I may as well confess that I did not retreat
very fast, however. Kennedy's client was not only a girl, but a
very pretty one, I found, as she turned her head quickly at my
sudden entrance and betray a lively interest at the mention of
the revolution. She was a Latin-American, and the Latin-American
type of feminine beauty is fascinating at least to me. I did not
retreat very fast.
As I hoped, Kennedy rose to the occasion. "Miss Guerrero," he
said, "let me introduce Mr. Jameson, who has helped me very much
in solving some of my most difficult cases. Miss Guerrero's
father, Walter, is the owner of a plantation which sells its
product to the company I am interested in."
She bowed graciously, but there was a moment of embarrassment
until Kennedy came to the rescue.
"I shall need Mr. Jameson in handling your case, Miss Guerrero,"
he explained. "Would it be presuming to ask you to repeat to him
briefly what you have already told me about the mysterious
disappearance of your father? Perhaps some additional details
will occur to you, things that you may consider trivial, but
which, I assure you, may be of the utmost importance."
She assented, and in a low, tremulous, musical voice bravely went
through her story.
"We come," she began, "my father and I--for my mother died when I
was a little girl--we come from the northern part of Vespuccia,
where foreign capitalists are much interested in the introduction
of a new rubber plant.
Pages:
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326