Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1937-10-07
WITH BANNERS

I work best when the interested
party works with me. Get that?"
Marks laugh was quick and dis
arming.
"Hold everything, Bill Harrison;
you can't walk out on us like that.
Sit down again. Jed, tell him what
Mrs. Gregory told us about the will
she witnessed. You understand, In
spector, that there may be nothing
to it-so it's off the record"
"Say, Mark, do you suppose !
climbed up on the force by talking
my head off? I play the rules. Spill
it, Mr.. Stewart"
Stewart repeated Mrs. Gregory's
astonishing announcement that she
had witnessed a will of Mary
Amanda Danes of date later than
the will allowed; told of the decision
of Mark and himself to turn de-
tectives and of their absolute I'm
success to date.
Inspector Bill Harrison blew a
perfect smoke ring.
"Did Mrs. Gregory say there was
anyone else present but Mrs. Dane
and the other witnesses when she
signed?"
"No."
Mark Trent's answer was nothing
short of explosive. The inspectors
soft grudging laugh, in such marked
contrast to his bird-of-prey eyes,
brought guilty color to his face. 1t
wasn't keeping back information not
to tell that Brooke Reyburn had
driven in that afternoon just as
Mrs. Gregory had driven out from
Lookout House, was it?
Inspector Bill Harrison rose. With
a cigar tucked in one corner of his
mouth, he nodded.
"Ill be going. Guess I've got all
the dope. Don't give that Henri
jacques and his wife the idea that
you've missed the silver. Let it
drop out of their minds. When you
have any news, come to headquar-
tiers, don't phone. That reminds me.
Know anything about the people
who've started the filling station
here on the point?"
mo. But l understand that Henri
Jacques is recommending them"
ooh, he is? That Henri's just nat
urally helpful, amt he? Well, I must
get back" He added in his soft per-
suasive voice:
whenever you're ready to come
across with the name of the other
party who was in the neighborhood
of Lookout House the day that last
will of Mrs. Danes was signed,
Mark, I'm just across the cause
way. I'll be seeing you"
'Don't 60 yet, Bill"
He mustn't leave thinking that he
and Jed were holding out on him,
Mark realized.
Jed Stewart grabbed Marks
shoulder.
"Hold on, Mark. See who's here!"
Mark Trent turned. Surprise
brought him to his feet, wiped the
smile from his lips. That couldn't
be Lola on the Threshold It was.
Hunt, her name was now, Lola
Hunt, he must remember.
"Say, Mark, I'll be making my
getaway"
He nodded response to Bill Harri-
sons humble. Knew when he
opened the door which led to the
print room and vanished. Evidently
the inspector didn't care to meet
Lola. Who did? With the question
Mark thrust his hands hard into his
coat pockets and took a step for
ward.
"Well?"
The sound was more a growl than
word, he realized, as he looked
steadily at the woman who had
been his wife. Had been. At last
he had come to think of her in the
past tense. It had taken three years
to accomplish that. The shame, the
humiliation, the unbearable heart
ache he had suffered in the years
they had lived together swept over
him in sickening tide. What did
she want now? She was the type of
woman who constantly and everlast-
ingly wanted something. Wasn't he
giving her enough? There had been
no justice in his giving her any
thing, but when she had written
him that her current husband was
out of a job and that she was hun
cry, what could he do but make her
an allowance till the man found
work? Her clothing had a cheap
smartness; the dark brilliance of
her eyes was intensified by artificial
shadows; her skin was thick and
flushed; her short black hair needed
trimming; her mouth dropped at the
corners. She pouted lips which re-
senbled nothing so much as
bloody smear.
''Don't stare at me as if l were
a ghost from out a purple past,
Mark. I told your Jap that l was
an old friend, that l wanted to sur
prise you. I hate to keep the gentle
men standing. Won't you ask me
to sit down."