Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1942-12-17
F[27N S;eeASHl E CHURCH. ,: -: 1z<AE
W.N.U. SERVICE

wanting to hush them up with the
least trouble-but at least he does
know what's behind them. Other
wise, why this Emilio Vargas?"
There was another silence. Then,
"You say you had several possibili-
ties" Lee reminded him.
eyes. Well, let's 60 back to Mitch.
ell. The fact remains that Mitchell
was slowing up the work. That's
conclusive. But why? Was he real
ly working for C. A. T. or for Asso-
ciated, say, to prevent rising COM
petition?"
WE'LL, in that case Montaya
might have reason to kill him. But
jeff, I simply can't see Mitchell as
that kind of snake-in-the-grass.
Whatever we might say about his
social graces, he was certainly hon
est about his work. That's my idea. +"
mime, too. All right, could Old
Man Moore have ordered it done?
You know big business has few scru-
pies when the matter of money and
competition is concerned
Lee shook her head. Light from
the room beyond family outlined the
two on the couch. 1t was a posi-
tive shake.
mo. I wouldn't have put it past
him if this were twenty years ago.
He's older now, more careful and
sly. And I don't believe he's that
much concerned today about what
competition he'd get from this out
fit"
"It may be pretty stiff competi-
ton, Lee! Things look mighty good
here for bananas"
Gwen So" she answered. ''No,
I can't accept that"
''Well,'' he went on, suppose
Montaya-this is his project, lock,
stock, and barrel-suppose Montaya
has personal enemy determined to
wipe him out, who goes to work on
his Chief Engineer as the most i'm
portant single factor for the pur-
pose"
She thought this over.
"That theory's full of holes. Why
wouldn't such an enemy 60 after
Montaya direct?"
make him suffer piecemeal?"
Curt suggested. "Bit by bit?" =
''No. That wouldn't explain Mitch
ellis slowing up the work. That's an
important angle, from all you've
said"
81 know"
Darling" said Lee, troubled,
"were right back where we started.
I can see your point in wanting to
know more. But oh, Jeff, darling,
be careful. Don't do anything that
would put you in danger. I just
couldn't bear it if anything should
should happen to you. And we've
the children
He pulled her to him.
Don't worry, sweetheart, he
said, his words muf1ed in the thick
ness of her hair. "I'm no fool.
shan't stick my neck out. l can't
forget you and the kids. But l
can't promise to drop the matter
completely. I've got to know what's
behind Mitch's murder. I've got to-"
Curt insisted, 'to protect myself
from possible similar danger.
can't help feeling that Montaya's
in back of all this, but I don't see
myself in any danger because I'm
too valuable to him. He has too
much at stake. For proof of that,
there's the bodyguard he's assigned
Yes, there was the bodyguard. To
irk Curt more and more. Though
Montaya may have had Curtis safe
ty in view, Curt also felt himself
to be under rigid surveillance. Not
chance could he find to get in
word privately with Stats Monahan.
The following day Curt took to the
field again. He made a fast trip
to the levee camp, saw his plans for
speeding the work were coming right
along, tried again to get Monahan
aside. 1t was no 60
But Vargas did have his uses. Not
only did he relieve Curt of many
minor details, but he kept an eye
on his well-being, too. He saw to
it there were lunches and vacuumed
drinks when they'd be too far from
camp or village. And on this trip,
when Curt scratched his arm bad
ly on poisonous puncture-weed,
Emilio was close at hand to drag
out a frst-aid kit and swab it with
mercurochrome. He also insisted
on returning to San Alejo early, that
the wound might be better cared for.
The mercurochrome had little eff
feet and the flesh about the scratch
swelled. Reaching San Alejo in the
middle of the afternoon, Curt I'm
loaded himself of musette bag, field
glasses, pistol and cartridge belt, as
he piled out Of the motorcar at the
station.
"I'll go on i to the hospital from
here" he told Emilio, "You can
drop these at the Office for me. I'll
see you in the morning."
Leaving the doctors office, Curt
took turn in the corridor by mis-
take and found himself in the patio
used by convalescents. Since he
hadn't yet had a. full look around,
he decided to push on farther.
The patio was SQUARED hv hoc,,;+ =