CHAPTER THREE
SUSPECTS
In the busy days that followed, Nancy, with the other girls of herunit, was plunged into the intensive work of preparing for service inthe fighting zones. Fully alert to the importance of theseinstructions, Nancy worked even harder than she had during her nurse'straining. Here they must put the lectures and discussions into practiceat once.
The day after her arrival there were lectures on military courtesy andcustoms of the service. They were told how to wear their uniforms, andhow to recognize the various insignia of office.
In their room afterwards Nancy and Mabel had lots of fun practicing themilitary salute.
"You've got to learn to do it automatically," said Mabel. "Your fingersshould go to your forehead when you see a superior officer asinstinctively as your foot goes to the car brake in an emergency."
"And I suppose it will prove to be 'a restriction' emergency if youdon't," Nancy came back with a laugh.
For the next day or two they saluted every time they passed each otherin their room and had some good laughs over their actions.
"Tini Hoffman says she hates to salute," Mabel confided. "She says itmakes her feel inferior."
"If Tini isn't careful she's going to get kicked out of this trainingcamp," Nancy said. "I don't like her attitude one bit."
"Neither do the instructors. But she's got an uncle who's a colonel orsomething--anyhow he's one of the bigwigs in the training program."
"I don't imagine that will have any influence if she doesn't make thegrade," Nancy replied. "I'd hate to think of the kind of army we'd haveif it did."
"You may be right," Mabel conceded. "But what's more, I don't even likeher name. It's much too German."
"I think we ought to be careful about things like that," warned Nancy."There're plenty of good, loyal Americans, you know, withforeign-sounding names."
"Yes, of course. But when a foreign name goes along with a rebelliousattitude it makes you wonder."
Something happened a week later to make the two girls think moreseriously than ever of Tini Hoffman and her strange conduct. Aftertheir eight hours of work, the nurses were free to seek recreation, gointo the village on shopping tours or to movies. And they were usuallyready for a change when their day's work was over.
One evening Nancy and Mabel had stopped in a drugstore for a soda aftergoing to the movies, and they came unexpectedly upon Tini. Thedrugstore they had entered was very narrow in the rear, with little,private booths down each wall and an aisle in between for serving. Thegirls slipped into one of the booths to have their soda and chat aboutthe picture. Couples filled all the other seats and crowded around thetables in front. Most of them were men and women in uniform.
"We're lucky to get seats," said Mabel.
While waiting for their order to be filled, Nancy said, "Oh, I meant toget some cleansing tissues."
"I'll get 'em for you," offered Mabel. "I promised to pick up a packagehere for Miss Hauser. She phoned her order over."
While Mabel was at the drug counter Nancy sat idly gazing around at thechatting groups. Then suddenly she noticed Tini Hoffman directly acrossthe aisle. Tini was so busy talking to a man in civilian clothes thatshe hadn't noticed her dormitory mates. She sat with her elbows on thetable, her hands folded under her dimpled chin, while her blondcountenance beamed on her companion. Nancy felt sure Tini's hair wasbleached, and wondered what it would look like after several months inthe Pacific islands. It was too golden-blond to be natural. It provedamusing to find Tini so pleased with her situation for once.
So fascinated was Nancy in watching Tini that Mabel was returningbefore she gave the gentleman opposite Tini a fleeting glance. Thensuddenly her eyes became fixed. Where had she seen that lean profilebefore? She tried to hold herself under control as her mind tied up theloose ends of memory. The longer she stared, the more positive shebecame that the horn-rimmed glasses and small mustache belonged to thesame man who had sat beside the blond corporal the day she left herhome town. Though she had had only a hasty glance as she went down theaisle of the train those faces had become indelibly impressed upon hermind.
As Mabel came nearer, Nancy saw Tini's companion watching covertly. Shecouldn't blame any man for being attracted by Mabel, for she was reallyworth looking at in her trimly fitting uniform with her cap sittingjauntily on her golden curls. But the man's heavy-lidded glance hadlittle admiration in it, only a sort of cynical calculation.
