Evening star., 1933-01-02
s. psaff$S y :! =. a
$s& by NINA WILCOX PUTNAM Ek&3N
by NINA WILCOX PUTNAM

/ found a small detail which needed
attending to. Alacia looked about for
screwdriver. Her instinct was to
take one from the pocket Of her own
car, but the rain was falling in torrents
| now, so she went to the chest where
Scott kept his tools for general use.
| They were in immaculate shape, but
| the one needed was missing and 1t
| was then that she remembered the key
to her own tool box was in her pocket.
It would, Of course, fit that of the one
on the running board of Santini's car,
and his was certain to be well supplied.
Crouching at the side of the Europa
she tried her key 1t fitted, and she
lifted the lid The tool box was far
from tidy, and she had some difficulty
in finding what she wanted. But,
grumbling at the trash, she finally
discovered 1t under dirty little bag
of old chamois, on which lay cigarette
butt with a curious mouthpiece of
green bamboo.
Alacia stared at the cigarette end for
several seconds, some dim recollection
stirring in the back of her memory
Where had she noticed cigarette with
green tip? 1t was unusual enough to
have attracted attention anywhere, and
was associated in her mind with some
important event. Presently it occurred
to her that she'd seen 1t on the day
when she bought that fatal string of
supposedly imitation pearls. Yet surely
it was not Armand who had smoked
the exotic cigarette, but that disagree
able young salesman who had tried
to high-preSsure her. He had stamped
it out on a counter ash tray, and she
had noticed the curious color Of the
tip. Yes, 1t had been the young man
= 4ntnx AaIl
that necklacei
Slowly the words took on a new
significance. He had overpersuaded her,
and at the time she had merely thought
his manner that OF an impudent clerk.
Now she saw clearly that he had been
in deadly fear of her doing exactly
what she had subsequently done
walked out with the planted Jewels!
And if the cigarette with the green
stub had been smoked by the young
clerk at Piron's how did another exactly
like it come to be lyiny in the carefully
locked tool box Of Santini's car? The
racing driver himself smoked only
American igarettes-posSibly because
they were expensive. Santini had been
at Piron's that very afternoon with
car, unless in the courtyard at the
rear Of the building? Alacia knew the
courtyard well and had used it herself
several times. Suppose that the tool
box had been left open and Z. She
picked up the remnant Of the cigarette
and dropped it into her coat pocket,
and then lifted up the dirty chamois
bag. There were number OF loose
objects in it. but the sack had no open
ing. being sewn together like the bean
bags with which she had played as a
child. This struck her as curious and
she felt the objects it contained, cold
excitement growing within her. Ger
tainly they were not the small nuts and
washers which such a bundle might
logically contain. She was about to
arise, with the object Of examining the
sack to better advantage under the
light when voice in the doorway
startled her into letting 1t fall back into
the tool box where she had found It.
Drop that" some one commanded
harshly. How dare you touch my carp"
1t was Santini, and his face was livid
Behind him stood her mother and the
mechanic who was to accompany
Santini to the South. Alacia had been
so absorbed by her sense of being on
the verge of an important discovery.
that she had not even heard them
enter But now with an effort she
found her voice and blaZed back at
him, hatred equal to his own cleaning
in her eyes.
"Your carl" she challenged. "It's
my car, actually, and I'll examine 1t
when and how I choose" Before
answering, he pushed past her, almost
knocking her over in his furious haste
and slammed down the lid Of the tool
box, removing the key.
$50 long as drive it, this car is
minel" he roared at her II forbid
you lay a hand on 1t. 7 am responsible
for its condition until after the race,
and / am shocked and surprised at
your interference" Now that the tool
box was locked, he seemed to calm
down a little, but he shook the key he
had removed at her in threatening