Show BOMBS WW diw GRANVILLE CHURCH ss if THE STORY STOKT SO FAR jeff curtis cuttles and his wife lee are already on OB their way to tierra libre when tte be re receives a note from rom zora mitchell warning them not to come zen when they arrive in tierra libre they find both zora and her husband dead it Is mit cheirs job as chief engineer for a fruit company that jeff has been called td IM fiu later jeffs alend friend bill henderson Is killed billed and jeff suspects his employer senor mo BIon taya titaya ol of murdering him and the because they had found a clue to the strange things going on at the plantation other sinister figures are the company chemist dr and the flyers byden and lannestock A man named colllns collins arrives 1 fr rom n in the canal zone to see mitchell ea 1 a and rid jeff hires him without arousing Mon suspicions A talk tails with jerry mci nials discloses that blon taya Is part german and is dealing with the nazis colllns collins reveals his identity as a U S naval intelligence ol officer licer when he and jeff discover hidden german bombers he realizes that there will be trouble he has just persuaded blon taya to let lee and the children leave tor for a lew few days NOW CONTINUE WITH THE STOUT STORY CHAPTER bueno bueno finally said more smoothly there is no need of this heat it will be only for a day or two but understand this visit must not be used as an opening wedge for regular contact with the associated people that I 1 will not have during our construction period his dignity recovered he turned to emilio who had been standing by staring incuriously into the distance help to get senora curtis and the children across to riverbend River bend si senor curt mounted the steps at the dispatchers office he p put ut in a call for his house at san alejo chiya lee surprise pack for yourself and the kids youre visiting jerry and marta for a day or two having an anniversary dinner tonight But Jeff what ahat anni im sorry I 1 cant go As I 1 told you im completely tied up until the new shovels are in operation anyway you have a good time for the both of us im sending the car for you now can you be ready in forty minutes 1 I think so dear but no buts I 1 cant go and that if you wait for me you may never see them theres no telling when I 1 can get a day from the job he hung up this last should tell teli lee the urgency of the situation without giving the operator undoubtedly listening in anything to chew on but lee reached by noon the kids bounced about in excitement clutching at curt he turned them over to emilio together with the three small bags lee had brought then he held lee close whispering while pretending to kiss her dont look so anxious sweet keep a clear face Every things under control and ill be with you sooner than you think he managed to slip into her palm a note folded tightly for jerry curt then handed lee into the boat and watched the crossing he saw her met on the other bank that would be jerry god bless him and they waved across at each other monahan had been all day at the tractor shovels their progress had been slowed today by more difficult terrain more filling more matting had been necessary he returned to along with curt and emilio and after the three had showered and changed clothing they had supper together collins was finishing his at a table by himself he looked a good bit fresher than he had this morning hed shaved and it was clear hed slept all day after supper curt went to his office followed as usual by his bodyguard eight nine ten came and still curt applied himself there was plenty to be done he might as well do it emilio looked in on him once annoyed but making no comment curt merely looked up then back at his desk again ten thirty curt rolled up what prints hed been using stacked his papers he came to the door of the drafting room stretching and yawning in the middle of the stretch he stiffened emilio looked up instantly alert almost suspicious curts eyes without having turned his head seemed to be piercing the darkness beyond the porch he banked on emilios drowsiness to keep him from realizing immediately that no one can see into darkness from a lighted space in 11 a low voice keeping his lips stiff curt said theres somebody out there out behind those palms size ana and shape looks like collins id say put out your light As he spoke he reached behind him inside the door of the draffin drafting 9 room and switched off the lights there emilios reaction was to snap off the table lamp and move catlike to i the door reaching for his gun then curt struck the butt of his own gun caught the native behind the ear emilio went down without a sound curt hauled the unconscious man into the bedroom and shut the door lie he closed the hinged bamboo shutters over his window then turned on the light in the adjoining shower room and left that door open a crack there was no rope available so he ripped a sheet into strips to bind the mans hands behind him tie his feet his legs he soaked these strips in water so they possibly be worked loose he fashioned a gag pried open the teeth secured it in place then he picked up the inert form and tossed it on the bed before snapping off 08 the bathroom light 0 a glance at his wrist showed it was ten forty hed better get the crew together jerry should be on this side by now to meet monahan upriver away from lights on sunday nights settled down earlier than on saturdays already most of the residence resi lights were out and only one end of the mess hall showed activity his eyes now adjusted to the dark curt could see through the screen door what looked like two trunks to the palm tree in the yard collins CoU ins he called