Evening star., 1940-01-08
CHAPTER 9.

Vor," she told Yorke's friend. III
I can take a rain check. we'll go
dancing some other time, eh?"
BY the time she had explained
to the Englishman what she meant
by rain check" and he had laughed
In appreciation of her Jolly Amer
lean slang" the taxicab drew up
at her hotel entrance and she STEP
ped out.
Goodbye, Miss Dutton," Trevor
said at the door. Don't forget about
the-er-the RAIN check"
She noted by the clock that it was
nearly midnight as she walked across
the lobby to the elevator. In peace
times there was an attendant to
operate the lift day and night, but
now, with the hotel reduced to de-
pending upon what help it could
get from men over military age,
guests operated it themselves after
the dinner hour.
Claire didn't trust herself to even
glance at the card she had found
In her pocket until she reached her
floor, unlocked her door and
switched on the lights Of her room
Then she drew it from her coat with
shaking fingers, and read:
Tonight. at m, room 567. The
door will be unlocked"
Claire Is Impatient.
Just that, scrawled on q plain card
Nothing more, not even the ~. y
Noel had written on the other card
he had inserted in her vanity case.
Claire was frightened for a min
ute. and then her courage returned.
After all, she finally was going to
get somewhere-learn something
about Bill Cameron. Perhaps dis
cover where he was, 50 she could
make an effort to reach him. It
might be risky, but she knew when
she left the st. Croix and came
back to Paris she might be in for
trouble.
She hung up her coat and put her
hat away, and then called down.
stairs to check the time with her
wrist watch. She didn't want to
be late for her appointment. The
watch was right on the dot With
the hotel clock.
Claire tried to sit down, but soon
found herself walking across the
floor Of her large room. Back and
forth, back and forth. At least
this was better than trying to sit
STILL it gave her something to do.
After what seemed ages, the hand
OF her watch crept around to the
! o'clock mark, and moment later
she was startled by the sound of
the phone bell by her bed. It was
Welles Sanford. He was down.
stairs and wanted to see her From
the tone of his voice she knew some
thing had happened, and she was
trembling 50 when she went to the
elevator that she had q hard time
getting the door open.
A Body Is Found.
Sanford led her to q secluded
corner and made her sit down before
he told her his news.
"A body has been found, Claire"
he said slowly. 1T was found float
ing in the Seine tonight"
The girl felt sudden contraction
In her chest. It was as though for
moment her lungs had ceased to
function.
you think-you think it may be
Bill?" She spoke with an effort and
the words seemed to rasp her throat.
EYES," the attache answered. ut
was impossible to make q positive
Identification because of the condi-
ton of the body. It was putilated-
the head, mean"
Hope surged within her.
Then how-how do you know 1t Is
he?" she demanded
"Cameron's clothes were on the
body. His papers in the pockets"
"Was-was there anything else?"
Sanford reached in his pocket,
produced heavy envelope and took
ring and watch from it,
His Fathers Ring.
"These, too, were on the body.
The ring on finger-the watch in
his pocket. Do you recognize them?"
Claire gingerly took the ring In
her hand and turned it over and
over. It was cameo in an old
fashioned setting. She had seen it
many times on Bill Cameron's fin
ger. He had seen her looking at 1t
one day and slipped it from his hand
for her to examine more closely.
1T was my fathers" he said.
tive worn 1t ever since his DEATH"
Eyes, it's his ring" Claires lips
scarcely moved as she confirmed
the identification.
And the watch?" Sanford held 1t
out to her and replaced the ring In
the envelope.
The watch was q very thin model,
the case plain with q small mono-
gram engraved on the back. The
girl traced out the initials, Nv. A. c."
William Amherst Cameron. She
handed the watch back and nodded
her head, duly.
"Yes, this belonged to Bill, too,"
she said. How many times she had
seen 1t on the desk of his ONCE In
Washington. Cameron had Z habit
Of taking 1t from his pocket and
putting 1t on the blotter before him
when he called her in for dictation.
Convinced Of Identification.
II have an early appointment" he
told her once, grinning as he saw
her eyes on the watch. But she
knew 1t was only habit. He always
did 1t when he dictated whether he
had an appointment or not.
cDornet called me more than an
hour ago and had me 60 down to
the morgue." Sanford went on. He
had instructed all branches Of the
police to notify him Immediately II
any bodies were found.
HE was positive himself after
examining the papers and other
things found on the body and
phoned me to come down. was
convinced myself when I went over
the papers"
Then you made the identtdea.