The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-10-27


 band? The questions swam through Tait,s tired brain as he helped Nelda Starr with her luxurious evening wrap in the foyer Of the Golden Bowl.
 I have a car outside" Nelda said.
 That, Bob tait was to discover, was a masterpiece of understatement: He followed her out under the spacious marquee of the Paciflc-Plaza, saw the doorman fuss with his signal box the moment he recognized Mel. da. Almost immediately there rolled to the curb a small car that was like a jewel in the world of auto motive engineering. It was no larger than the smallest of light stock cars, but the body was of special make and the finish was bright and fault less. The attendant left the wheel and stood at attention while Nelda slid herself into the drivers seat. Slightly bewildered, Tait climbed In beside her.
 some little bus," he said. What is it?"
 She told him the name of the engine and chassis, a name familiar to every driver in the world. T de- signed the body myself-in the rough, of course. And Dad had It built for me. That was before we had our latest argument"
 q see :" Tait withheld de- sire to turn her over his knee and spank her. The special body, which her father had built" for her, must have cost several times the price of an average car. Surreptitiously Tat i studied her profile, and when he did so he forgot his instinct to pun ish her as a parent might punish & child. This Nelda Starr was a brown and beautiful young woman. She was wise, too wise indeed for man, as Archie Mackey had hinted. And, Tait felt sure, she was more than that. Nelda Starr was dan- gerous.
 He could no longer detect the faint perfume which had revealed her to him among all that crowd in the Golden Bowl. His sense of smell had grown accustomed to 1t now Yet, he told himself, 1t was Nelda who wore that perfume It was that perfume he had caught on that night when death had missed him by the merest fluke-the anxiety of 8 taxi driver to be of service Had the attacker been this slight girl be- side him? And was even her seem- ingly harmless invitation tonight really another attempt to take his life? It was not comfortable feel ing, but 1t was with Bob Tait as he rode through town with the fragile, lovely Nelda in her car that had been built for her and nobody else.
 That perfume you use," he said suddenly. "It's-so unusual. May l ask what it is?" .
 Nelda Starr laughed, If it isn't unusual" she said, someone is go- ing to get into lot of trouble. It doesn't have a name-unless you want to call 1t Nelda Starr-because 1t was made especially for me-"
 somehow" said Tait, it suits you. It's enticing and yet-well, dangerous.
 She turned her gaze to him. Dangerous"
 "Yes. Isn't that what you wanted 1t to be?"
 Nelda Starr was silent moment T suppose so." Then: You know that's curious that you should say that"
 Curious? You mean that should think that your perfume gives ( hint of danger?"
 She nodded. "Yes. Lud Dombey told me that one day"
 Somehow the remark startled Tait. Even though he told himsel not to be a fool he experienced a queer chill. Tt did prove dangerous didn't it, for Lud Dombey?" Thai was, he knew, a reckless remark tc make. But if Nelda Starr received any connotation beyond the words themselves she gave no sign of it She only said, Poor Lud."
 "You liked him lot, didn't you?' Tait asked.