The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-11-04
Chapter 42
TRAILING NESTA

TRAILING NESTA
 TIM RANDAL went into the library, y but he did not stay there long. He did not even ask for the file which he had come there to look at The past and what had happened in the past was nothing like so i'm. portant as the present and what was likely to happen in the immediate future. M
 He sat down on one of the stiff upright chairs, shut his eyes. and went over what Min had told him
 Nesta had come down in the small hours at the summons of handful of gravel thrown up against her window. She had been away for something over an hour. bad come back. and then immediately gone out again as far as the gate, bring ing with her something, presumably money.
 Min had then heard her say Its all I've got" and something about keeping money in the house: after which the man said lot of things she didn't hear. and one that she did. She heard him say, Don't be late"
 What he made of it was this Nesta had given the fellow all the money she'd got in the house, and was under an agreement to meet him next day with more. If he was right, Nesta would be drawing money out of the bank some time during the day. Some time after that she would meet the fellow. And when that meeting took place. it would be greatly to his own ad- vantage if he could contrive to make an unobstrusive third.
 He had to keep an eye on Nesta Riddells movements. Mean while he was going to risk a telephone call to Caroline. From now on she had got to keep right out of the busi- ness. She had got to be told that, and that he had left Hale Place.
 He crossed over to the north side of the square, went into the post of flee. and rang up Hazelbury West.
 When Caroline's voice came to him after that long strange pause. his heart jumped. He said what he had come there to say, and heard Caroline say Wait" She said it twice. What was the matter? Was it because he had said goodbye that her voice was stiff and dead?
 He said, q mustn't wait. Don't worry"
 He was fool to have said that, because the thought of Caroline worrying filled him with an insen- Bate desire to go to her.
 Where are you ringing up from?"
 He told her. He said,
 'I can't stop"
 His hand made a movement to re- place the receiver. when quick and warm there came to his ear rush of quite unintelligible words. He wasn't to forget that he was coming to Jenny Ross treasure hunt. They wouldn't begin while it was light "so we'd better meet about nine"
 He heard her laugh and say. "l can't stop either-I've got a visitor. I'll be at the end of Nesta's road l can't remember it's name-at nine o'clock. Will that be all right?" LIE left the post office, reached the II High Street by way of Market Street, and walked out to Ledling. ton End.
 It was all very we'll to say that he had got to keep an eye on Nesta Rid dell, but how was it going to be done? Sandringham Drive offered about as much cover as parade ground. There was the Rosy Kor. ner Kafe at the near end of the drive. But the bother was that the
 
 beastly road had two ends. If he waited for Nesta at one end, she'd be bound to go out by the other.
 It all depended where she was go- ing to meet the fellow. If it was in Ledlington, she would pass the Rosy Korner Kafe, but if it. was some where out in the country, she would come out on to the main road at the lower end of Sandringham Drive.
 He passed the War Memorial. and presently the Rosy Korner Kafe. If there was a point on the main road from which he could see both ends of Sandringham Drive. things were going to be little easier. The drive