Show CARIBBEAN A conspiracy bk 13 BRENDA R CON CONRAD RAD c alwi THE STORY 80 00 FAB anne heywood Bey wool Is beautiful daughter of 0 ft a wealthy new york newsy a per publisher loci goes to puerto rt RICO on sa for hit bel paper aisa all on the he island are pete pala jwilcox kwil acea cox a reporter report ai on her lather lathers pa now ft a U S army intelligence on rr ceri r miguel valera ft a puerto rican eda abed la in th 0 united states wh whole 0 1 0 also arderi r ders to report to an a army camp were e a r cancelled I 1 richard taussig an engineer whose identity Us ai a german ODIUM I 1 m pecked but bot 2 rot 0 9 yet proved and russell ronell N potter ft a 70 8 american engineer and we aue U sue one when she ih dads him telling mr 7 essit toa to ft rendezvous igual valera NaAs telli acne sno he be is if ft a V U 8 abenti tiro then wear swears her bet to secrecy crecy le emner CHAPTER an V pete wilcox came out of the bachelor officers caTill quarters on the road tomorrow toM to morro orrol above aboa a san juani most astonishing ilum alum ironically known as an la peria and walked along toward Heid headquarters quarters the fact that by this time e everybody on the pott post knew died had the provost marshal and the as insular police out but looking lor for ann heywood when she was over 9 at the dancing with mig in uel ea valera particularly bother him it was damned lucky valera bad run into her there were too many going around and while most octher of them true I 1 tropical li streets at night were no place fo garls he stopped at the bend in the wall to let a train ot of army trucks go through the old military road along the rim of the hiu hill above the ocean acoman A woman on the other side was watching him and without warning of any kind made a dash across between a couple of olive drab motors pete held his breath the driver swore jammed on his him brakes and went ahead again senor Wilcox pete looked at her in surprise she as an far as he knew either a friend or an agent you know miss heywood american giralt blondet blonde pete nodded the girls eyes darkened he tell whether she was pleading or angry or both take her away she said passionately siona slona tely 1 I dont know lexi very good english she must go back to amer a understand pete scratched the back of his bis head bead ryeah yeah I 1 understand all right wh why y V the girl dropped her hands in despair 1 I dont know how to say she c cried she have to go will get aishe rv she broke into a torrential flow ol of spanish pete stood listening blankly you understand all he be had got was that anne was going around with miguel valera that it was dangerous that she was warning him so EO he could make her go back to america she turned and hurried across the street and disappeared round the corner without looking back pete ete stood watching her iB that he be said aloud is a big lp tele ete hung up his sun helmet and went to his desk there was something about the melodramatic business of shooting a rival that was ludicrous on the whole nevertheless the girl had bebenin been in veadear dead earnest it worried him at the same time it put him on a spot if he asked tor for any kind of protection tor for her after last night they even wait till he be got outto out to laugh and he very well warn her or could he be he glanced ul up is as a soldier came out of colonel Flet fletcherr fletchers chers office with a sheaf of papers the ibe colonel said check these sir thank you he glanced through them anthe on the fourth from the top he be saw miguel valeras name in the second line of translation tonight at 8 10 0 clock I 1 was in padilla street miguel valera y delgado got out of bf his bis ear car and went atto o avenida juan de and atit 0 tied there I 1 do not know why t I 1 saw saw an american lady come la in the street alone miguel valeri valera y delgado went down the street I 1 thought the american lady was lost but when I 1 spoke she was afraid and ran after miguel valera y delgado and followed him in to the door odthe of the store sf the sugar and coffee agents albert benoist Ben olst it was dark and they were there a long time and came cam baft oft together I 1 report this not nat because I 1 have personal antipathy to miguel valera y belgado 9 do or bica because se I 1 wish to injure t e good n name am e of the american lady a but because I 1 have been instructed ted I 1 tot to tell cli what I 1 know about miguel valeri valera y delgado by people who believe he be is of the antl anti amerl can party h pete put the piper paper down he emild d get sorer morer at anne anna heywood he was vas thinking than at anybody else ebe in the world at the moment however hei he exactly sore it was something be define she know what she was letting herself in tor for of course nobody but a latin maybe would so instantly suspect the worst and say it it either directly or by implication but she was in a latin country anait and it was time she was finding it out the phone rang as he was reach 04 fw it I 1 S no took up the ric receiver eiver caithin Cai captain tain wilcox sp speaking 1 ea king he be maid laid curtly this Is miss heywood speaking captain and wishing to apologize for or last night 1 pete feie caught his breath everything inside him birn melted it was what her voice always did to him W wont 0 nt you even speak to me pete im horribly sorry she was saying 1 I just wanted to tell you so BO before I 1 go out cut im go going ing to the valera sugar central to ice them grind the cane anne had bad been sound asleep when the phone on the table rang noisily she struggled through the entanglement ot of cheesecloth cheese cloth pulled the tha back under and sold said hello her heart gave a little leap it was miguel did I 1 wake you its a good thing you did rm im supposed to be going to your sugar mill this morning did you know the darkness and the dream had bad gone with the brilliant sunlight on the liquid cobalt world through the window she forgot the illusory terror of the night it no longer had bad any meaning as p pain in has none when its gone it was just something shed dreamed because shed eaten a lot of the lobster and clams and things all mixed up in saffron colored oil and rice 1 I heard beard it last night when I 1 got homi home miguel said why I 1 called why not pu put it off until to A itell tell him mrs airs bus eussey sell porter Is d downstairs own stairs 11 morrow so I 1 can go along my lather and I 1 have to go to ponce on the south coast today id like to be along to show you around that would be wonderful wonder full anne said warmly good