Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1940-11-01
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was up to, over those week-ends, and
if Walter were mixed up with it,
proved stronger than her innate good
breeding.
The man certainly had it in for
Gaby, which was a sort of bond. Jean
remembered something too that Gaby
had said about Green. When Jean had
suggested that he might reveal the
background of her "house guest" the
latter had scornfully replied: II have
sure means of stopping Green! He
will not dare to trouble mel"
So evidently Gaby had something
on the man himself!
It would have been a fascinating
mystery-had it not come so close to
jeans own life.
And so, one sparkling Sunday when
there was a tang in the air, Jean
slipped out of the house very early
to meet Green in his powerful car.
She didn't anticipate any pleasure
on the drive. She told herself that
she was doing this for Laurel's, as
well as her own sake -.
They soon reached the open coun-
try. Green was a fast driver. Dia-
monds of frosty dew spangled the
hedgerows and grass. He passed every
other vehicle on the road. In her un-
happiness about Walter-her mother
-everything-the daredeviltry Of the
man appealed to her. She thought:
eff we do crash, maybe it'll be the
best solution!"
At a garage near Lake Placid,
Green did little detective work. He
described jeans car. He gave it's IL
cense number. And he was told that
a mechanic had been phoned for, that
morning, to come a mile away, and
fix it.
AS they drove off, Jean told Green:
II want you to drop me at the little
bridge the garage man spoke Of,
where we were to turn left. The shack
isn't far from there, and want to
meet Gaby alone"
He seemed disappointed.
/ "She'd be awfully embarrassed If
she saw you with me-" Jean pointed
out. "She'd think it was conspir-
acy, and I'd never hear the end OF
it,"
every well. Here we are at the
bridge. I'll wait in the machine till
you get back" He pulled in at the
side of the road, under some trees.
It was about quarter Of mile to
Gaby's hide-out: A cabin named LA
Vilette" set in the pines above the
water.
Jean first stopped at "a neighbor's
She made inquiry, and was informed
that the cabin was occupied by a
young French couple, Mr.. and Mrs.
Armand Blanchard.
"He came from abroad about a
month ago to take the new cure at
the sanitarium," the woman told
Jean. Ellis wife-if she is his wife,
which I doubt-comes out for the
week-ends usually, I understand she
sings in a nightclub. He's pretty sick
man, MISS" the loquacious neighbor
informed her.
Jean hurried down the pineneedled
path, her heart hammering in her
chest. She knocked on the door of "La
Vilette," and the door was opened by
pale and emanciated but very at
tractive young man.
"May 1 speak to Madame Blan-
chard?" asked Jean. Now that she'd
run her quarry to earth, she felt
suddenly weak at the knees and in
the pit of the stomach. She wished
that she could turn and run.
Madame Blanchard is OUT, the
young man answered, politely. "Will
you please to come in, mademoiselle?
The pine-walled living-room of the
tiny shack was full Of flowers.
There were no fewer than five
photographs of Gaby herself on man.
tel, table and walls!
Two more, enlarged ones, of Gaby
and Armand, with their arms about
each other!
Perhaps" asked Armand hospitab-
ly, while you wait, you would like
glass of wine?"
No thanks"
"She will soon be back. I do not
like her to be gone long, she knows"
Jean wanted to say something, to
act naturally, but her tongue seemed
to be weighted. More and more she