Evening star., 1927-09-06
CHAPTER XXI.
MIeestair Kellee.
~ " YELL" said the Zone Off
80 n cial to Marie and Helmer
NV as they sat in confer
enca at his headQnar.
CHAPTER XXI.
NIeestair KelIee.

was still in his hand and his race Wor'
puzzled expression. Where die
Mae find the mate to this one?'
Planted in Dahlgrens room?'
He found 1t i'm his own cabin
where, YOU will note, Miss Morris hat
also been found during the night"
But Mac hadn't been in his room,
mo. He didn't go TO bed at all
That was the night he found the car
rier pigeons in the lifeboat."
Marie. are you sure about this
Morris girl? What took her to Macs
room? He was making love to her
wasn't he?"
Yes; trying her out. She's al
right, though she has not been willing
TO tell me why she went to Macs
room.
But you let her slip out to do that
+, Then later she begged you to say you
had asked her to go in search of youi
son. In other words, you and Mac
fell in with her plan and corrobo
rated the story she told the captain"
Yes. 1t was the only thing to dc
at the time. but after Mac took the
captain into his confidence we told
him about that. Mac had a good rea
son for bringing the girl into my room
for the night. He was sure that
there was some trouble brewing in
Z
would be drawn into it,
"Of course. he already suspected
that Lady de We're was the confed
crate Of the stewardess. Funny we
didn't realize that the other alien was
a woman. Guess we've been pretty
dense, Marie. They've put it all over
us and got away with it, Now, then,
let's get down TO business. If the DE
We're is the one were after, where is
she? And If she really was murdered
and thrown overheard, who did it?
Some unknown enemy. trailing those
reds on his own account? And if so.
who is he? Dahlgren? Straine? Or
some one else? Had YOU been watch.
ing the purser. as we directed, Marie?''
Yes. Got nothing at all. We were
suspicious Of only one of the crew
the steward. Fritz-but we couldn t
nail him. l would think that Straine
was hunting the pair on his own ac.
count; did away with the woman in
the interest of his own government.
expecting to report the whole thing
In detail later if it were not for one
thing"
''Wen?"
THE fact that he went ashore with
Miss Morris, leaving the stewardess
aboard
He may have recognized you and
Mac and left her to you.'
Marie shook her head.
No" she said slowly. THAT doesn't
explain it. If we hadn't verified every
thing about the man from A to z,
had his photograph and full confirma-
tion from Scotland Yard as to his
presence in the country. I'd feel diff
, ferently about it. Scotland Yard
would never double-cross us like that
They always play fair, and these reds
are just as badly wanted in England
as they are here"
Well" the official said, there is
nothing to do now until we can get
held of Dahlgren and Mac. Keen
under cover, Marie, and be waiting
at the Washington Hotel for the ar.
rival of the refugees. Then come over
here. My wife will take you in for
the rest OF the day. I'll send you
over to the house now
And shaking hands cordially with
thls capable woman detective, he
made the necessary arrangements for
her being received at his house and
went back to work
And meanwhile, through these noon
nours OF the day that the passengers
OF the Hope We're stranded upon the
shores OF Panama, while Marie and
Helmer conferred at the government
headquarters at Cristobal while
Christopher was making his long
canoe trip under the boiling tropical
sun, the young man called Mac, first
known to us as Aubrey Winston, was
carrying on some investigations upon
his own account
Leaving Helmer at Gatun Locks.
he proceeded to spend a couple of
hours in that neighborhood, but he
was no longer Aubrey Winston of the
sheltrimmed glasses, but Pat Kelly,
genial young Irishman, and appar-
emily we'll known to several pretty
maidens among whom he took time to
bestow a series of liberal kisses, lin
gering for a chat at a popular soda
fountain, stopping at a newsstand, al.
together making himself extremely at
home.
Later, and quite alone, he might
have been seen walking through some
quiet alleyways, looking carefully at
the rear entrances of certain houses,
ordinary enough to the casual eye,
but evidently of prime interest to the
young man himself.
At length, leaving the more crowded
section, he wandered into an outlying
district. strolling down a pathway al
most oYergrown by vegetation, where
came upon an abandoned hut. 1t was
q picturesque old shanty. the roof
thatched with banana stalks, an old
board serving as the only door, but
eddy enough it had a chimney.
Perhaps it was that idiosyncrasy in
q dwelling of this kind, unusual be-
cause inhabitants of such primitive
spots are apt to do their casual cook
ing out OF doors. that made this young
man pause on its threshold. Perhap ps
he had been there before, and it was
evident that he was not sure he was
the only person in the neighborhood,
for he did a good deal of looking about
before he actually entered this hut,
and throughout his stay within its
inhospitable walls he never took one
eye from the entrance.
Nor did he linger, for once convinced
that there was no one within and
after thorough examination of the
outlying premises. he hastily ap-
preached the chimney, reaching his
hand far up.
A smile of content lighted his face
as his hand came in contact with
something hard and metallic.
Il thought So" he said, beaming
from ear to ear. Clever boyi
And as carefully as he had entered
he retreated again. strolling back the
way he had come. If any one had
been following his trail closely-and
he was far from sure that this had
not been the case-he might presently
have been seen in another cafe, taking
drink with a businesslike native
Still later. toward dusk, he made
his way 10 Colon, and as the shadows
fell he crouched in a thicket in the
rear of beautiful garden and fixed
his eyes upon a building which had
once been the stable, but was now the
garage belonging to the owner Of the
garden and Of the handsome house
which was set in the middle of the
property. Here he waited never re