Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1938-01-13
CHAPTER XIv-Continued

the effort of shaking off congratula-
tory hands which had tried to de-
tain him.
Changing her sandals at Lookout
House. I've got to speak to you,
Trent! Quick!"
Relief stopped the humping OF
Mark Trent's heart. Had Brooke
married Field, would he be here?
He would not. He turned to Kowa
still standing beside him and asked
in voice he had difficulty in
keeping steady:
SIS anyone in the print room?"
The Jap disappeared and returned
with incredible speed.
''No person there, sir"
Mark spoke in low tone to Jerry
Field:
"Slip into the room back of the
stairs. Sam, tell the musicians to
play something loud and gay; then
join us. Now that we know Brooke
is safe, Mrs. Gregory"
"Mrs. Gregory is coming with
u.s." Jed Stewart interrupted.
Even with the door of the room
closed, the beat and rhythm of the
music outside set the air within vi
brating. A CHEEKY fire cracked on
the hearth. Incredibly long-stemmed
Templar roses in tall vase made
splash of gorgeous crimson against
the neutral tinted walls hung with
Japanese prints, scented the air
with their spicy fragrance. Mrs.
Gregory resisted the seductive
depth of large chair and sat erect
on the edge.
whats happened? What's hap
pened?" she demanded testify.
"Wait minute. Thought heard
something" Field pulled aside the
hangings at the window and peered
out; Jed Stewart on his toes
looked over his shoulder. "Yep,
there they go. Police are no re-
specters of supper parties"
Jerry Field drew the hangings
close and returned to the mantel.
The lighter he held to his cigarette
was not quite steady. "Now, folks,
listen to my bedtime story"
For an instant there was no sound
in the still room save the purr of
the fire and the tap of snowy
vine against a window. Then it
seemed to Mark Trent that the
woman in the deep chair, Sam Rey-
burn with his elbow resting on one
corner of the low bookshelves, JED
Stewart backed against the door as
if to barricade it, stopped breath
ing as Field told how Brooke had
commandeered his roadster and
himself to take her across the
causeway, of the reason she had
given for her going, of her suspi-
cion that the man she called the
Bath Crystal Bandit might be serv-
ing as waiter at the party because
of interest in the jewels of one Aof
the guests.
Mrs. Gregory instinctively put one
hand to her tiara and one of the
blazing plastron at her breast.
81 suppose you mean mine.
W-when did they in-intend to take
them?" she quavered.
Mark Trent crossed the room. He
sat on the arm of her chair and
put his hand on her shoulder.
STEADY, Empress, they can't get
them now. Go on, Field. Then you
and Brooke are not married."
married.! No such luck. Didn't
I make that clear? Brooke told that
yarn to avert suspicion from our
getaway. Do you think I'd be here
if we were married?" There was a
CLINT of steel in his eyes as they
met Mark Trent's.
"Where was lob yes. We made
headquarters in record tim e.
Brooke told her story. Your kitch-
en-, Trent, was the scene of the
neatest, quickest cleanup in the
history of crime in this state, I'll
bet. No, don't 60. Inspector Har-
rison sent special instructions to
you to keep things moving here so
that the news of the arrests wouldn't
get out until he had the men safely
in jail. Sorry to report that you've
lost your chauffeur, Mrs. Gregory"
dominique! Not Dominique?
He's been with me for years. Why
have I lost him?"
"He's been taken along for ques-
tioning. The Inspector didn't have
time to 60 into it here. The jacques
at Lookout House also are being
personally conducted to headquar-
tiers. Quite a party, if you ask me.
I didn't hear much, but your man
Dominique, Mrs. Gregory, was to
have engine trouble on the way
home. While he tinkered, you were
to be relieved of your jewels"
Anne Gregory's face was gray;
it dropped into sagging lines, her
mouth quivered childishly. Suddenly
she was an old defeated woman.
"Isn't there anyone in the world I
can trust?" she whimpered.
Mark Trent moved closer to her.
"Of course there's someone you
can trust, you have Brooke and
Sam, Jed and me, and"
Don't forget me-" Jerry Field
interrupted. 'tNow, who's Gomez"
he queried.
The low quick knocking at the
door was repeated. Jed Stewart