Barred Sevens

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 13056, 26 January 1943, Page 7

Barred Sevens

twelve - as Mat? Fan moved out try and passed through '■ Ib£ P * oom into the huge Uv- ■■** ver-charged with art 1 room 'and two grand pianos. easUl ' eS fin sun-room lay beyond. *#t£X in a robe, There * ! for breakfast, He said, t>alt cingup, "I told DireilhoUt interfere with your morn'usUOtt° «Aca.r If you've quite lgb randy ; mydeai. me." She sank into a Irough-iron chair. Innremus set down iced grapefruit K ffee on the flowered table. parted to speak; shut her loutli. Lreanu appraised her, his» Maw l!s raised. "Feeling better?" he Led politely. The flabby Pleats L his lusterous eyes betrayed a L night His sapphire ring sparkl--I*l in the sun. -How d'you expect me to feel? an retorted. She pulled out a mir„r; repaired her make-up. She felt Ind looked "all in." Breanu said shortly, "Better drop ( ,uor and dramatics, Fan." Doremus tiptoed in again with a ish of country sausages and bacon, ■reathing fried eggs. Breanu called after him, "Show !r Garrison into the library when 2comes. Offer him a drink." Hurt and anger seethed in Fan's art. As soon as Doremus was gone, ie burst out, "Didn't he tell'you hat happened to me this morning? rperhaps you don't care?" "Doremus gave me this version," reanu evaded, half turning to light cigar. "Sure it wasn't your imitation?' 1 He was watching her uv, his lids drawn to slits. "Why otild anyone want to put you on e spot?" He sounded wary. "Someone might think I know too jch." -She got to her feet as he ose slowly and came around to her. "Ah! And what do you know, ii?" he whispered, his dark eyes ky. The hand with the ring touchher arm. Emotion stirred along i nerves with faint warning. "You're not hiding anything, are ou?" he said softly. "Perhaps you orget you weren't quite yourself last night at the Mount View. Reslanrant. You made a regrettable Scene before Garrison, my dear, and Bushed out during dinner. You were lone from eight to eight-thirty in Py car. The doorman saw you start P. Rather foolish on a misty night r—" He shrugged. "You hated Iwlle, didn't, you?" I Fan exclaimed, "You mean I iille <i her?'- She went on passion'Wy, "You're crazy! I didn't even mow where she was. You might as J' e " accuse Jane Rider and Farland. 15 ' ou ' d ne ver suspect Jane, would ou? I saw you staring at her in the :arage.', 'You weren't exactly allergic to I n(L " Breanu scowled. "How '° K>u explain his having Carlie's J»« I don't believe his slick story." They confronted each other. Fan U hel 1 tr °° PerS - Y ° U L " the on the radio | .our car. When I got back to the I 2T' eVei7 ° ne Was listenin S L WaVeS fVOm the troopers' at Bardonia. Dick was P* « where were you?" [ a telephoning.« His face was a l o^er^ i v iStOnSOing -° Ver known » You couldn't have Ky T ° arlie tW'd found." W haf, CaUti ° Q - "° r perha P s tow. her fo »owed. Perhaps elitter'T 6yeS Seemed t 0 bulge and Ei,t Cr: coidiy - ,,Youiiav - question - Wh^ 'C Sri^, baCk ' " Nothin S much tie JL She f6lt him dras " I 'Wnk shp ° Ut ° f her mouthtection It * married You for pro--111 s °me S?i She Was tan Sled up about T She didn>t dare tell -sJ°fT~ ~Sot t 0 her. I V«*m atered - "thaf you and Shele arned7 danger now > Mat -" a slevel W u ard So th at her head "j, w . lta his. h'J demies?" rraed - He «&,?-' Hls voic e flatat the othe? P , dt ° the small y^nlf ld ° f tfle Bun-room, hem tW ° Ponie s of brandy, en" " My «H > ridiculous?" >^mt d< f her itstinher fear U thmk I'm dumb," she

By MARYSE RUTLEDGE

said fiercely. Her round face had lost its usual doll-like candor. "You've been going away with me for quite a while. So how could I help finding out a few things?" Breanu's hand moved slowly to her neck. "What things?" Fan tried to thrust her head forward. His grip held. "I'll tell you/' she said recklessly. "You're smuggling arms into the Balkans and South America—l don't know how ■ —to groups there who hate my people." She looked into his suffused eyes. "I love you," she said. "But ■ —yes, Mat, I'm a—" She got no further. Mat's vice-like hands closed around her throat. The front door bell rang. His strangling fingers fell away. He seemed to be pulling, himself together. "That must be Garrison," he said tonelessly. He added, "Forgive me, Fan." She massaged her bruised throat. She couldn't speak. She was terrorstricken. The bell rang again. Breanu took another drink. Fan sank wearily into a chair. She couldn't face anyone just now. Then Doremus stumbled in, his eyes rolling. "Mistuh Bra'nu, come quick," he moaned. "Ah put Mistuh Garrison in da liberry, Anuthuh gemman come, sayin' you expec' him, so I put him in theah, too." His teeth kept clicking. "I come back with drinks. Mistuh Garrison is on floah, like he's dead. Othuh man gone." Breanu and Fan raced to the library. When the inquest over lovely Carlie Breanu has held that Monday in September, in the county courthouse, clannish natives from miles around, packed the place. Popular feeling ran strong for Jane Rider and her mother whose old farmhouse was a landmark.

You could no more imagine Jane Rider mixed up in a murder than you could dream of her mother putting arsenic in the preserves she so generously gave away. But how and why had the body of Mattila Breanu's wife been bundled in the rumble seat of Jane's old.car? Perhaps that gabby young fellow of hers from New York knew'more than he was letting oh. David Farland had been sore since yesterday when Jane had ran from him in manifest disgust. Why shouldn't he answer questions of troopers, detectives, and reporters? He not only had prevented Carlie from jumping overboard on the ferry to Weehawken, but he -was presumably the last person with whom she had spoken. And why should Jane feel peeved because he had got chummy with that bright lad, Bill Wright, whom Mrs Rider and trooper. Ed Blagden had ordered out of the house? What if Bill had wanted to take a few snapshots on the side, and write up a special article? (To be continued)