EM EM : monthly magazine - 01.09.1941, Blaðsíða 28

EM EM : monthly magazine - 01.09.1941, Blaðsíða 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-;

x

EM EM : monthly magazine

Beinir tenglar

Ef þú vilt tengja á þennan titil, vinsamlegast notaðu þessa tengla:

Tengja á þennan titil: EM EM : monthly magazine
https://timarit.is/publication/1872

Tengja á þetta tölublað:

Tengja á þessa síðu:

Tengja á þessa grein:

Vinsamlegast ekki tengja beint á myndir eða PDF skjöl á Tímarit.is þar sem slíkar slóðir geta breyst án fyrirvara. Notið slóðirnar hér fyrir ofan til að tengja á vefinn.