Show CARIBBEAN IDEAN conspiracy 11 6 ai 1 11 if g F bif BRENDA CONRAD ca I 1 THE stort 80 60 farl anne heywood heywood 11 au 1 daughtery daugh tero of a wealthy new w york i liner her goes foes to pu poet nr to rico on an assignment tor for her fathers fat heri paper also on the island are pete wilga re reporter porter oo on her bar fathers at heri paper a V U I 1 S Army ar my intelligence officer cl va valera era a puerto rican mean educated in the united states whose whole order or derso sto re port to an army camp were abruptly can celled called R lebard T Tan assis sili an engineer whose identity ss a a german agent la Is suspected directed but not yet proved and russell porter ayonna american east engineer beer and his wife sue Ie Walking through the streets juan c of san ban juan anne has bai a feeling she iho Is beant loll 1011 followed wed now the iho has hai just met V valera era I 1 1 CHAPTER IX anne sipped the cool frosted del dal quirl suet subtly Y blended with almond and rum that the e waiter had put in front of them a as 3 soon coon as they sat down miguil Ml guel she said suddenly how strong Is the falange flere he glanced at her calmly gaits its been disbanded why do you V 1 I 1 was just wondering was your father a member of it M most st of the spanish people here we were re were you i fr im not spanish im puerto rican he said with a smile what would yoa you like to eat better get used to spanish food gradually what about some chicken soup and an I 1 dont want you to have a at stomach 0 mach ache or to get fat anne could not tell when she first became aware of the woman in the black dress on the other side of the street she was standing in front of a shop window looking at them through the open arcade her eyes met annes now and held them so intently that there was no possibility of being unaware of her any longer it was oot not a hostile interest exactly but it was not friendly in any sense and most of the glances shed me met t on the street had been very friendly indeed heart beart warningly so as a I 1 matter of tact fact the people of puerto rico are extremely loyal to the united states miguel was saying independence pen dence a burning issue not now cow statehood or some kind of dominion status guell she interrupted him MI aptly who is that girl across the street t realized sh she a realized at the same time that she want to know and th that at it was too late he was turning ng around her heart died slowly wh why she have been a woman of the world or latin pete Fete wilcox sat in the office of trie assistant chief of staff Stal fG G 2 at the general headquarters of the puerto rican department he wondered w what hat the shades of the monks who had read their breviaries brevi aries arles and told their bends beads along the cool interior galleries would think it if they knew it if look much like a monastery now with the clerc clerical al force trooping out staff officers and uniformed soldiers closing aitor for the aday day he looked at the pelt k he i was waiting for colonel cherto get back from a meeting with the local re representative presenta t iva of the F B 1 I he haon t talked to anne all day she was out bout the three times hed called the message in front of him that shed meet him at the granada at seven was cold comfort but it was comfort all the same he get her out of his head he lit a cigarette and opened the paper folder stamped SECRET there were two new items to go in it it one was brought in at noon by i a taxi driver the other later by a ragged urchin who sold papers and lottery tickets the whole thing was a good ciol collection lection for less than three days pete thought grimly if it for anne mer her face was there in the folder looking up at him wide eyed and wilful and very precious im going bats he thought he picked up the two sheets of cheap t p paper aper he was sick of all the ying in g f ferrets re t slinking around reporting or every move people made pete lit a cigarette garette cl he heard colonel fletchers fletcherr Flet chers quick firm tread com ing along the gallery he put the cigarette down and started to get up sit do down wn 11 colonel fletcher said or bring that stuff and come in my office he hung up his bis sun helmet and 1 put ut his bis swagger stick on the chair what about a couple of weeks leave while miss Hey heywood woodI is is here wilcox he said he sat down at his desk and looked up pleasantly there ther a are plenty of us to it amy I 1 on i an tor or an n instant petes face brightened as if he were six and had been gh n a toy plane that flew he shook his head ren y thanks a lot sir id rather wait till later it if its au all right with you just offhand he remember when hed made a decision so totally opposed to his own best interests te rests 11 it it if been forthe tor the folder ingils in his hand he have made it if he be went on leave he be would be out of touch with what was going an on if he stayed on the job maybe hed be able to soften the blow keep her maybe from getting fiur hurt colonel fletcher looked at him lie he had the idea tor for a moment ol of ordering him to take it anyway and giving a little sound advice while he was dol doing ng it he hesitated wilcox was a pretty attractive chop chap and could probably hold his own mig uel valera was attractive too of course still wilcox was tough bhough to take it suit yourself he said it if you change your mind let me know what have you got there sit down and have a cigarette pete put the two slips of 0 paper on the desk and sat down A translation had been typed at the bottom of at ea each chone one miguel valera attended the meeting of the society of the spanish friends of the united states last night I 1 do not know of my own knowledge but it Is said that he has been in new york undertaking to organise org anise anlie natio nationalist nationals nall st sentiment lor for puerto rican independence to collaborate la with central and south american groups under european fascist domination don alvaro valera was not present nor was diego bongaro Gon garo diego bongaro has not been seen at any meeting since the toast was drunk to the fall all of france it was not signed and was obviously written by an educated person colonel fletcher looked at the second letter miguel valera visited the house of sebastian diaz caleta san juan it at ll 11 1125 25 and left at 12 1246 46 S Se