Evening Star Newspaper, September 3, 1930, Page 16

MURDER AT HIGH TIDE ([ —By Charles G. Booth— VHAPTER L THE PUZZLE OF PARADOS. RE you Mr. Morrison?” | A I shall never forget Dan Par- of his arrogant voice in the library of his sprawling hacienda on San Lucas Island. Dan Parados had been called most sinister_figure on the coast.” “Are you Mr. Morrison?” His tone was tyrannicai. “No,” I said_diffidently. “Mr. Mor- rison is ill. I am Allan Hunt, the Junior partner.” A telephone stood on the desk. I learned later the instrument was con- | nected with various rooms in the house and departments outside. There was no connection between the island and the | mainland Parados _dropped desk | m I wanted!” he ex- “the heavily into the | “Mr. Morris has every confidence in my abilities. onfidence be damned! How old se you know ail about this art jun el Outside there was a terrific; cminous uproar of water churning in a confined space. Its source, the boatmen had said, was in the gut. a funnel-sheped fissure at the head of the cove. When the tide was full, as it was now, the| fury of the imprisoned waters reaclied | its “height, don’t suppose anything of the kind.” T protested heate 1 “Then why did Morrison send me a simp who as good as tells me he knows | nothing about this stuff!” That remark made my blood boil. | Parados’ peasant ancestry was ap- | parent in his short legs and long arms, | in stocky shoulders and heavy hands “I am not incompetent, Mr. Parados,” T asserted. “I know a great deal about | pictures and antiqu He grinned sourly | you_know about this stuff?” | “It's worth around a quarter of 3| million.” I said, cur wondered if I should mind. I decided to. “You probably swindled He chuckled. f “I paid ninety thousand for the lot,” | he boasted. “How's that?" | Brent and Don Ramon' Velasquez. was impossible to think of Dan Parados | at the same time. | John Brent, founder of the California | niner. Washing a small fortune from | banker. it out of the oil your wits estate for a hundred thousand or so.” |even in the antique business. man can't hold what he’ It |y Copyright 1930, by the Associated Press. |the hills, he became a merchant and |apd the words were out before I realized | The family had prospered until | it after the World War. Don Ramon was different, but of |shouted fu He built the fort ados as I saw him when I/San Lucas Tsland and died in it like 1 was thinking of the impermanence|blood every time.” turned my “head at the sound |the gallant gentlemgh he was. similar quality. He was | and grandson had stepping through the French window | And here, I reflect dos—fruit peddler, PARADOS SLIPPED HIS ARM AROUND CELIA AND DRE lator, the other. “You were fortunate, he_corrected |scared, pay only when you have to,| my secreta and you'll make money |hands with Mr “Shrewd,” lose it.” ? “You wouldn’t complai 1 found myself thinking of John | ‘if some one were stros our wealth from you “I'd like to see the boy that can do | if she t.” He laughed boastfully. on His sen ied in it, ton. gambler and specu- gratter and master of cqrrupt “Then what do | politicians—with the Brent collectfon in | one hand and the Velasquez lands in Parados.” “Keep ‘em Mr. If a got he should 1 ventured, enough to take “If you lose your life you'd have branch of his family, had been a forty- | lost everything, wouldn't you?" His magnificent conceit had irked me ‘she wid limpidly. i, was Dan Para- | THE EVENING STAR., WASHINGTON i) Lucas, y young men on San do we, Daddy Parados?” She laughed in a hard, gay way, shaking her honey- colored hai ., “Enough of ’em” Parados grunted, frowning. “Run along, Celia.” “Neat little package,” Parados mut- | tered as she left. Then, to me: “Where | were we at?” “I was wondering what you intended '#o do with the Brent collection,” I be- | gan, diplomatically. |7 “You know just what I have?” “I'think so. I checked it once before you bought it.” “Good. I don’t know anything about the stuff myself.” His attitude puszled me. “You don’t he | seem particularly interested in the col- | lection, Mr. Parados.” “I'm not. Give me warm flesh and His clenched hand “What d'you mean by that?” y. “I'm sorry,” I apologized.; “I suppose {of life.” | hit. the desk. | The door opetied at that moment. Rfradoned “Do you intend to keep your collec- girl entered. 