Show CARIBBEAN f j 0 conspiracy A C Y 7 HRENDA 13 CONRAD c THE 9 STORY RY 80 90 FARI fahl anne amie heywood beautiful to daughter hier ota of d welthy new fork vor k newspaper I 1 go on an assignment lament ln ment to puerto rico where cherer pet pa e MCH wilcox coi OB an her loth tnt heri or pi efm ll is ta d 0 n A ll 11 1 V 8 am eda gr fence nee officer M c e r A as boas bouli the meets I 1 yo yomi an s puerto rican miguel valera an dd a an engineer named bans a alf of t whom ba is I 1 immediately clonan elon in spite of 0 the faO that he h looks like al typical tour lit 31 she gh does oot not know tauri hay that he lii is la in fact ate a germio german agent or doted dered to a destroy pa puerto art RICOs water epply pete pet meet we the boat but does not got ten tell anne ann 0 that he has ha reason to sulf peet taus Is ilat later er anne ami discovers that hot her bass ban have been searched letich eJ CHAPTER IV anne put her key in th the elock lock and opened the door there was a tunny funny ta taste stein in barmouth her ber mouth BI as it if shed bit into a sweet oranges orange and found it was a i sour four one im glad Petes to in san juan after all the she thought with a sudden cwg twinge of conscience 1 I 1 wonder abat helt he doing pete wilcox if 0 shed known lim awn it was at that moment two floors below her in the grenada granada bar held hed batic watched h ed her all through dinner seen her gay stade and charming harming and radiant as a sunbeam talking to three men the other girl pete even see he watched anne and miguel leave the dining room going to darice dance he thought he looked at himself in the mirror over the bar the taint faint green castoe cast of his face all be mildew he be thought with a twisted grin take ke it easy captain wilcox he said to himself annie anne put her hand out to put out the light end i changed her mind the room glowed with a faint silver phosphorescence from the rising moon it was the moon she and miguel had bad watched growing rounder and whiter the last three nights she thought with a little ache inside der she s shook hook that off crossed the room and looked down p into the patio don diego bongaro had just finished lighting richard Taus sigs cigar and was lighting his own The heart beat a little more quickly she glanced back ut t the door her cheeks flushed bushed a 6 lutle atle the feea idea that popped into her nand mind she knew was wai one that should never have occurred to a well brought up young woman she dismissed it sharply her hand shook a little as she opened the door there was a light over the transom in boom it was not the ceiling light Ugh tIt it was not bright enough it must be the one on the table or beside the bed she started trying to remember whether it bad been there belore before she looked she had been so intent on the conflict in her mind as she went into her own room it might bethe be the maid she thought listening or mr taussig might have left his light ow on she crossed the passage after a moment and tapped lightly light li on ath the door Ther therea ewas wag no answer an and n DO und from 1 inside her heart was 92 ding in her throat she had aber er to do dd it or not to do it she told herself but she had to be quick about it iti in any case she put I 1 ter her key in the lock and turned the knob mr taussig had bad not locked his door she opened it slowly lowly glancing back behind her down the hall and slipped inside she had taken two quick steps along the passage between the wall and the closet when the dimmed light went off 00 leaving her in sudden absolute darkness somebody inside the room Z moved with swift catlike silence she me stood rooted to the floor boor in terror her volee voice frozin frozen in her throat i A mans hand strong as steel closed over her mouth stifling the cry that sprang to her lips she was whirled around and moved back to the door to 10 quickly and easily that she have time to struggle the door opened she was in the hall ball again the door closed she rani ran 1 breathless with terror across the passage into her own boorn and nd stood tripping gripping the door franb ob her heart beating violently tery cry slowly then the he raised her hand to 6 her face and touched it with trembling fingers in the dim light above abo the open transom she had bad caught one flashing glimpse of the man in the room it was mg uel A c chill stabbing awareness that she was tor the first time lin in her ule life up against stark reality that thrust friendship aside as miguel had done with her made her hand band relax slowly from her doorknob she reached out cut to switch on the light changed her mind min dand and stood there listening warily hoaas he was coming coining out she beard the thedoor door across the passage close do quietly the key turn softly in the lock and his footsteps retreating retreat irit quickly along the hall ball still with out turning on OB the light she be went 0 through the narrow passage between the closet and toe the wall into her room she stopped at the toot foot of beri her bed shrouded in white mosquito netting and glanced back at the door 1 I wandir wonder she thought 1 I lust just wonder wider what valera had real bed there was something odd about richard Ill chard taussig tau ig too that could expiate it he could have left gra olela dela for a minute just to come up and see while his uncle and algiere were talking ah Upped window w and looked down into the patio don diego bongaro and taussig were still sitting kitting there their cigars still BUU qulie quite long iong that came as a little shock to her what had seemed an eternity could have been only two or three minutes at the most then she started miguel valera was corning coming through the arcade alone Grac graciela tela must have been sent home or something ho he strolled across the patio drew draw up a chaurand cha irand set sat down with the other two anne stood watching them her heart rising whatever it was it miguel was on her side and then the she caught her breath sharply he had said something to le who turned quickly and looked up at her window don diego turned a slowly lowly in his chair and looked up miguel was telling them and the she thought of that she really thought about that at all but in some way she had just taken it for granted he tell 11 1 I wonder where pete la Is she thought miserably it was the same old pattern it always came back when she was in trouble it only she knew where to find petel pete I 1 she looked down into the patio again mr taussig was getting up annes eyes moved across the grass A man was sitting alone at the table in the corner where don diego had sat reading his paper that morning she looked away and then looked back sharply it was pete pete went through the lobby and started across the gallery under the door opened she fihe ws was la in the ball again the portico