sebastian basilan diaz he asked what do we have on him hes the brother in law of the guy that stole the dynamite from isla grande pete said they live in 11 0 pu 4 arto I 1 who is at girl across the street two rooms to in one of those old cd houses down there he worked for or a powder and explosive firm in new jersey hes an old employee of the valera central too colonel fletcher took the older folder and ran through the other items filed died in it he closed it and leaned back in his bis chair you went to that meeting last night pete nodded he was there all right AU all the I 1 old boys cheered him I 1 like ike mad he was about the only one they did but he be was the on only lyone one who dlan t make a longwinded long winded harangue maybe why colonel fletcher smiled maybe he was silent for a moment then the 0 he said what about your friend taussig lg 1 I thought called off the hounds ot of hell pete said sardonically 1 I supposed keep one eye open 0 p en 11 colonel fletcher answered dryly its a little delicate if he finds out were on his bis trail therell be a political uproar it he did find it out it would practically prove it of course innocent people dont know being watched then ive got an unofficial green light pete asked orange said colonel fletcher just before the red one comes on it may land you on fa tigue fatigue duty somewhere gome where in montana your problem I 1 wont know anything about it okay okay sir pete got up then lets boand go end have a drink youre sure you like to take a couple ot of weeks leave instead damned sure sir anne settled comfortably down in the front seat of petes car and took a long relaxed breath this is wonderful peter she said and it was it was the warm effortless fort less feeling she always had when she was with him she felt the same ame way when she came home aft er r being away all summer curling her ier feet up linden un derher her in front of a winter night in the country he grinned at her and gave her hand band a little squeeze what have you been doing all day he be asked as soon as he could get his vocal cords c straightened out the way she got in a car and the way she sat in the corner slightly facing him with her knees crossed as if she care where they were going or if they went any place at all was something he always waited tor for ive been sightseeing sight seeing and I 1 went to the country club tor for a swim this afternoon hows the story coming what story the story hawley sent you down to write anne looked up at him in surprise did he tell you no you did pete grinned 1 I was pretty sure of 0 it anyway youre a pig captain wilcox anne said As a matter of fact I 1 seem to have forgotten all about it im glad you reminded me tell me about the falange there any and if there was its been written so many times its corny ill find you a story you spend your time at the country club its cooler and pleasanter plea santer and you used to be so nice anne said wearily she paid any attention to where they were going until pete turned down a narrow street lined with cars the sidewalks full of people standing aimlessly about she realized suddenly that she was going to Mallor quina again A sharp unhappy feeling of not wanting to go 90 there with pete just then did something odd to her throat like this place pete said A man 0 on n the sidewalk motioned him to an empty space and opened the door local touch for that old louse hawley of the new york chronicle miss heywood pete remarked taking her arm you give these birds a nickel and they watch your car all night if you dont they cut your tires or so im told they were back again where she and miguel had been with the girl watching them from across the street the table sat at was empty anne passed it quickly and went to one in the corner comer under the towering majolica vase down and glanced around so she have to speak for or a moment it was tunny funny how clear it had all been clearer than the present moment by far the nostalgic sentimental ballad a mexican girl was singing with th the orchestra heightened it sharply for or her the room was pleasantly crowded gay and noisy that seemed to heighten it too pete looked at her worried hed thought she would like it because he be did and she herself a at t all he watched her eyes moving around the room and saw them stop d darkening ark ening an instant as they reached the bar he looked around A man in a wrinkled white linen suit was standing there his back to them in the mirror pete pate caught a glimpse of his face lie he had seen them too and turned to nod ly at anne his mouth reminded pete of a barracuda thin and cruel and fishy white in the hard bard glare reflected from the spotlight on the chanteuse chantease chant euse his eyes were lost behind the thick lenses leases of his bis spectacles cita your friend and shipmate the eminent plumber it he remarked sanitary engineer captain wll cox anne retorted lightly and tourist extraordinary she sipped her almond flavored dai daiquiri quiri what do we eat boella Po ella pete said its everything they have in the sea with a shell on it mixed up with rice and beans and stuff and a lobster cocktail this is the first place ive ever had all the lobster I 1 could eat what wha about maine ive never been to maine mr taussig had amov moved e d around to the end of the bar and was watching them pete could see him reflected in the mirrored pillar under the clock tell me about taussig anne he be said 1 I thought you knew everything what you told me then she does know something pete thought maybe it valera after all 1 11 I saw your friend miguel at the meeting last night he be remarked he said it casually to see how shed take it but he be expected her to take it the way she did she looked at him blankly her lips parted a little the color receding from her face she put her glass down miguel at the falange are you sure pete its not the falange he said its if the sociedad sociedade Socie dad del amidos amigos del estades estados Uni clos but you said last night pa 1 I was just being tunny funny no you she retorted the color had bad come back into her face in two hot bright spots look pete youve got to tell me do you think 1 I never think pete said placidly ly im in the army were not allowed to stop it it petel her voice was low and tense she was leaning forward her eyes wide and getting dark and hot ive got to know XO TO BE BB |