Show BOMBS BURST ONCE 77 FN 5 GRANVILLE CHURCH P W A W ki U t f 5 E r RV R V VICE I 1 11 C E THE STORY STORT SO FAR jeff curtis and b his wile lee are already on their way to tierra libre W when ben he receives a note from zora warn warning I 1 ng them not to come when they arrive in tierra libre they rind find both zora and her husband dead it Is job as chief engineer for a fruit company that jeff has been called to fin CU later jeffs friend bill henderson Is also killed and jeff suspects his employer senor Alon taya of murdering him and the mitchells because they had bad found a clue to the strange things going on at the plantation other sinister figures are the company chemist dr and the flyers eyden and lannestock jeff and lee discover that their housemaid Is spying on them A man named collins arrives from the canal zone to see mitchell itchell Al and jeff hires bires him without arousing mon blon suspicions jen jeff finds his cartridges have been tampered with NOW CONTINUE WITH THE STORY CHAPTER XIV before going to bed curt talked with monahan about collins hell make a good man slats reported A little awkward at first but he knows diesels and id say he had the makings evidently collins had raised speculations ions in monahan too for slats voice was asking questions who what why but curt did nt know the answers himself and emilio shared the same tent with him now hat chat he had shared with on his first visit to this camp but the matter of collins end there As curt called at mon office on his return to san alejo the following noon friday he found the dark lily frowning and in a bad humor the spaniard came to the point without his usual circumspect approach to a subject you hired a man named collins no he commenced bluntly 1 I had not forbidden this especial mr curtis but it must not be repeated if the occasion arises to hire a person locally I 1 must first interview that person and decide for myself curt stared unbelieving there is another thing emilio tells me you were separated on the trip curt glared he ah feared I 1 would censure him if I 1 should learn about it he told me in order to protect himself mr curtis I 1 told you distinctly that emilio is to accompany you curt was in a rage when he left such a rage that he go home and face lee at once too quick to read him was lee nor did he want to go to his office in his present state so he had a tom collins at the club bar then another with the second drink he recovered himself to the point of lighting his pipe and headed for home there he found that lee and the children were at the swimming pool behind the clubhouse had been while hed been fuming to himself just a few yards away the cook about to climb into a hammock slung under the house for her midday siesta called the information to him ines was oft off duty in the middle ot of the day from eleven to three so the house was empty just as well curt thought for this gave him a chance to inspect his stock of cartridges the incident of the evening before was still sharp in his mind ha H went to the esca parate in the bedroom the tall two door wardrobe that held his things and lees from the top shelf he be took down the small paper box that held the rest of this lot of bullets he turned it over in his hands read the label spilled the contents onto the bed he examined the shells one by one but could detect nothing wrong with them the bullets hed shot simply had standard charges charge S then the rest could be faulty too while turning this over in his mind his hand was pushing tle tie bullets absently into piles of six the number held in a clip his brows knit he counted the piles again yes six in each and there were four piles but here were three bullets left overl awen ty seven bullets on the bedspread he thought back he shot the gun since about a year ago when hed done some target targe t practice using three full clips eighteen shells from a fresh box A fourth loading of six from the same box had been in his gun ever since landing here each box held fifty eighteen and six and twenty seven are fifty one there should have been but fifty someone had replaced his supply of cartridges and those loaded in his gun with cleverly forged undercharged shells hit hal but made a mistake in counting his good bullets and had left one too many in their place this must be the explanation of those duds hed shot no now who could have done this who had access to the house ines of course her name leaped to mind knowing as he did that she deliberately spied on him in his family life lee took the children to the pool each day the girl had plenty of opportunity thoughtfully curt went to a wardrobe trunk in a corner of the room unlocked it and took from one of the drawers a fresh box of cartridges this he broke open to load his clip with shells he knew to be good he also loaded two spare clips which he slipped into his pocket the two three yard shovels ordered der ed before curt took over would arrive on saturday tomorrow so had said curt wanted to be on hand at cabeza de negro when the ship docked this meant he would have to go down river on the first boat at daylight all of which gave him an excuse to spend the night at and thus avoid the questions he knew lee would have for him when she caught his present mood he packed his musette bag with fresh clothing scribbled a note for lee and left the afternoon he spent at his office cleaning up detail work then pulled out for Tem pujo there too he plunged into paper work for a an hour the then at seven had supper at the mess hall emilio of course clung like a leech senor will be here early on sunday curt told his