Nancy felt she must know if he was really the blond corporal's trainmate. Impulsively she said as Mabel handed her the package she hadbought, "_Danke schoen_."
She deliberately used the German word for "thank you," and spoke loudenough to be heard across the aisle.
Her trick brought the expected result, for the man turned sharplytoward her. Mabel glided into the seat opposite and glanced at her witha puzzled frown. When it was too late for regrets, Nancy felt the hotblood welling to her face. Others may have heard her, too, and whatwould they think?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
_Nancy Discovered Tini Across the Aisle_]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
There was even a chance that the man might recognize her as the samegirl who had sat in front of them on the train, even though she hadworn a green suit then and was now clad in olive drab.
"At least," she thought ruefully, "I could swear he's the same man. Butwhat's he doing here with Tini Hoffman?"
Mabel had to speak to her twice before she heeded.
"They make grand sodas here, don't they?"
"Sure do!" Nancy stuck a couple of straws in hers so hard they bentdouble.
"What's wrong?" asked Mabel under her breath.
Nancy glanced warily at the couple across the aisle, nudged Mabel withher foot, and laid her finger cautiously on her lips before she placedthe fresh straws in her glass.
Mabel wisely changed the subject, and remarked, "Cleansing tissues aresure hard to get now. Guess we'll have to get all ours hereafter at theP.X."
"We'll need plenty to take across--if we get to go over."
"Yeah, my friend Lydia, in North Africa, wrote me we'd better takealong plenty of stuff like that."
Suddenly Nancy was impatient to be through with their sodas and out ofthe drugstore. She meant to take no chances on suspects this time, butreport what she had seen to Captain Lewis. She finished her soda in ahurry and reached to the back of the table for her purse.
"Let's get going," she suggested.
"Not till I finish the last spoonful of this ice cream," Mabel saidfirmly. "I'd think about it regretfully every time I'm maroonedsomewhere on a desert over there."
"Then I'll go ahead and be paying."
"What's all the hurry?" Mabel wanted to know, an edge in her tone.
Out of the corner of her eye Nancy saw that the sleek gentleman acrossthe aisle was watching them. Then she noticed that Tini's attention hadwandered sufficiently from her companion to recognize them.
"Hiya!" she said with a proud toss of her head, which plainly showedher personal triumph over their dateless condition.
Nancy returned the greeting and led the way out. When they were on thestreet, Mabel slipped her arm through Nancy's and inquired, "What'swrong? You acted as though you were sitting on nettles."
"Nettles would have been mild to the prickles I felt."
"What do you mean?"
"That man with Tini looked exactly like the one who was with the blondcorporal I told you about on the train."
"Oh! So that's why you thanked me in German?"
"Of course. I wanted to see if I could get a reaction out of him."
"And did you?"
"I'll say. He shot a glance at me as if I'd poked him in the ribs."
Mabel grunted. "Don't see where that proves anything. Anybody usingGerman words in these times should surely make people sit
up and takenotice."
"But I could swear he's the same, Mabel. Dark-rimmed glasses, smallmustache, lean face, and a very immaculate, tailored look about hisclothes."
"Well, what are you going to do about it?"
"Go straight to Captain Lewis. I'm taking no chances again, even if itgets Tini into trouble."
"She may be working with him."
"She's certainly acted in a way to make us suspicious," agreed Nancy.
"Oh, she's always acted like that--behind the backs of those over her.I never paid much attention to that. She's an only child, very spoiled.Her parents have oodles of money."
"Then she didn't have to take nurse's training--for a way to make aliving."
Mabel laughed significantly again. "At the time she went in she was inlove with one of the hospital internes. It gave her a chance to be withhim more."
"Evidently she didn't get him."
"She sure didn't. Soon after he got settled with his practice, hemarried a real sweet girl. By that time Tini was so nearly through hertraining she couldn't quit without causing lots of talk."
"Strange for her to take on the hardships of the Army Nurse Corps."
"She wanted to get away from home and the catty people who enjoyed herbeing jilted."
"Too bad to have such an experience so young," said Nancy, suddenlyfeeling sorry for Tini.
