The Coolidge examiner., 1933-12-15
CHAPTER xI
The Trail of an EIihi.


THE purser aboard the steam
L ship Florida ran his finger along
the passenger list he had placed on
his desk before Rankin.
There you see, Mr.. Rankin" he
said as his hand paused under a par
ticular entry. lis the name you are
looking for-Miss Laura Du Monte
She occupied Cabin 2S on G deck. |
don't recall her. but that seems 10
settle that she made the voyage. as
she claims"
The detective verified his reading
"Not necessarily, Mr.. Hammond" he
returned. 1t is possible, you know
for someone else to register as her
in her place. think ought TO
question your ships doctor. the
nurse. Miss Sumner. and Mrs. Win
ters, just to check up on it."
The detective first interviewed
the nurse. At his explanation Of his
mission AMI full description of Mrs
Jordan's blond golden hair. bow
lips and statuesque beauty, she
promptly identified her patient Of
the last voyage in Room 2S. She
supported the actress story that she
was confined TO her cabin through
out the voyage. Even when she
felt better, she failed to go on deck.
In fact on embarking, she did not
reserve either a deck chair or a
table In the dining room.
"And that struck me as peculiar" :"
Miss Sumner asserted, because it's
practically the first thing every pas
senger does. You would almost sup
pose she had decided to stick to her
stateroom and see no one"
do you mean to suggest she re-
mained in her cabin to escape OBJ
servation?" Rankin probed shrewd-
ly. THAT her illness was a pretense
to avoid encounters with passengers
and crew? Is it possible that she
feigned much of her distress to have
a reasonable pretext for keeping TO
herself?"
"Well. yes; don't know why she
should have, but | don't suppose it
is out of the question"
AS Rankin dismissed the nurse,
he could not help being somewhat
elated al this information. trifling
though it was. For it raised some
doubt whether the woman who oc-
cupied Cabin % was Laura Dumont.
! And when he summoned the stew
ardess, this mere speculation unex-
pectedly was fully and undeniably
confirmed. An angular. middle-aged,
sharp-featured woman. with inquisi-
tive eyes and a firm mouth. Mrs.
Winters took chair; and Rankin re-
peated the story of his search. But
the instant he touched on the pas
senger's appearance, she halted him
by an abrupt gesture of the hand /:
as though in satisfaction. she nod
ded her head.
"rhere, | was right ~ she an
nounced proudly. I'm not surprised
at your wanting to learn about her.
l was suspicious of her because her
hair wasn't golden blond at all She
really had dark hair, straight and
not curly; the light hair on top was
xryiO 0,-nr iS ~
How can you be certain of that
that she woe a disguise?" Ran
kin demanded.
Mrs. Winters answered volubly.
well, | have eyes. Twice, when i.
this woman lay in bed particularly
! bad, she was careless and let the
wig slip over to one side little
distinctly saw her real. darker hair
underneath" She paused, hesitat
ingly. "And her name wasn't Laura
Du Monte, either" she added.
"You discovered that. too?" Ran
kin's appreciation increased with
his enthusiasm. That's wonderful,
Mrs. Wintersl How did you learn
that?"
But suddenly the stewardess
ceased to be loquacious; as though
regretting her frankness, she glanced
apprehensively at the purser.
'I why | only
guessed that" she stammered ner
vously. Il maybe she was
registered correctly. | only sup
posed from the fact that :"
Perceiving the cause for her dis