softly kyo yo f curt picked up a camera and flash bulb hed set apart earlier then let himself out and down the short path for several minutes neither spoke then ihen as curt was grumbling wish hurry id like a 2 C 4 9 emilio went down without a sound smoke moke collins touched his arm and pointed in the dimness curt grunted yeh them two figures were making their way toward the bungalow taking advantage of every patch of heavy darkness the four men joined forces lee and the kids were curts curls first words okay mcinnis answered by luck the san timotheos Timot eos taking on fruit aboard now the old mans given orders to speed the loading and be ready to pull out at daylight with whatever load they hey have by then hell get heck from rom distribution mcinnis chucked ed but I 1 guess his shoulders are broad enough monahan stopped them at a ca cache che hed prepared earlier in the evening and all four shared the load the big bundle of dynamite the three cans of black powder the fat coil of fuse getting to the motor shed and running a car outside the yard limits unseen proved easy once under way curt sketched a quick picture for mcinnis of what found last night what they were headed for mcinnis grunted a couple of times and at the end said okay the program curt went over it at one point collins interrupted well get there about midnight monahans Mon ahans job is set for one not sure be time enough for me got to study those fuse mechanisms chances are be simple enough but I 1 cant be sure okay another hall half hour think T v collins considered well have to chance it he said reluctantly cant take all night anyway these explosives will do the job on the planes in case I 1 cant set the bombs for explosion yes make it one thirty okay got it said monahan another thing collins went on once you men get the dynamite planted planted have to clear out ill finish priming the bombs alone then if anything goes wrong we wont all grow halos be no use to me anyway nothing happened to impede them they reached the foot of the in good tim time e despite running without lights there there monahan melted into the night to grope his way up a trail As curt and mcinnis were loading themselves gingerly with explosives plo the dynamite and two cans of powder collins spoke up it wont take all three of us to break in ill be planting this last can to knock out that bridge behind us have that much done good curt cut a length of fuse for the job took the rest of the coil and with mcinnis got under way for the hidden hangars they reached the fe fence nce and curt led the way cautiously to the spot where hed broken through last night he played his flash along the ground good the leaves and debris scattered over the soft fill of the hole hed used before was undisturbed yeh but I 1 dont like this curt looks too easy I 1 cant believe they dont keep some kind of watch you would I 1 would not dumber are they you could have got through last right by sheer luck 1 I know its been in my mind too but theres nothing we can do about it except keep alert mcinnis words were prophecy it was as they were hauling at the strip of corrugated sheathing a noisy job itself that they heard the running feet so there was a patrol maintained maintain edl 1 the two men jumped away from the wall and fell flat in the dry grass the feet pounded around the end of the building a flash played back and forth and picked out the hole in the fence the sprung sheet the guard lunged for the fence but there came a shot from beyond it from the other side collins A quick stab from collins flashlight showed the german close to the fence his arm up stretched the man ready to spring another shot and the man went down finished my job at the tracks collins called anxiously and heard this guy as I 1 neared the fence then the shot are you okay yes cried curt theres a hole in the fence collins he raced around the end of the building and to the front he had a clear view to the other end of the field A few night lights showed as they had last night under one of these the one outside the clubroom two figures stood like statues men listening presently they seemed to relax they moved out of the light not fast as though alarmed and the clubroom lights snapped on curt relaxed too the shots had been behind the buildings here the sounds have carried sharply to the other end he hoped he returned to the others collins and mcinnis had forced entrance to the hangar all three had flashlights tonight and curt found mcinnis taking a quick look see for himself collins was at the bomb room door forcing the lock curt and mcinnis joined him inside the long partition they spent a moment studying the layout the cylindrical casings were pointed at the bulkhead which was constructed of thick planks when assembled be a space of about two feet between the noses of the bombs and the heavy beavy wall okay men work collins said get busy on your jobs ill handle mine the room was wired with lights since no beam could escape outside collins snapped the switch and immediately got to work on a study of the first tail fuse at hand huh he said dismally the a arming vane type well guess gues S I 1 can revolve them by hand nose piece I 1 understand that well enough pull the pin and set for impact these bombs were designed for loading on planes assembled but not set for explosion on release from the plane the arming pin of the nose fused fuse would have to be pulled to free the mechanical restraint that prevents the fuse from firing the detonator in the case of the tail fuse however that brake would be released automatically mati cally by the revolution of the arming vane as the bomb fell through the air TO BE CONTINUED |