then ill see you tonight about eight she put the phone back and sat with sith her feet crossed under her whistling softly about eight that was twelve hours which very long really she stretched her hands up and made little waves of thin convex belling of her cheesecloth box just being alive was mar and she have to be disturbed about going out with diego Gon bongaro garc and mr taussig it was stupid to worry about things they always worked out somehow she thought of pete and glanced at the clock it was too early to ca call 11 him yet she ordered breakfast and got up to take a shower while she waited for it at half past eight the phone rang again him now she thought going over to the table but it it was graciela bongaro her voice over the phone was high pitched so that it was difficult to understand her english which was much less fluent than her fathers or don alvaros even finally anne made it out don alvaro and mig uel had found before they left that they be able to get back perhaps not nos for several days her father had bad asked her to call and tell anne aane decided to go ahead with the trip they would call for her at eleven for an instant anne hesitated something of the feeling ot of the dream slipped across her mind as a frail wisp of mist sifts across a country road early in the morning it was gone as quickly all right she said IU ill be ready read she put the phone down picked it up again and asked for headquarters at fortress el morro two hours later she stopped at the desk to get her mall mail it eleven yet and being spanish probably be late anyway she crossed the lobby and sat down to read her mothers mother letter darlingto darling Darlin gIo do you remember sue Lat lattimier tirier I 1 saw aw her mother at lunch at the colony yesterday yett erday she says lays sue and her husband are an down tor where you are and that sue adores it ashes so enthusiastic about the tha country and the people and her husbands work mrs lattimer her names something else now but ive forgotten it ever really forgiven her for or marrying it was somebody porter it and I 1 gather she sha thinks lust just being perverse ein la being happy on thirty five hundred dollars a year I 1 must say the little I 1 saw of sue when you were at school together I 1 never nevek thought the child had it in her annes eyes fastened on her mothers vigorous scrawl were a little misty suddenly poor little sue hating it like poison and too proud and too loyal to russell to let her mother know it anne looked up not quite sure she was seeing properly sue herself was crossing the lobby toward the desk Is mr taussig in she asked brightly tell him mrs russell porter Is downstairs she turned and saw anne her face flushed a little oh hello annel she turned quickly to the telephone operator never mind thanks her smile as she came over to anne was too bright to be altogether convincing how are you darling what an adorable dress and I 1 love your shoes I 1 I 1 had any really decent clothes since my trousseau wore out what are you doing why dont you come out to the club and play golf with us and have lunch im going out to valera central to see how they make sugar anne said mr Taus sigs going too sues transparent little girls lace face fell ell oh really when will you be back tac xi this afternoon alter noon some time I 1 suppose 11 why dont you bring him bun over to our house to tea sue brightened instantly not me angel anne replied frankly I 1 dont like your friend mr T and the less I 1 see of him the better alike him oh anne youre being perfectly boull the tears sprang to her eyes he ha thinks youre splendid intelligent and beautiful lie he said so the other night and even it if you don dont t me like him you be nice to him just tor for us its so horribly important I 1 dont th think ik hes very attractive either but sash anne anna said mr taussig was getting out ot of the elevator he see them until he got to the desk then he turned a and ad came over beaming cordially good morning mrs porter he held out his hand ive been trying to find a moment to pay a party call to thank you for one of the pleasant est evenings ive had for a long time he hardly more than noticed anne she sat watching sue being cornflower eyed and breathlessly en eager shed hoped anne would play golf that morning but it was wonderful really having such a marvelous chance to see a sugar mill and if youre not too awfully late getting back mr taussig lg why dont you bring anne over for tea it seemed to anne to have the most convincing spontaneity im afraid miss heywood heris Is too popular to waste much of her time on me mr taussig replied urbanely but I 1 shall certainly come with miss heywood or without her it if I 1 may that would be lovely I 1 sue erle cried d mr taussig turned to anne and you miss heywood are you ready for an educational tour of the islands chief industry it was wonderful anne was thinking mr taussig was a perfect emulsion of paternal kindness and gentleman of all the world he probably felt that way too she thought just as he be could stop and pick up a cat and stroke it while he was doing business in hi a deserted store on an empty street business that whatever it was was suf nefarious to interest an un der cover agent from the war department part ment in washington on second thought shed teu tell miguel about him and sue sue was hell bent for chil call it collaboration she thought like a butterfly collaborating with a boa constrictor mr taussig could be charming however when he put his mind to it she was aware of that as the big shiny black limousine with gral grael ela between them and diego gon garo in the folding seat in the middle of the car sped it seemed perilously last ast through the narrow curving road canopied cano pied with flamboe ants and indian almonds toward central valera he was not only charming he was wag amazingly well informed he knew the names pt of all the trees the silk cotton tree the lignum vitae the violet tree the candle tree the tabella Ta beula he knew au all the flowers too and when they stopped at the market tor for a moment in rio piedras he be knew the jobo and the sour BOUT sop bop the star apple and the custard apple he knew the guinea grass in the fields the different kind of points and the water hyacinths in the river under a narrow bridge he knew all ab about out the economic struggle of the island the value of cane crops coffee pineapple grapefruit and tobacco graciela restive under unda the flow of information that fascinated anne bared stared straight ahead of her her hands folded la in her lap 10 BE BB CONTINUED |