EM EM : monthly magazine - 01.09.1941, Síða 28

28
Era Em
sr
WHITMAN
CHAMBERS
SYNOPSIS
Abcard the S. S. “Alderbaron,”
en route from Caimora to Llmon
Bay, Lieutenant Ray Leslie, D. S.
N., receives a warning note from
Pedro Gonzales, porter at the
American Club at Caimora, that
the boat will sink before morning.
Ray scotfs at the idea until later
when “Chlps,” the carpenter is
mu.-dered. He shows the note to
Captain Eldridge who places Uttie
credence in the warning of an
“ignorant native.” Ray explains
that, although only a porter, Gon-
zales is a strong political power
with the Liberal party. Francisco
Carrctos, Andegoya’s Minister of
Finance, booked passage at the
last minute, although he has an
important cabinet meeting to at-
tend the next moming. Why didn’t
Carretos uso hls own yacht? Was
It because Mildred Baird, daughter
of the American Minister to Ande-
goya, was aboard the “Alderbaron”
or had he an ulterior motive?
Shortly after the carpenter’s
murder Is discovered, the boat
starts to Ust. lt is sinking! Ray
induces Mildred to jump ovcrboard
and swim for safety because some
of the iifeboats had capsized. Tho
survivors are plcked up by “The
Llbertad," Carretos’ yacht, whlch
had followcd suspiclously close In
the “Alderbaron’s” wake. Ray
learns from Captaln Eldridge that
the sea-cocks had been opened on
the “Alderbaron.” That explains
why the carpenter was kllled, for
he had the keys to the double
bottoma.
CHAPTER V
The Llbertad docked at daybreak
that mornlng. The agents of the
White Stack Ltne were on the pier
and then, for the flrst time, it was
possible to make an accurate check
of the death toll. I learned later
that 48 persons, the majority of
them women and children, had been
lost, and that the yacht had picked
up 14 bodies.
Wom out mentally as well as
physlcally, disgusted by the huge
crowd of morbidly curious who
milled about the dock, I went at
onca to the Amarlcaa dub, L
wanted to see Pedro Gdnzaiis. But
l'adro, I wan told, had nct reporled
f«r wotk that moming. Well, I
couíd put the bee on Pedro later.
I went up to my old room, took
oíf my clothes and went to bed.
Otót habit asserted itself, and,
tftough a maze cf conflicting
tlvoughts still whirled tiirough my
brsdn, I soon fell asleep.
I woke abruptly sjme time later.
Tbough the drawn blinds shut cut
all light in the room, I was acutely
conscious of the feeling that somc-
one was creeping toward my bed
on silent feet. I lay there barely
breathing, not daring to move.
Then, as I blinked the sleep out
of my eyes, I caught slght of a
<tark face and a gleam of u slender
''Lade not four feet away. I kr.ew
Instlnctively theie wr.3 only an in-
stant ln which to act.
I tensed the muscles under my
crlnging ílc^h, took a slow desp
breath. Then I rolled over and
leaped to my feet on the far siúe
of the bed.
I heard a curse in Spanish and
a split soccr.d later there was a
crash of ‘esuiing blind and the room
w*a bathcd in hot l:.ght. Th.a thing
hapocned s-- quickly ar.d the giar-
ing sunUght was so Intense tlvat I
caught oúiy a glimpse of the Ui-
truder’s features as lie ieaped
through the open window.
Scurrying around the foot of thu
hed and over to tho window, I saw
the figure of a man stretched ut
full length on thc grcund belo’.v.
My flrst thought was that the íci-
low had broken a leg. Then tho
man puUed htmself to his feet and,.
without glancing1 up, made cfE
arournl thc comer of the tuading.1
I sat down on the edge ox iho
bed and brushed tha perspiratlorc
out of my face with a shaking
hand. I 3aid, half aloud:
“Whew! That was a close one.
Anothcr minute and I’d havo woke
up with a slit throat. Now what
do you suppoae that de-dl had!
against me ? Robbery ? No, that’fl!
out. I haven’t a thing to my narnej
except one suit of clothes, and!
that’s pretty mtsch of a mess.”
I reaUzed thei e, could be only one!
explanation: SOmebody was of|
the opinicn that, I knew too much|
about the sinklng of the Alder-!
baron and waated me out of thel
vow. ----------------------------- - (
j-CflUckle'd a little as this con-i
cluc-.on came to me. If it was only:
known how compietely ln the dark
I was!
“Anyway,” I thought, “in the fu-
ture I’m going to keep my door
íocked. Somebody gives me credit
for being a better detective than
I am. I suppose I ought to feei
flattered. But I don’t, As a mat-
ter of fact, I'm mad. Three days
to wait for tlie next ship. I guess
I can take care of myself imtil
then. But I’ll be mighty glad when
I get back to Panama and civiU-
zation.”
Several weeks were destined to
pass, however, before I got to Pan-
ama. On the following afternoon
Colonel Baird telephoned and told
me he wanted to see me at once. 1
took a carromata to the legation
and was ushered almost immedi-
ately into the dim coolness of the
American minister’s study.
Baird was at his desk and did
not look up at once. He was a
little man of 60 or thereabouts,
short and rather rotund in build,
very mild and gentle of manner.
He swung around finally and looked
at me over the top of his spec-
tacles.
"Ah, yes, Léslie.” He rose and
shook hands. “I have some orders
for you. Came in by radio. I’ve
just finished decoding them.”
He pawed over the litter of pa-
pers on his desk and finally hand-
ed me a scrawled memorandum.
Mv orders read:
Destroyer Whipple arri'ves Ca/-
mora tomorrow morning stop
you will attempt to locate Alder-
baron and if salvage is possible
will supervise same in an advisory
capacity stop it is oí the utraost
importance to department oi
state that gold be recovered.
Gold! I must have looked my
astonishment, for Baird sald at
bnce with a wry smile:
“You're wondering about the
gold, of course. Very few persons
Vvere aware of the fact, but the
Alderbaron carried four mUUon
dollars in bullion when she left
Caimora.”
I gasped. "Four million! 1
didn’t know there was that much
gold in the whole Caribbean area.”
“The gold was consigned to the
United States Treaaury," the mln-;