Show BOMBS BURST MW lm owl affa 1 71 CHURCH doz ulf acl t I 1 fa f a 1 I SERVICE v THE STOUT STORY SO PAR FAR jeff curtis curds and his wile wife lee are on their way to tierra libre W when hen jeff receives a note from rom zora mitchell warning them not to come later he learns from rom jerry bic innis that zoras husband has been murdered and that it Is his job as chief engineer for or a fruit company that jeff has been called to nil fill when they arrive in tierra libre jerry tells jeff there Is something strange going on jeff and lee meet Nion taya jews jeffs employer and go with him to sari san alejo where hion taya tells them that zora butchell Ml has committed suicide neither jeff nor lee believes that her death was suicide zora they agree was not the type to commit suicide jeff suspects bion taya of arranging or at least ol of knowing about both zoras and her husbands death NOW CONTINUE WITH THE STORY CHAPTER IV every day was a new day at san alejo fresh and cool and clean at dawn no matter what the blazing sun sim might bring later even the asphalt underfoot was toned up by the dew as curt swung along for his early appointment with curts mind should have been toned up too by the tangy air so much like a fall morning at home but his last words to lee just now hed read the pucker between her eyes were still in his ears dont you be worrying about zora mitchell hed told her 1 I admit suicide sound like her but we seen her for six years and that length of time will work changes in any of us it was her little girl I 1 was thinking of lee had answered him soberly ill find out about her curt made his way to Mon Mont ayats office a high room paneled and furnished in unvarnished whitewood an impression of coolness was heightened by venetian blinds and a grass rug curt came to the point before senor could broach business he said suggestively the news of mrs mitchells Mitchel Ts death was a considerable shock to us to my wife and me looked at him in silence as though the words needed elaboration 1 I mean we should hardly have expected suicide of zora mitchell especially as she was leaving a small child nor did I 1 expect it the senor made this statement as a sort of admission he fumbled among papers on his desk bringing forth two large square envelopes from one he spread several photographs to before curt they showed from different angles zora mitchell slumped over in a bamboo peacock chair her head at a curious angle there was a bullet hole in her left temple and blood had run from the wound coagulated stained her dress her left hand hanging over the arm of the chair held a gun curt recognized as a luger A luger he thought instantly funny she get that he recalled how mitchell had always favored a colt 45 against all foreign makes of small arms another question forced itself on curts mind why the physical shock relaxed zoras fingers and made her drop the gun now in the case of her husband we had no chance to obtain photographs on the ground the body was moved to Tem pujo but we did the best we could I 1 had sketches made from the second envelope spread out these sketches and with them a map marked with an X and two photographs of the body as it lay on the flat handcar an inquest was held of course as in the case of mrs mitchell both ah incidents were quite properly handled by our local police we have a coman dancia here hene another at Tem pujo the sketches and the map were valueless but the photographs curt picked up one of them the picture was sickening the body slashed and mutilated beyond recognition many of the cuts were clean however and something about these clean cuts rang a bell in curts mind yet the reason at once click that cuts which bleed had to be made after death after the blood stops coursing in the body what about their little girl he asked only five she ali ah but it is sad about her poor little thing we have her at the hospital for the present where the nurses can look after her I 1 am trying to get in touch with relatives in the states stacked the photographs and sketches replaced them in their envelopes he drew from his pocket an oversize cigarette case and tamped camped against the ud lid one of the special six inch turkish cigarettes lie he used apparently he was considering si some problem at length he said picking his words it would be natural for you to want to see the murderer of mr mitchell brought to justice I 1 also do but I 1 assure you everything was done that could be done you may believe me mr curtis it would be a waste of time for you to try where we have failed curt stared before he managed oh quite splendid besides shall I 1 confess to a selfish motive if it if I 1 say we have been mistaken and the murderer is still about then he is a more clever man than we think and if you should interest yourself in the case you might perhaps invite a similar fate no put an end to the subject with an apologetic flash of teeth 1 I cannot risk that engineering work is behind schedule I 1 need you so very badly mr curtis the next hour was spent in meeting key workers of the general staff persons with whom curt would have frequent contact it was a whirlwind tour the bulk of employees numbering fifty to sixty were americans with a sprinkling of Britis hers and other europeans then said this is the bett best time of day for you to meet dr later he is likely to be in the field using a handy phone he called for the laboratory and when he got his connection spoke in french french queried curt as the other hung up 1 I thought the name was dutch smiled perfunctorily I ah but bat it is sad about