The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1944-02-04
CHAPTER XVI

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INF" he asked.
The clerk nodded behind him.
"She's on the terrace, SIR"
Thanks
Pete Lit a cigarette and took a
deep breath. She could get as mad
as q hornet this time, but she was
going home and no monkey bust
ness about it. He'd come from
Colonel Fletcher's office and he
knew enough now to be plenty
hardboiled about it.
He went up the palm-lined in
cline to the terrace, stepped out into
the arcade, and stopped. He stood
there stupidity, his mouth open, a
sharp sick ache tearing his insides
to shreds. She was there, and so
was Miguel Valera But neither OF
them was aware that he was.
It seemed like hours before he
could wrench himself loose fron the
tiled floor and get away. He stag
gered a little as he went, too blind
to see where he was going.
Anne closed the door of her room
and stood for a moment in the dark,
leaning her head back against the
frame, her eyes closed. She was
happier than she had ever been or
ever known she could be. She
went along the narrow passage into
her room and stopped, looking at the
waste basket. Maybe she had bet
ter read the girls note after all.
Not that it mattered, because that
was the past, and pasts didn't count.
It was just ).
She stopped abruptly. Out in the
hall was the sound of hurrying feet,
coming closer, a quick frantic tattoo
on the polished floor. She put down
the pen and turned around. They
were just outside. In the next in
slant the door burst open, and Sue
Porter flashed it shut behind her
again.
''Anne!" she cried.
She was as white as death, her
eyes desperate with fear.
"Anne! Give them back, Anne!"
Her voice broke into terrible sobs.
stOh, please, Anne!"
Anne went to her quickly. ''Give
you what, Sue? What is it? What
are you talking about?"
"Russell's plans -. the specif-
cations"
She tried to control herself.
II gave them to Mr.. Taussig.
He said if he could see them for
half an hour he could decide if Rus
sell was the man for big job they
have. Just for half an hour, he
said. ] thought Oh, Anne,
thought :"
81 know what you thought" Anne
said brutally. go on"
"But he didn't bring them back.
! kept calling up, but I couldn't
get him. And just now he came
over. He said they were gone-out
of his room. He was terrible! He
frightened me so I knew what I'd
done. said Who'd steal them?
Where are they?' and he said, Go
ask your friend Miss Anne Hey
wood. She's the thief. She's spied
on me every turn of the road He
hates you, Annel"
Anne turned her head quickly, her
heart throbbing suddenly in her
throat. Someone was in the hall,
on the other side of the. door, II
was a sound of cloth rubbing softly
against the wood.
There was a knock on the door.
It came again insistent and
yet somehow flrtive, as if whoever
it was was looking up and down
the hall to make sure no one else
was coming.
Sue raised her body slowly from
the bed. The room was suddenly
static with fear.
''Don't, Anne" she whispered.
"Don't open the door!"
Mr.. Richard Taussig paced UP
and down between the two beds like
Gagged tiger. His face was mottled
oyster-gray, the pupils of his eyes
contracted to sharp points of obsid-
ian. Both beds were disordered
heaps. He couldn't believe the fine
glazed linen charts he'd laid care
fully between the mattress and the
springs were gone. And he knew
before he ripped it up that he had
not put it in the other bed. They
were gone. The film of the micro
photograph he'd taken of them was
safely in the minute camera in the
armpit pocket of his dinner jacket,
but that was unimportant compared
with the disappearance of the origi-
nal.
"Finesse," Mr.. Taussig thought.
He looked around the room. His
green guide lay on the table.
He went to the door and opened
it quietly. The sound of hysterical
weeping came through the transom
across the hail. He slipped over,
listened, looking up and down the
hall to make sure no one came out,
and raised his hand to knock. There