Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-09-15
CHAPTER XII
The ultlmatum.

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Upon the following morning Ora
mont called both joachim Fell and Lucie
Ledanois over the telephone. He ac-
quainted them briefly with the result
of his oil investigation, and arranged
a meeting for ten O'Clock, at Fell's Of
fee.
1t was slightly before ten when Ora
mont called with the car for Lucie.
Under the spell Of her smiling eager
ness, the ~harshness vanished from his
face; 1t returned again a moment Ia
ter, for he saw that she, too, was
changed. There vas above them both
q cloud. That of Gramont was secret
and brooding. AS for Lucie, she was
in mourning. The murder Of Joseph
Maillard, the arrest and undoubted
guilt Of Bob Maillard, dwarfed all else
In her mind. Even the news of the oil
seepage, and the fact that she was
probably now on the road to wealth,
appeared to make little impression
upon her.
''Thank heaven" she said, earnestly,
as they drove toward Canal street,
that so far as you are concerned,
Henry, the Midnight Masquer affair
was all cleared up before this tragedy
tool placel 1t was fearfully impru-
dent of you"
Eyes" answered Gramont, soberly,
reading her thought. Il can realize my
own folly now. If this affair were to
be laid at my door, some kind of a
Ease might be made up against me,
and it would seem plausible. But,
fortunately, l was out Of it in time.
Were we merely characters in a
standardized detective story, l suppose
I'd be arrested and deluged with suS
pense and clues and so FORTH"
"Your escape was too narrow to
joke over, Henry" she reproved him,
gravely.
I'm not joking, my dear Lucie. !
learned nothing about the tragedy IN
til late last night. From what l a
find in the papers, it seems agreed that
Bob was not the real Masquer, but
had assumed that guise for a Joke. A
tragic joke! Since he was undoubt-
eddy drunk at the time, his story can't
be relied upon as very convincing.
And yet, it's frightfully hard to believe
that, even by accident. a son should
have shot down his own father"
"Don'tl" Lucie WINGED a little. "In
spite Of all the evidence against him,
In spite of the way he was found with
that aviation uniform, it's still awful
to believe. l can't realize that it has
actually happened"
According to the papers. poor Mrs
Maillard has gone to pieces. No won
der"
"Yes. 1 was there with her all day
yesterday, and shall go again today.
They say Bob Is terribly broken up.
He sent for his mother, and she re-
fused to see him. l don't know how 1t
is all going to endl Do you think bis
story might be true-that somebody
else might have acted as the Masquer
that night?"
Gramont shook his head.
"It's possible" he said, reluctantly,
"yet it hardly seems very probable.
And now Lucie, I'm very sorry indeed
10 say it-but you must prepare your
self against another shock in the near
future"
What do you mean? About the
oil"
"No. It's too long a story to tell
you now; here we are at the Maison
Blanche. Just remember my words,
please. It's something that l can't go
into now"
Very well, Henry! Do you think
that it's possible your chauffeur, Ham
mond. could have learned about the
drinking party, and could have"
Gramont started. Hammond? No.
I'll answer for him beyond any Ques-
ton, Lucie. BY the way, does Fell
know anything about Hammond hav-
ing been the first Masquerf'
mot from ma" said the girl, watch
ing him.
"Very well. Hammond got into a BIT
of trouble at Houma, and / had to
leave him there. 1t was none Of his
fault, and he'll get out of 1t all right.
Well, come along up to our oil meet
ingl Forget your troubles, and don't
let my croakings about a new shock
cause you any worry just yet"
He was thinking of joachim Fell and
the girls closeness to Fell. Had he
not known that Fell was responsible
for Hammond's being in Jail, he might
have felt differently. AS it was, ne
was now forewarned and forearmed,
although he could no see what AMI