her poor little oh dr also speaks spanish and english after a fashion he is more successful with french you do not then speak french As curt shook his head 1 I thought not he will use english with you the agricultural department occupied an adjacent building filling a corner left by the administration building and the hospital pushed on through the outer office in the huge working laboratory there was shelf upon shelf and row upon row of carefully labeled boxes and jars along one side of the room a number of steel filing cabinets stood in a straight line on the work tables were odd shaped vessels alembics alem bics glass funnels retorts dr below medium height in a dirty linen imen laboratory smock proved a colorless individual indeed with his full bearded face and careless dress he looked fair prey for a caricaturist nearsighted near sighted he wore thick lense spectacles which gave him a bug eyed appearance the first words were conventional greeting then your ayour shipment of ah chemicals at cabeza aroused mr curtis curiosity yesterday said 1 I told him such questions were your special province geniality left the bearded face hostile gray eyes bored through the thick lenses into curt you ver vonce der beedles across der ri frer asked the dutchman curt nodded smiled Mon deprecation of the doctors english been an exaggeration 11 six years ago I 1 know panama disease has shown up with them and that tried a lime treatment for it it was wag a simple question I 1 put the quantity of lime landed on the docks ah ja it iz I 1 use der lime but alzo der oder chemicals vat I 1 use iz my myze Ize gred der bana ana pla ant vill be der more healthy und vigorous from my chemical treatment ute der soil und so ve combat der fungi more better as yet den vill ve haff hac der ree chest pla in tierra libre if dr did have a miraculous cheap compound for soil treatment something to allay the dreaded fungus disease something with which associated could rejuvenate their used lands then there was good reason for guarding the secret you still hafl haff ofer der negro associated the amusement in curts eyes was a better answer than his words the trend of the interview cur curts ts feeling that was exhibiting him to the doctor a certain indefinable deference in Mon attitude ti ade toward the dutchman convinced curt that whatever the dumpy bearded man had hed sold on it pretty solidly at last as final courtesies were being said the worthy doctor let down the bars he asked with what could best be described as a cunning look you blay cribbage grib bage ja cribbage curt laughed sure I 1 know the game goot we blay sometime ja certainly explained as they left the laboratory dr one regret here is that he has no good opponent at his favorite game their final stop was the engineering office a one story structure square like the laboratory it occupied the corner between the general offices and the clubhouse thus completing the layout of principal company buildings about the square and balancing the community center here curt was introduced to his own staff it was now midmorning three draftsmen were at work two at detail drawings the third on maps one room was reserved for the field men when they came to san alejo to submit their progress reports there was a darkroom dark room and a big vault containing records and master charts from photo static machine down to electric erasers the equipment through throughout out was ultramodern ultra modern 0 curts own office was airy light cool with both desk and big table on which to spread out his papers a swivel chair between a handy u upright p right rack for rolls of blueprints but the one thing which instantly took his attention was the huge aerial photographic map of the C A T tract permanently framed against the wall here was something led the way across the room to tap proudly with his finger tips id never have gotten my planting under way without this this map showed a rough triangle of about hectares or acres the quebrado quebrada Qu ebrado mountains formed the western boundary along the south and east flowed the masica river joining the turbulent unruly rio negro the northern boundary just below the rise of land where stood Tem pujo no buildings and no engineering work showed on the map it had been made before any preliminary work had been done but it gave curt an instant picture of the entire project of the drainage necessary to clear the huge swamp dotted with stands of jungle of the levees necessary to hold back the rivers of the best terrain for spur tracks to feed the farms who made this map mr and mr lannestock was the answer in a plane I 1 chartered especial for the purpose a year before I 1 was ready to start work it takes long to secure a concession to plan it is good work no they are competent young men that is why I 1 am so happy now to have them under contract bueno here are progress reports on the negro levee the main drainage system and the railroad you will wish to look them over but you will be brief about it no directly after lunch we shall start on an inspection tour of the valley for this we shall take the rest of today and tomorrow so you will vill bring what personal articles you need for overnight iri in the meantime I 1 have much to do myself curt hardly noticed Mon departure he even forgot the worries in the back of his mind wh what at a job the best equipment to work with a challenge to meet with the next seasons rainfall the deadline he swelled to the task his eyes shone Hs he could have stood for hours before that map noon rolled around all too soon TO BE CONTINUED |