4 He hesitated “I'm ‘The room was getting dark, but she “For a while.” HER AGAIN: HIS BURLY SHOULDER. to give the stuff away.” | | | brought into it that glowing fluld grace.| going “T 1 exclaimed. He of the perfect blond. 0 & museum!” She placed a sheaf of typewritten | nodded. | letters in front of Parados. | “Mebbe Il start one—-the Parados “Hello, girlie,” he ‘greeted her. He | Memorial Museum. How's that sound?” switched on the desk lamp. “This is| “But I thought you weren't interested Miss Ferris, Bunt. Shake | in that sort of thing.” Hunt, Ceiia.’ “It's none of your business, young hand was cold, her hazel feller, but you might as ‘well know. | eyes fmpersonal. As I mumbled some-| came from a bad outfit and I've handled thing Parados slipped his arm around | a iot of dirt. Get me straight, I'm not her waist and drew her slender body | ashamed of it. It's brought me money against his burly shoulder. i and I'd do it again. But Dan Parados isn’t going to Hive more'n another 20 or 30 years and he'd like to leave some- thing behind—something people *will | The girl Her fled to the patio window as pected to see some one. When | they returned to mine they were des- | perately afraid. | remember. So he’s taking up art.” | " “We are glad to have you, Mr. Hunt,” | He laughed, and I detested him more “We don't have 'than eve Buy Them Now at Kann’s! Kelly-Springfield’s New LOWER PRICED Quality Tires— —Here are the lowest priced first-class tires that have ever been offered by a reputable manufacturer! They are su- perior in appearance, safety and mileage to other tires sold at anywhere near the price. That’s what we think of “Lotta Miles,” the latest Kelly-Springfield tire. Now ready here in all sizes! See Them! Compare the Prices! 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My eyes traveled back to the fire- place. A dome-shaped glass case of the type used to house stuffed remains of birds stood in the corner of the mantel. Ithlvpelred to be empty, and I wondered why. Just then the latch of the patio window clicked and & man in a dinner jacket burst into the room, his feet falling noisclessly on the blue Turkey carpet. He was of medium height, slender build, about 40. He seemed one of those tense, compact individuals. A folded newspaper was clutched in his left hand in such a way as to give me the impression that he held some- thing between the two halves of the paper. Suddenly he saw me, his ten- sion snapped and he stopped abruptly. Parados creaked forward in his chair, | a_ destructive ' violence in his eyes. “What d’you want, Annersiey?” “I thought you were alone,” the man sald unsteadily, “I—I was looking for Miss Celia.” “What d’'you want her?” Parados was_furious. ‘The man flinched, but his eyes were defiant. “That's my affair.” “Annersley.” “Yes?" : “Shake hands with Mr. Hunt. This is Annersley, Hunt—one of my bright young men. Hunt is to be with us a day or two.” ’ “Glad to know you, Hunt.” An- nersley said tonelessly, and backed mlti of the room. Parados, still hot with fury, drum- med on the table. “You might as well see this stuff. This way.” He had turned on the light, and we | were halfway across the other door in the north wall when. he stopped abruptly. I saw he was staring at the glass case that had caught my attention. Parados didn’t speak. I had the feel- ing something inside him was being torn up by the roots. He tutned to me. “Do_you believe in lyck, Hunt? Luck symbolized by a—a—-" [alisman?” A man’s lucky plece.” 3 “I'm not superstitious,” “You don’t know what I'm talking | about!”™ he exclaimed. Then: “We'll leave that junk 'til tomorrow. Have | you met Mrs. Parados?” 1 I said I had. Parados jerked at a bell rope. The maid, a smug-faced | young woman, appeared. | “Miss Jahries,” Parados barked, and | the maid fled. The housekeeper, tall, angular, with fixed somber eyes, with D. (. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 1930. I wonder if he had hoped to found | presen! Parados demanded vindictively. m‘ n: ;‘Ixuv'" your eye on your cuff links, unt.” “Oh, Jahries!” he ?XM agaln. | “Yes, Mr. 13 “I shall not be in to dinner.” Parados went into the library and shut the door. (Continued Tomorrow.) M. Flique in? \ “Is M. po “No, )(r.h P'l;l,du" “Where b His contemptous tone made the in- “I don’t konw.” “Is' the hi & Enowie mu of hlnx.nmrk brutally obvious, e 4 * . - . 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