Evening star., 1940-11-07

anu lOA 1 II lis. DUN SlGlSlllOll
rants bar-his incredible pretenSe
that he did not know her-was be-
wildering. Bewildering and, though
Kay couldn't say why, frightening,
filling her with a vague feeling of
inner panic she could not under
stand.
Nonetheless, when Kay entered
the F. B. I. Office downtown, she
had firm grip on herself. Out
wardly, she was cool and calm. In
side, she was a knot of hair-trigger
nerves. j. V. Stanley, the special
agent in charge Of the New York
Bureau, met her, escorted her into
his Office. His face was drawn. his
mild eyes red from lack of sleep
He listened to only a few words of
Kay's report before he pressed a
buzzer on his desk. Four men filed
quickly into the Office. Stanley in
troduced them. They were F. B. I
agents.
Il want these men to hear your
report, Miss Dennis" Stanley said
tersely. please start at the be-
ginning"
Gives Full Details.
Kay told her story graphically
She told of how, earlier in the after
noon, Vince Reeves, who had been
shadowing Phillip Stover, had
phoned her that Slower had again
gone to the Old World Restaurant;
that, from his actions, he had been
summoned there. She told of her
arrival at the restaurant, her pre-
tended tipsyness, her ruse to get
both Vince and herself back into
the phone booth through which
they knew young Stover had dis
appeared into the passageWay be-
low. In brief, she outlined how
with Vince occupying the phone
booth with phone call to his sis
ter, she had slipped through the
secret sliding door, down into the
passageway; of how she had been
nearly discovered when the door of
the room leading off the passage
suddenly opened.
In more detail, Kay outlined the
conversation that took place be-
tween the man who had started to
leave the hidden room, then turned
back at the command of the crisp
voiced man unseen inside.
Both men were foreign" she
said. The man in the doorway
was stiff, military, spoke with a
decided accent. The man inside
the room, whom I couldn't see. he
addressed as captain The captain
warned him that D-day' was
almost here. That it, D-day, would
come before the end of the week.
The F. B. I. exchanged quick
glances. Their faces were stark.
Kay went on.
A Spy Cell.
'The captain emphasized that
every man in what he called the
System must work with absolute
accuracy" she said, that, and I'm
quoting, everything, our glorious
future. the glorious world victory,
depends upon the absolute perfec-
ton with which our plans are exc
cuted.' He concluded by saying to
the man in the doorway. You are
responsible for operations at C-21.
You have your orders. You may
CO."
Stanley's mouth was drawn down
hard. He ran his fingers through
his CRAVING hair. He glanced toward
the door. The other four agents
rose.
Excuse me, please, Miss Dennis, -
he said tersely, following the others
from the Office, I'll be back in a
moment
1t was fully 20 minutes before
Stanley returned.
Miss Dennis" he said with terse
abruptness, you've done mag
nif1cent piece of work. You've given
us information we've been spending
days desperately trying to get.
You've found spy cell belonging to
the secret foreign agents who are
to strike the mysterious blow
against the United States"
Then the Old World is definitely
a spy CELL" Kay said rather than
asked.
"Yes, no doubt of it" Stanley's
lean jaw was rigid. And the mer
working from it are a part of a
vast organization of spies and
saboteurs. The organization. as you
heard this afternoon, is called the
System In short. the System is
the spy system Of that group of for
eign powers who mean to strike this
country a secret blow"
Kay Is Frightened.
The F. B. I. man paused, his
glance f1icking to his. wrist watch.
From information picked up yes
terday by our men, and by certain
operatives in the Naval and Mill
tary Intelligence, he said, 1--WE
know definitely that the System s
plot is to completely and utterly
paralyze the United States"
"Paralyze it?" Kay's astonishment
was clear.
Stanley's chin jerked. Exactly" ?"
he said. And when the country is
helpless, it is to be bowled from its
feet and instantly overwhelmed" :"
Kay stood up, speechless, staring.
Stanley nodded grinly. ''I know"
he said. 1T sounds utterly fan
tastic. Utterly impossible. But it's
not impossible, Miss Dennis. Think
of what has happened in Europe.
Strong nations, infinitely better pre-
pared to defend themselves than we
are, have been smashed and over
wheImed by just such tactics as the
Systems plot against us"
A peculiar iciness had settled in
the pit of Kay's stomach.
What is the System going to
do? How are they going to paralyze
the country?" she asked, and her
lips felt parched.
Special Agent Stanley looked gray
and haggard.
I'VE don't know" he said, and his