VAN WYCK MASON'S The CASTLE ISLAND CASE With CANDID CAMERA CLUES

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 88, 15 April 1939, Page 11 (Supplement)

VAN WYCK MASON'S The CASTLE ISLAND CASE With CANDID CAMERA CLUES

CHAPTER XVIII. DELATEDLY, memory of the U early morning's tragedy came to quiet the party, and Terry James, to Cora Sue's obvious chagrin, commenced yawning. Around eleven Gibbons and Gail reappeared, their colour brightened by more than the sea breeze. "If you'll excuse me, Mrs. Grafton," the collector begged, "I'd better be pushing along." "Must you go?" "Afraid so. You ace, my kicker's out of order again and the wind is dyinjr fust, so before the tide changes I'd better get over to St. David's." Though Barbara Grafton politely urged the other guests to stay up, her tone lacked conviction and presently the group dwindled until Sir George Paken.ham, Grafton and Allenby alone were left in Freebooter's Hall's spacious living room. "Well, I certainly am deliprhted to run across you again," Sir George said. '"Lord, how times does fly." "Doesn't it?" Grafton cried. "Faster each year of your life. How did you like the Lake Tana country?" "Not a bad spot, better than the West Coast. Only thing out there is shoot and drink and try not to think too much about home. By the way," he turned the Grafton, "the ship's radio picked up something about trouble down in one of those South American Republics. Don't know which one—confounded operator didn't bother to get it all. You haven't seen a paper, have you?" ■» »i» »■* »* » » *M*i* M^H^^MMMW^MMMMM^

by HENRY CLAY GIPSON

Clip the Camera Clues.

"Why, no. I don't think there can be anything to it," Grafton replied. "I'd have gotten a cable straight off if the trouble was anywhere near Ecuador." He smiled on Pakenham. "Well, tomorrow will be a heavy day, so if you'll excuse me I'm all for hitting the hay." The Englishman's head inclined and he absently watched the host saunter from the room. Only then did he turn to Allenby, who had settled back to commune with his pipe and with him» ■elf. \ "1 say, major," he inquired in a low voice, "why did you tell them you were a banker?" "Because I am, Sir George." "Nonsense!" the Englishman snapped and the line of his jaw grew more pronounced. "I've heard of your famous inquiry on the barratry of the s.s. Pyramid. Chap on the ship knew of you too; said you were with some insurance company." Still Allenby shrugged, stuck to bis guns. "You've been hearing about my double. The average person can pick up a lot of misinformation in a short time. For example, Sir George, I've heard some wild things about you— utter rot." Although Alienor's tone was entirely pleasant, Pakenham's lean figure stiffened and he arose. "I can assure you they were exaggerated. Good night, major." Leaving Parker sleepily to extinguish, the downstairs lights, Allenby stumped upstairs to his room. Moodily he switched on a desk light. Phew! To appear as a convincing banker would be far from easy. He'd have to have figures at his fingertips, so he decided,

first of all, to run over the data so carefully compiled by a Wall Street associate of the Inter-Ocean Company. After pulling out his brief ease, lie opened the French doors in the interests of fresh air and noted how very humid the night was becoming. He sighed, rubbing eyes which felt hot and dry. Urn. This was reminiscent of preparations for one of those woe-begone wartime trips into Switzerland. Yet he was not unconfident; he knew he had mastered the knack of retaining, for a short period, an amazing mass of information.

"Fiscal Report for the Province of Loja in the Republic of Ecuador: I. Minings (a) In 1927 the alluvial gold ore produced in this province was valued at twenty-five million-sucres, but by 1935 ore production values had risen to forty million sucres. These operations have brought into existence the thriving towns of San Simon and Quebranco.

"Due to the difficult terrain separating the Rio Loja Valley from the coast ports, water power and electricity are destined to form a vital factor in the development of the Rio Loja gold fields. A small company organised with German capital has been in operation, but has been unable to satisfy the evergrowing demand for power. Reliable estimates—"

Something hot and blinding as a redhot poker dealt Roger Allenby a stunning blow and he reeled sidewise on his chair, only semi-conscious that somewhere a rifle had cracked. There was nothing to check his convulsive reaction and he crashed over backward on to the room's green tiling with blood drawing a, hot rivulet down his right cheek,

Being of an essentially cautious nature, Major Roger Allenby lay quite still and Tery fiat, dazedly watching a puddle of blood widen on the floor. God, how his head hurt! It throbbed and sang as it had that time when a shell splinter had all but penetrated his tin hat to deal him one of the many scars adorning his person. So his antagonist, whoever he or she was, was taking the offensive? Very clearly the conviction sank in that quickly he must win—or they.

Rolling his eyes upward, he discerned a neat hole made by the bullet, and then viewed a fine sprinkling of plaster on the floor beneath it. Funny, no one had roused. Then he recalled Creepy's earlier activities. That rat hunt—accident or design? Convinced that, by this time, the sniper must have decamped, he crawled on hands and knees over to the French window and very slowly pushed to its shutters, then the window itself. Next, holding his head well forward lest the blood stain his dinner coat, he sought the bathroom and there examined the wound.

His findings sobered him still more. Had the bullet struck a scant half-inch to the left,. Roger Allenby would have been lying unattractively dead in the next room.

As it was, the slug had dug a short but rather painful furrow at the base of his hairline. After checking the bleeding and disinfecting the wound, he fashioned a little compress and, with anger beginning to smoulder within him, addressed his full attention to the evidence.

So far he had been leisurely in his investigation, almost too leisurely, but now he pictured the guilty person well aware of peril and seeking to put a stop to the investigation. He saw the killer certain that he, Allenby, was no banker.

Did the sniper think him dead? Probably so, therefore anything he could find out before morning would be of hums; at the inevitable conference none double value.

He must apply himself for several of his three associates must find him in ignorance of any plausible detail. Such a mishap would give a final impetus to the downfall of his already insecure alias.

Clip the Camera Clues.

Girding up mental loins. Roger Allenby spread his documents on the desk and resolutely dismissed all conjecture concerning the disappearance of Judy Fortier and the brutal murder of her sister. He must concentrate upon corporation finance. How incongruous that such dreadful things could happen in a lovely old mansion and as pacific a background as this! Truly, the human who could plot death and destruction amid such an atmosphere must be a pretty awful product.

After an hour's concentration lie felt confident "of his data and returned to the main problem. (To be continued daily.) ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

The Lake Dwellers

TEN THOUSAND years ago a "civilisation now known as the Lake Dwellers existed in crude liuts built on pilings driven into the waters of the Alpine lakes of Switzerland and Italy. Here the art of weaving textiles is said by some authorities to have had its beginnings. Evidences of this art were discovered in pieces of woven flax and wool, spindles, and liales of yarn found in the Lake Dwellers' huts in *1853 when a period of exceedingly low water revealed the in on the very bottoms of the lakes.