The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1940-10-29
CHAPTER NINE

BESIDE Angel road, Brixton
Prescott found that another road
branched off from it. He looked at
his watch and made a brief calcu-
lation, and then strolled some dis
lance along the second one.
When the other taxi pulled up at
almost the precise spot where he
had paid his own off, and Pullinger
and the girl got out, Prescott was
strolling down the road toward
them, his eyes on the ground, ap-
parently lost in thought.
They walked briskly along Angel
road, evidently with a definite des-
tination in their mind. Prescott
wondered what it was, but admit
ted later that he would never have
guessed.
He had to move briskly to keep
them well in sight, but he still
managed to look unobtrusive and
aimless.
They turned up a side street, and
Prescott was compelled to quicken
his pace, in case of accidents. 1t
was as well he. did so. for he ar
rived at the corner just in time to
see them disappear into a house on
the left.
Prescott Immediately dropped
his pace to a sauhter again, and
as he drew level with the place
they had entered, he found, with
some surprise, that it was a monu-
mental mason's. He grinned to
himself. That was about the last
place on earth to which he would
Nhave imagined that these two
young people, SO full of life and
health themselves, would have
been making for. Perhaps that
was why, he reflected
1t was a high-class, artistic,
tombstone shop, he decided. Two
private houses had been knocked
into one, the lower windows wire
screened. with the name on one;
and office Inquiries Estimates
Free)" on the other
The two front gardens, now one,
were occupied by number of spe-
cimens of the firms art-rough
granite crosses; smooth and pol
ished marble ones: oblong marble
borders. filed with what looked
rather like pieces Of lump sugar; a
rather impossible stone angel,
bearing in its hand a scrip: In
Ever Loving Memory Of :"
What the devil, Prescott. Won
dered, were that pair doing in a
place like this? Unless, Of course,
it was a blind, the business. Still,
1t had all the appearance OF having
been there long time, and board
over the front door reid: "Estab-
ished 1885"
An adjacent corner provided a
good strategic position for watch
ing the mason's, and Prescott took
up his position there. Then he dis
covered he had run out of ciga-
rets, and cursed with silent fluency.
He was an inveterate cigaret
smoker, and lost without one.
He had to wait some time, too.
His watch recorded that they re-
manned in that rather grim place
for a full 20 minutes. He played
with the idea Of going inside on
some excuse and having a look
around. But he couldn't think of
a good excuse-not requiring a
tombstone at the moment-and
also decided that he had better not
bring himself to the notice Of the
two. All the same, he would like to
have known what was going on
inside thcre-and so. he bet,
would Gun Cotton.
When they emerged at the end
Of the 20 minutes. Prescott noticed
that the girl looked slightly wor-
ried, and the man angry and
scowling. Apparently. whatever
the subject Of their interview with
the monumental mason, 1t had not
gone altogether well.
They walked rapidly back the
way they had come, with Prescott
sticking doggedly to their trail,
back into the High road, and