Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1936-08-28
CHAPTER FOUR


get out of his chair she had sat down
on the other side of the small table.
Hawley could feel his blood STIR
ring to the tips of his fingers. He
sat there, looking at her namely. For
the first time he was struck by her
resemblance to. Judith Whalen. She
was not so tall as Judith. Her hair
was jet black, while Judith's was very
dark brown. Their features, however,
had strikingly similar cast.
If Georgette had been wearing a
red dress, and had peered at him out
of the window of an automobile, and
he had been thinking of Judith at the
time-well, ones eyes often play
queer tricks.
"What's wrong, Phil?" She seemed
alarmed. "You look as though you
were staring at ghost"
Nothing is wrong" he said hastily.
evil you have something to drink ?"
"No, thanks"
Something to eat?"
"No, Pm not hungry" Still she re-
garded him with puzzled eyes. "You
look tired, Phil. Been working hard 2"
ooh, not particularly"
Hawley wanted to talk; he wanted
to say something to put her at her
ease. His questions must sound cas-
ual. But with every nerve on edge
he oo11Id NO ,,ooro disseminate +bo. L.
could drive back to his quarters and
go to sleep.
"Georgette, have you been away
from here during the last fifteen min
utes?"
She looked at him queerly, as tho
not quite sure of his sanity, and shook
her head.
81 just finished a number" she
said. 81 hadn't been in my dressing
room two minutes when the waiter
told me you were here"
So that, Hawley told himself, was
that. He believed her. He had to be-
lieve her. For it had come to him sud-
denly and without warning-well, per-
haps with very little warning-that
he loved this slender girl with the
large dark eyes and the wholesome
smile.
Judith Whalen meant nothing to
him. Georgette meant everything.
To the devil, he thought, with Les
Kennedy! To the devil with the
questions his murder had brought UP!
What did they matter now? He loved
Georgette. Nothing else in the world
meant anything.
And then he thought of Les, lying
up there on his soiled bed. They'd
been shipmates, he and Les. Few ties
are stronger.
Hawley came out of the clouds to
hear Georgette saying, "Why do you
ask if I have been out?"
He didn't answer at once. He was
MT sure of himself. He wasn't sure
of her. He wasn't ready to lay the
cards on the table.
"Do you know a man by the name
OBJ Bennington " he asked abruptly.
"Bennington' she repeated, frown-
ing little. "No, don't know any
body by the name of Bennington"
"Do you know Les Kennedy?"
mo"
care you sure?"
"Quite sure, Phil. Why are you
asking me these questions?"
Because l found your picture in
Les Kennedy's room. Les was form
er naval officer who resigned from the
service few months ago. l found
him in his room tonight-dead. He'd
been murdered"
Murdered" Georgette gasped.
Eyes and your picture was lying on
his chiffonier. 1t was an old one, evil
IDENTIFY taken when you were about 16.
Across the bottom of it was written,
ITO Dad, with love, from Babe"
She started. Her eyes widened and
the color ebbed slowly from her
cheeks. She said uncertainty:
81 northumberland"
81 don't understand, either" Haw-
ley said gently. "But I'm trying very
hard to get at the bottom of this
business, Georgette. I'm sure that
picture was of you"
She was no longer looking at him.
Her large dark eyes were misty, I'M
seeing. Her face was still colorless.
She was breathing fast, through part
ed lips. After while she said slowly
and thoroughly:
II know of no one by the name of
Les Kennedy. If this man had a pic
ture of me, as you say, I haven't the
faintest idea how he got it. And af-
ter all, you know, you might have