Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1942-12-17
CHAPTER TX

lIl1S IISllO VI Idlh Was llOI W Illo
liking, and Montaya patted Karl Ry-
den comfortingly on the shoulder
and steered the conversation into
other channels, mentioning at last
the fatal injury of Bill Henderson
the night before.
"They were good friends, the
three of them. Karl and Costa
both feel Henderson's death keen
ly"
The proprieties satisfied, Montaya
put period to the meeting, much
to the young mems relief.
"You haven't visited the airfeld
yet, Mr.. Curtis" Montaya said in
parting. "You can telephone any
time it is-ah, convenient, to learn if
Karl or Costa is there to show you
about. If you play tennis, they will
be glad to have new partner
The three men left. Curt settled
back in his chair, hoisted his feet,
reached for his pouch. He felt
vaguely unsatisfed - and couldn't
put his finger on the reason.
Curt was a good organizer. He
put his program on paper that Sun
day night, at home, and made pro-
digious strides in the field during
the next two days.
One big job was doubling man
hours on railroad work-ballasting
the main line, the pushing of two
spur lines to feed farms already
planted or now being planted.
Another was in putting all earth
moving machines and crews on two
shifts day, using foodlights hastily
improvised from ordinary tin dish
pans and washbasins.
There were minor matters under
the Chief Engineer - farmhouses,
wells and wind1nills, furniture man.
ufacture, production of concrete
items-culvert pipe, building blocks,
reinforced Orders and slabs to
bridge farm bitches all coming
along at a fine pace.
But the really important jobs, the
Rio Negro levee, the railroad
branch lines to haul from present
paintings to Tempujo three or four
months from now when fruit should
start to come in-these things had
dragged! The drainage bitches, too,
were far behind schedule.
Curt sometimes talked over his
problems with Lee. This usually
amounted to a monolog, but put
ting bothersome angles into words
seemed to help. And here was some
thing in which Lee had a vital in
terest.
It was Tuesday evening. The chill
dren had been put to bed, and Curt
was lounging on the darkened We
randa, propped up with cushions,
Lee in the curve of his arm. His
dangling left foot lazily pushed the
couch-hammock back and forth. It
was the half-hour after dinner that
he was snatching for himself.
They'd held silence for some
time, lulled by the gentle rafting
of young palms in the evening
breeze, SO like rain on a tin roof.
The lightning slither of lizard dart
ing up the screen to the wide over
hanging caves reused Curt. He sat
straight and reached into hip pock-
ct for his tobacco pouch. When he
spoke it was in sober voice.
''Lee, I'm worried. No, not wor-
ried-puzzled is the word. There's
something rotten going on here, and
I don't know what it is. I'm afraid
Of stepping into something unaware.
Like Mitchell might have. If / knew
what it was, could steer clear"
"What-what do you mean, Jeff?"
"You remarked about the coinci-
dence of those three deaths. didn't
intend to 60 over this with you, but
you're level-headed and whatever it
is I've got us into, you're in it. You
should have the whole picture"
"Jef, what are you trying to
say?"
"Lee, I'm convinced those three
deaths were no coincidence. That
they were all deliberate murders.
The second and third, I suspect, to
cover up the first"
ct knew it! Fora Mitchell couldn't
possibly have committed suicide!
Not the Fora used to know. But
Bill Henderson? What you told me
about his accident -
Curt was silent a moment. 81
know. 1t looked like an accident,
sure enough. But Lee, last Wednes-
day Bill told me he knew who killed
Mitch, and then refused to tell me
anything more for fear of involving
me. He pointed out my precarious
position, having you and the kids
here. Said he'd work it out him
self, for me to keep hands off. Well,
I was all set to get behind that on
Saturday night, and you know what
happened"
He felt Lee stiffen beside him,
but she didn't speak.
He went on. "You didn't know,
/ didn't tell you, but Fora Mitchell
sent me an urgent note warning me
not to come to TERRA Libre, not to
bring my family. l got it in New