the juke box blared from the bar behind him and with the orchestra istra out on the terrace a walling tenor was singing Pe zerildia rildia 1 I found couii you the love of 0 my life in somebody alses arms armi he tossed the cigarette hed lust just lighted into and turned tamed back again his orders order were to lay off and in the army orders order were orders in the newspaper newa paper business an editor might not run a story but he be never tried to keep you from getting it if you could and just now petes training and instinct the old cose tor for news sort of thing told him not tao ito leave to go back and the boll hell with 0 G 2 he went through the lobby out into the patio the ocean pounding on the reef and breaking again on the rocks just across the balustrade softened the strident scream of music from the bar th the a place was empty except for taussig and diego congardo sitting bitting by the fountain smoking their cigars they stopped talking for an instant when he came out and started again obviously on another subject they have been talking about the beauty of puerto rico an all that time he be thought he sat down at a table in the corner and ordered a scotch and soda oda the window of annes annea room wax was dark there was a light in the hall ball window and one in taus near the angle of the wall he saw aw it go out I 1 abruptly probably the maid he be thought he sew saw taussig look up and move slightly lightly then the light went on cc again taussig moved again glanc in ingup gup at annes window or pete thou thought he be did he sure it was still dark you must make a visit to nay my brother in laws central diego bongaro was wan saying laying affably 11 1 I shall hall ask him to arrange it they are cutting and grinding the gilgar sugar cane now and im sure it would interest te est you and to his coffee plantation in the mountains that would interest you very much too the trees are beginning to blossom now and they are very beautiful perhaps miss heywood would be interested too she is a avery very intelligent young lady perhaps she Is too intelligent tell igent it can be a dangerous quality in a bomin woman 1 I mem mean of course that no man wants a worn wom an who he broke off abruptly pete wil cox trying to look casual arld arid relaxed in a wrought aroa chair that was not designed for tor either was list listening ehing intently there was something in diego Con Gong garos aroB tone that implied a meaning underlying the superficial conversational one he was watching the center arch and pete glancing around saw miguell valera come out into the patio and pull up a chair beside them 1 I was just saying how intelligent your friend miss heywood is miguel his uncle rems remarked aked easily miguel shrugged 1 I dont know about that ashes very charming certainly there was no reason to get hot under the collar pete told himself maybe anne was deliberately con coaling her intelligence sometimes she did it without deliberation furthermore ther more there was nothing offensive in preferring a girls charm to her intelligence gatins the only ones who did that what have you done with the young ladles ladies by the way taussig inquired my cousin Is with some of my other cousins miss heywood has had a tiring day ashes gone upstairs 1 I hope remember your suggestion about the sugar plantation im sure miss heywood would enjoy it too im sure we con can arrange it mr taussig lg ill speak to my father freyou engaged tomorrow rm im afraid I 1 am taussig said the army is taking me on a tour ot of the island stopping it at borinquen bield tor for lunch mr taussig bowed to both of them good night he said miguel maguel valera turned to his unc uncle ae and spoke again rapidly P pete 0 te caught Graci elas name and case casa and decided that miguel was telling his uncle to take the girl home at any rate bongaro left miguel and pete were alone in the patio and the light in annes window was still on pete watching with a kind of forlorn hope for one brief glimpse of even her shadow on the screen trying to make up his bis mind not to go and call her up just to hear her voice and know she was there started to jet get up As he be did valera rose and came across the grass good evening captain he said it if you arent in a hurry burry lw elwonder I 1 wonder onder a it if join me in a nightcap for a moment the two of 0 them stood facing each other the latin tell tall and slender blender with gray eyes and black hair the saxon tall fail lein lean and rangy avith with hazel eyes and sun bleached tow colored hair ich asich taking the others measure thanks banks I pete said glad to they sat down miguel called the W waiter alter youre at headquarters I 1 understand he said when he had ordered that right pete said and you 1 I was ordered to buchanan but my orders were cancelled I 1 was 11 ready a ady and thought I 1 might as well come home it was too cold in new york tor for me anyway id been up for or several months on business for my father youre a lawyer arez arent it you pete feie asked it sounded as if being R lawyer in a time like this was a little like being a snake in the gra grass a which was not what he had meant miguel laughed A sort of lawyer you have to know law to manage a sugar central these days of government regulation I 1 dont practice i k politics politics politic is in latin blood miguel mige u e answered red corpuscle corpus cles 11 white corpuscles corpus cles and politics it t means everything down here what about your father has he been in political office no my father a united states citizen after the american 0 occupation pupation cc upa tion we were given the choice of accepting citizenship or remaining spanish my father chose to retain his own citizenship A good many people did what do you call them diehards dle hards it are they the ones who dont like the united states pete asked valera hesitated would thy like to see spain back miguel valera shrugged 1 I suppose ther theres es the dream of seeing the scarlet and gold of spain flying from el morro its natural enough tor for the people who tire are predominantly spanish Sp anith if the united states were conquered you would just wait the chance to kick your conquerors out and what about the nationalists pete asked miguel shook hi his head shead the ca elgue or leader of the party in power has said nationalism is not an issue at the present I 1 dont think there any important organized nationalist tion alist opinion here now the pa fa langlots lang lits and the nationalists are the two extremes in between you have the moderates but I 1 mean to give you a lecture on insular polities politics I 1 one thing before you get off it pete said where do you botand in all this me miguel valera laughed be surprised he said but as I 1 started to say this ise t what I 1 wanted to talk to you about it was alss heywood TO 10 OR BB CONTINUED |