shad I 1 I 1 I 1 4 someone had replaced his supply of cartridges ow he wants to talk with collins get word to camp by the supply y launch in the morning for collins to come to on its return be the last chance to get him here in time he got to bed early put in a good nights rest and after snatching breakfast in the cold gray of the false dawn made an uneventful trip down river to cabeza emilio vargas was silent with early morning sulks it was midmorning by the time the tarpaulins had been removed and the first shovel lowered over the side to the dock its own brakes released the big machine wa was s hauled by the docks baby tractor r to the side of the river steamer then loading curts purpose in coming to cabeza had been twofold two fold foid first was the natural anxiety to get at the new machines the childs reaction toward promised toys but specifically ift hed intended trying to jolly into delivering them at the job upriver instead of at Tem pujo in any case present humor meant a definite refusal of curts plan together with possible unpleasantness perhaps even a quarrel so curt remained silent puffing steadily at his pipe as he glumly looked on he stood on one foot the other planted firmly on a keg emilio straddled another keg nearby came up behind the two and now offered his first voluntary remark of the day am I 1 handling satisfactory so f far ar there was no mistaking the gut tural voiced sarcasm curt swung around leisurely looked at a moment and his lips framed a natural reply but determined not to quarrel with the man instead of answering insolence with insolence curt indicated a huge square case then being hoisted by the thick rope cargo carried to the deck of the river steamer both cases were of heavy lumber were marked from hamburg via vladivostok and the labeled inscription said they were generators electrical equipment was of prime interest to curt who was responsible for the electric plants at san alejo and Tem pujo if not for the small plant at the airfield pointing with his pipe stem he asked mildly those generators are they for me I 1 know of any on order the swede stared through and through curt at length he said thickly ask senor if you must know I 1 know only my own job curts temper had been building up for a blow off ever since his encounter with yesterday still hed nursed himself along so far and nothing was to be gained by words with a jerk of his head at emilio he strode angrily from the dock vargas his features set incuriously followed trotting to keep up clubby chap what said curt with a short laugh when he could trust his own voice to help cover his feelings he fumbled with his pipe knocking out the ashes stuffing it again then he simmered down and added grudgingly of course hes right in a way but arent we all working toward one end here I 1 need a drink how about you he was about to turn into the cantina hed visited the day of landing here but emilio held back theres another bar down the street he said hurriedly you may like it better curt however was in a mood man the difference this one that one come along he pushed emilio into the room and to the bar fresh from the glaring sun his eyes take in the scene immediately dia tely he was half blind as he mounted a stool ordered a drink and indicated with a wave of the hand that emilio should order for himself then then his pupils expanded in the m mirror I 1 aror behind the bar he saw the tierra libre customs official and his lieutenant they were drinking and playing poker dice with a man whose face was vaguely familiar curt had noticed on the dock that tha i morning that there had been no customs official to inspect freight as it was unloaded hed given this no special thought at the time to cover his thoughts but still frowning curt pulled a notebook from his pocket scribbled a few words ripped out the page he pushed the paper toward emilio 1 I 1 need a hundred men at tem pujo by one he growled also the launch will have to make another trip to the levee camp to bring down monahan get this message off for me will you all the while however he was racking his brain over the third man with the customs officers he was a nordic certainly at last it came to him the man was on one e of the mechanics been working at the C A T airfield the day of his visit there As they returned to the dock emi lio had the radio message sent off and by eleven they were on their way back to with the one machine this steamer could carry reaching the river port by one thirty he found collins and the rapidly gathering gang of men monahan arrived by two and the rest of the day was spent in getting the two machines assembled serviced and on their way to pick up their sectors of levee work this job went smoothly however r and it was just as well curt was thinking that he made an issue of his plan to unload on the river bank at the job if things went as well tomorrow the two shovels would be at work monday morning but it had been a strenuous tiring job after an early supper at the mess hall with collins and monahan occupying a table not far from curt and emilio curt returned to his bungalow he switched on the lights flung his hat to the table by the door emilio settled himself on the porch with magazines and his ever ready pack of native cigarillos cigar illos curt had his trip across the river in mind this was saturday the night hed arranged to meet mcinnis at river bend he had to get rid of vargas somehow im going to bed he told the man need a good goodnights nights rest better get one too when you leave see that the night latch is on good night buenas bienas noches senor TO BE CONTINUED CONTINUE |