"She surely was thrilled at having that new fellow tonight."
They were moving into the throng at the bus stop now, and fell silent,for they had been warned about too much talk within the hearing ofothers.
"Spies can find meaning in your most innocent remarks," Major Reed hadwarned them.
They couldn't find seats together anyhow, so the girls rode in silenceback to the camp. Quite a number of other nurses were coming back tothe camp on the same bus, but Nancy was glad not to sit with any ofthem, for she wanted to think about what she would say to Captain Lewis.
When she went straight on to their room with Mabel, her friend said,"Thought you were going to report what you saw to Cap'n Lewis."
"I didn't want any of the others to see me going to her," explainedNancy. "I'll wait a few minutes till they're all in their rooms. Thisthing is best kept under lid."
"Sure. I agree with you."
"Tini's made enough enemies without adding suspicion to her troubles."
When the halls were empty Nancy slipped downstairs. Miss Lewis'sbedroom was next to her office, but to her consternation she found allthe lights out. She hesitated to wake her, yet didn't want to wait tillmorning to make her revelations.
Over and over again she had been haunted by the idea that the trainwreck might have been averted if those German-speaking passengers hadbeen apprehended in time. Yet she still couldn't see what she mighthave done about it. But this time she did know what to do, and shemeant to do it.
She was still hesitating in the hall when she noticed a light in anoffice farther down, and heard men talking. Suddenly she recognizedMajor Reed's hearty laughter. The hours they had worked together thatnight at the wreck had made him seem so human and likeable to Nancy,that their difference in station could never again be a barrier tounderstanding.
Eagerly she hurried toward his office. The door stood open. She pausedin the doorway till her eyes came to rest on the major among the groupof men.
"May I speak to you, Major Reed?" she asked. He glanced at her,surprised, then asked, "Anything wrong, Miss Dale?"
He crushed his cigarette into an ash tray before he moved toward thedoor.
"I meant to talk to Captain Lewis, but her lights were out," Nancyexplained, as she backed into the hall, indicating that theirconversation must be private. "I must speak to someone."
"Yes," he said when they were outside and the door was closed. "What'swrong?"
"I think I just saw the man who was with the corporal that day on thetrain."
"Where?"
"In a drugstore in the village. I don't want him to get away as theblond man did."
"The blond didn't!" stated Major Reed with a chuckle. "The FBI now havehim in their possession."
"Not really!" exclaimed Nancy, her face lighting.
"Yes. It will be some time before he's in circulation again, if ever.But this other--where'd you say you saw him?"
Nancy gave a hurried report of her encounter with the suspect and Tiniin the drugstore. While she talked the major stroked his chin andstared at the floor.
"Uh-huh. I see. You say he was dating Miss Hoffman?"
"I haven't any idea where she met him, of course."
Major Reed glanced at his watch. "You came in on the last bus?" heasked.
"Yes, I did."
"Did Tini Hoffman come with you?"
"I don't think so. In fact, I'm sure. The bunch of us came up from thebus stop together."
"Then she'll have to come on the next bus, or be late checking in." Hewas silent a moment, then spoke again as if thinking aloud. "He wouldalready have put her on the camp bus before anyone could make it totown in a car to follow him."
Nancy admitted this was true. It seemed too late to put anyone on histrail tonight. "Tini will probably be dating him again," she said. "Sheseemed tickled pink with him."
Major Reed dug his hands deep in his pockets and admitted, "Yes, thatseems the surest chance. But I can't ask you to act as a spy againstone of your fellow students."
"Nor do I want any such position," stated Nancy frankly, "but where thewelfare of our unit or our country is involved, Major Reed, I fear wehave no choice."
He looked her squarely in the eyes then with frank admiration.
"You have a wise head on your shoulders, Miss Dale. If anything elsecomes up let me know."
They heard the last busload of girls out front long after Mabel andNancy were already in bed. It was so much later than Nancy expected.Major Reed might after all have reached the bus station in time to seetheir suspect put Tini aboard. She wondered what he had done about it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------