The Wilmington morning star., 1940-06-07
CHAPTER ~THIRTY-FOUR

T backed softly down the steps.
rhey we're solid, and did not
squeak. Mr.. Gala, my erstwhlle
kidnaper, also made no sound Tor
moment, then his big feet moved
quickly away through the house
I thought he had either retreat
ed. or had decided there was no
one on his back steps. l was satls-
fed. I knew who he was now. Ali
wanted to do was to get away
and report to the police. ey
could never convict William Cana
of Alfred Markham's murder, out
they would have a suspect "no
would make them forget j err
Montcalm.
I opened the garden 6 ate into
the narrow alley and started TO-
ward the front of the house. lhen
I saw my mistake. Mr.. Gala hao
not retreated. The movement OF d
shadow at the end OF the alley tolo
me he was waiting there for me
I ~retreated back into the rear
garden and looked frantlcally
around for a means of escape. He
had me trapped. The back door OF
the house. discovered, was lock-
ed The walls around me were too
high to scale. The only thing l
could do was to jump into the rlv-
er.
The river would be a last resort,
because the splash would give me
away. l would be a clear target n
the water. because the moon was
up now and the fog had not yet
settled down.
I went to the garden gate again
and looked down the alley. He was
still there, motionless, as though
he hoped l would not see him.
Perhaps he hadn't seen me, l
comforted myself. was in deeper
darkness, with nc lights behind me
to give me away. Perhaps if moth
ing happened he would decide he
had been mistaken and would go
away.
l waited, but so did he. After
about five minutes he moved. He
was coming along the alley toward
me, closely hugging the wall OF
the house, apparently in the belief
he was as well hidden as l. There
was no sound. He was like a cat,
a quality all the more s~lnlsterbe-
cause of his tremendous size.
l tiptoed b a k to the rivers
edge. If 1 jumped quickly
l stared down at the water. A
rusty tin can seemed to be floating
there, m~otionless. But tin c a S
didn't float. That can was resting
in the mud just under the surface
of the water. The tide was out. he
water wasn't deep enough for
swimming this close to shore. To
lump into that mud would be sui
eide.
1 crept back to tie garden fence
and waited beside the gate. A soft,
sliding as though made by cloth
brushing against the wood, was
the only sound tn a warned me
when Gala arrived. 1 sensed,
rather than saw, that the catch on
the gate was lifting-the gate was
swinging back.
He was crouching there in the
darkness beside ne. Now he was
moving toward the house. 1 opened
the gate quickly and ran down the
alley.
Gala let out an oath and was
after me. AS 1 turned south along
Cleaves street I heard his big feet
pounding behind me. He made 10
attempt to be quiet now.
At the next corner l turned right,
hoping to shake him off. That was
a mistake. The industrial part of
the city, poorly lighted, was ahead
of me. l should have turned left,
into the business district, where
he would not have dared follow.
His long legs were cutting the
distance between us. The skin
along my backbone was prickling
in anticipation of a bullet.
An automobile came around the
corner ahead. I ran toward it,
Bella LANAN-COURT R