too smart His wife claims she is a very suspicious suspicious suspicious cious character Full report later That said Zorie Zone grimly is very very funny Mr Lanning He started to smile but when he saw her expression he checked him him- self It is so curious isn't it Steve told us about Mrs Folsome's tea in in- It should have convinced Pierre but he is so stubborn And Amber was almost equally stubborn Incidentally that full report had hadnot hadnot hadnot not come when we left Honolulu Zorie Zone wondered why he was so eager to explain to answer all her questions His solicitude for her plight did not wholly explain him It was perhaps a natural instinct but it went deeper than that He was a little drunk therefore gar gar- But it was not just that Perhaps she reflected ft it was his vanity He was bored He wanted to talk And he was an exhibitionist Recalling the night she had slapped Ambers Amber's face Zorie Zone said Amber hated me On the contrary Miss Corey she admired you very much On the assumption that I was Anna Boland She was never quite sure about that You see Amber was not a secret secret secret se se- cret agent Miss Corey She was merely a girl of strong enthusiasms who sincerely believed in our cause She asked repeatedly to be given a chance to help She lived on Martinique Martinique Martinique Mar Mar- and when the island went Vichy she was one of our most loyal supporters She was capable Mr Lanning said thoughtfully but buta a trifle too enthusiastic too enthusiastic too inclined to take matters into her own hands She had the ardor of the amateur She hated to take orders Pierre under your orders orders orders or or- ders too Zorie Zone interrupted In a lesser sense Pierre has lived mostly in the United States altho although gh the past two years he has been in and out of Europe frequent frequent- ly In certain kinds of work he is isI indispensable His vanity makes I him hard to work with He is a brute Zorie Zone said with I feeling He is a beast Yes And he is sometimes difficult I cult to handle His two attempts at I killing you were typical of Pierre i He tried to drown you because if I you actually were Anna Boland you were an extremely dangerous enemy agent agent to to be liquidated His mistaken attempt at killing you tonight tonight tonight to to- night was similarly motivated As Ashe Ashe Ashe he saw it our work was done the done the I jig was up Wed We'd all clear out i immediately And you are still to him Anna Boland Boland-a Boland a dangerous enemy enemy enemy en en- emy to be eliminated How do you plan to clear out out out-in in ina a 3 Japanese submarine I He smiled and shrugged Perhaps Perhaps Peri Per haps There are so many ways With this island so well b guarded guard guard- ed Mr Lanning seemed amused My I Idear dear girl this little island hasn't yet cut its war teeth You saw how how easily I got past those guards Quite as easily I can clear out As a war goes on you learn many tricks many ropes I was about to say that Amber was an individualist too but easy to reach through her emotions She very much enjoyed playing the part I gave her which was that of the lovely siren In an assignment of this nature we al always always always al- al I ways have a girl of her type along The first time Amber saw me mc Zorie Zone interrupted she stared at me meas meas me meas as if I were a ghost I know now she thought I was Anna Boland Mr Lanning chuckled Yes you gave her a dreadful shock If she spent her life in Martinique Martinique Martinique Mar Mar- how did she know Anna Boland Boland Boland Bo Bo- land She did not know Anna Miss Corey Amber was a resident of Martinique but she spent a large part of her life in the St States tes At least she went to finishing school schoor and college there Miss Boland was pointed out to her twice twice once once in a aNew aNew aNew New York night club and once in Martinique A large part of the treasury of France something France something l like he four hundred million in gold bullion bul I lion lion lion-is is stored there you knot kno Anna Boland was in Martinique doing doing do do- ing a 0 little snooping In spite of being a British agent Anna Boland was Amb Ambers Amber's rs r's ideal Anna was beautiful clever clever and and o a J witch She w was s quite in in the trad tion She had no conscience Then There was no trick in the bag she to use To her love was a weal 1 t tor or a tool Men lost their he liea hea i over her Amber in this assignment a assign assin si 11 ment tore a page from Anna l Do eo Doland's o oland's lands land's book She used love as us u a tool At least she tried I instructed her to worm her wa way into Steves Steve's confidence and 01 oi course the surest way to woi VOl m your way into a mans man's confidence is 13 isto isto to make him believe that youve you've fallen fall fal en in love with him She did it very Vell well Zone mur mur- She was always jealous of you She knew that Steve had fallen in inlove inlove inlove love with you absurd Zorie Zone said Mr Lanning shrugged Perhaps I do not know Love is a luxury that I cannot afford I only know that Amber would not have qualified as a secret agent She was too hu hu- hu- hu man A 1 n Or ur VI too wise Zorie Lone orie murmured Winthrop Lannings Lanning's eyes were partly lidded He looked more cynical cynical cynical cal than usual I think you would do marvelously in this work because your innocence is such suph an excellent cloak for your cleverness Im afraid Im I'm too human too Zorie Zone said Besides I could never work with you Youre You're too suspicious suspicious suspicious cious too obstinate obstinate- In this work my dear girl suspicion suspicion suspicion cion isAh is is It Ah yes I know The one firm foundation But Ive I've listened to you argue Ive I've heard your opinions Youre You're what we call back in Ellery Ellery- ton a conclusion Ive I've suspected suspected suspected sus sus- this for some time Mr Lan Lan- ning Now Im I'm sure Suspicion is no longer your slave slave its its it's your master master master mas mas- ter Winthrop Lanning started from his chair He was wa's suddenly wary Just what are arc you saying Miss Corey Ill give you a perfect example Zorie Zone quickly answered You honestly honestly honestly hon hon- estly believed that what Paul Duncan Duncan Duncan Dun Dun- can said on the lanai tonight was the truth It was the truth It was a malicious lie But you leaped at it because you were so willing to be suspicious If you hadn't become the slave of suspicion suspicion suspicion cion you would not have believed it My dear Miss Corey he answered answered answered an an- with his most urbane smile I am not a fool Perhaps I am always suspicious but I am always clever too Sometimes I am almost almost almost al al- al- al most psychic Steve has been clever clev clev- er altogether er-altogether too clever He has had me fooled a great deal of the time He almost had me fooled to to- to night Do you realize Zorie Zone stopped him that Paul did not know what he was talking about I Why did he say it I He and I happened to overhear I your conversation behind the hedge with Steve and Pierre your Pierre your plans I for tonight Paul said what he did merely to upset Steves Steve's plan plan plan-by by destroying destroying de de- your trust in him I de-I Mr Lanning was staring at her I I curiously This is most interesting interesting interesting interest interest- ing Miss Corey but I think you are being a little too loo clever yourself I Your fiance was very convincing He accomplished his purpose nicely But my psychic sense tells me that your fiance was telling substantially the truth I I I Why Zorie Zone demanded Because Because Because Be cause it was a 3 very dangerous mo mo- moment moment ment for you It was safer to be suspicious You weren't being clever or psychic You were playing safe My candid opinion is that you picked that moment to lose your nerve I Winthrop Lanning sank back in I his chair He was smiling TO BE CONTINUED I |
