The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-03-27
CHAPTER 80
I've Had Enough! y

W AAoO
MY WOUND is not serious. Has.
4FA san is badly injured. He is in
that car" Her voice sounded hard,
cutting, small. There were sobs
ready to rise and choke it, unless
she controlled herself rigidly.
"What happened?" asked Tony.
Petrol related the occurrences,
as though she were submitting a
report.
"We drove without lights until
we saw the plane in the moonlight.
We had expected it to be guarded
by police, with camels and lam
terms. Instead we thought we saw
figures moving. There were no
lights. | told Hassan to turn on his
headlights. and make a circuit, TO
distract the unknown men. so that
] could search near the plane. !
jumped off the step of the car. The
two men ran after the car, and shot
HaSSan. When reached the plane,
/ found one guard gagged and tied
up. The other was murdered. took
his rifle. Fired it, to get them back.
Ran to the car and managed to get
away. They fired at us as we drove
off. That is ALL"
GAIL" muttered Michael. grip
ping hertighter. Petronella turned
her head.
"Will you 60 to the car and wait
for me? l want to speak to Tony
alone for a minute. Then | want
you to take me back to the hotel"
Gall right" He looked strangely
at them, and obeyed.
She waited for a moment. The
sergeant followed. as his men car
ried HaSsan to one of the police
cars.
She was alone with Tony. She
faced him.
Here are the papers you would
have risked Peters life to get,
Tony" she flashed. Luckily my
right wrist wasn't broken, so l
could fire a rifle and drive a car.
HaSsan is dead, Or wounded. But
for some reason or other, I'm still
alive. But I've had enough. Tony.
Thank God l shall never know
what lies you would have used to
explain it to me, if Peter had gone
out there and been killed. as the
guard was killed."
He stepped close to her. "Petrel,
you're hySterical. You don't know
what you're saying. You don't I'M
derStand. How was | to know the
papers were out there. in the sand,
hidden? When he heard that, Peter
would have phoned me. and gone
with an escort"
She laughed in hard, bitter dis
belief. peter! Peter, waiti He'd
have gone as did, alone. Well,
Peter didn't go. | don't believe
you'd have cared if he had" she
ragged coldly. You'd thought of
the possibility, bu' you didn't
care" Perhaps she was hysterical,
as he had told her. Her nerves had
gone. She must get away from
Tony, from this hateful scene, from
everything.
1T was only when you discov-
cred that | had gone instead. that
you were afraid of a scandal. Be-
cause you can't let girl get killed,
without people asking awkward
questions. If you hadn't discovered
that. you weren't coming. yourself.
You were going to wait for the pa
perS in the room at the 'Continen-
tai Here they are - take theml
They have cost two lives. perhaps
threel"
Lucky To Be Alive
ELINGING them on to theground
L at his feet. she turned She
went to the Car, and climbed in
through the door Michael held
open for her.
take me away quickly, Mike"
she whispered.
Tony was at the door. "Wait
minute. She has got to listen. Pc
trel, you've got il all wrong. Peter
will confirm that. You have got to
believe two things. That l had no
idea Peter was really injured. He
forgets to mention things like that,
when he is keen to be given job"
"Yes, I'll believe that" Petro-
nella answered, Stonily.
Secondly, that l acted quickly,
without realizing the possibility
that the dispatch might still be in
the plane, and Peter, being crazy,
might go straight after it. can
never forgive myself for not
thinking of that. Unhappily, the
rest is true. Papers like these do
cost lives. It is fact. can't deny
1t. You did an amazing job. But it
was right that you should hate it.
You are lucky to be alive"
81 don't feel lucky"
"You are hating me. now. But it
is my job you hate, Petrol. When
you realize that the things you said
were unjust, and bitter, remember
that. Think it over"
Petronella met his eyes. Her
mind only half grasped what he
had said. Bat the chief thought up-
permost in her mind was that she
did not want to believe. or trust
him.
Peter wouldn't have waited for
an escort" she repeated. "He
would have been dead. He is alive.
You've got your papers. That is all
you wanted. These last days you
talked, vaguely, always vaguely.
You never meant to marry me. But
now. no longer want you. / do
hate your job. And you put it first,
always first. / thought l loved you,
and could put up with that; and
with going on leading the life r