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ILLUSTRATED BY JAMES MONTGOMERY FLAGG
Her hands framed his face tenderly. When she spoke, it was a bare whisper. "Paul, you do care, don't you?"
Paul was working a few hours every morning on the new script of his picture. Sue, in a bathing suit, reveled in the huge, outdoor pool of the hotel. It was set in an ancient Spanish Mission atmosphere. Its tables and diving boards were aglitter with the brilliant dress, the ornamental and fabulous figures of Hollywood. Even here, they preened and posed under the perpetual blaze of the limelight. Beyond the cream-colored walls towered the hills; and above, a chromatic sky spread like a primitive painting.
CHE sat, swinging her slim legs over the edge of the pool, when Jimmy swam up and planked himself down beside her His bright, monkey -like eyes paid due homage to her appearance. "Well," he asked, "how's the married lady?" "Fine," she acknowledged shortly.
Jimmy smoothed back his dripping hair. His eyes went across the pool, where Alma Allen, Ricardo De Soto and several others were seated, sipping cool drinks from long glasses.
"Alma's certainly something to look at," he conceded. "I suppose, now that you and Elsmere are married, Ricardo's lawsuits are all off?"
Sue was puzzled. "Ricardo's lawsuits?" she asked. "I don't suppose you'd know anything about it," scoffed Jimmy, raking her with a keen, sidelong glance; then his brows wrinkled. A curious, intent expression crossed his impish features. He said: "You know that Ricardo's attorneys were going to file suit for divorce against Alma, don't you?" "No," she said surprised. "When was this?" "Are you kidding me?" he demanded; but her blank puzzlement disarmed him.
"Not at all," she said coolly. "And I'm not interested in his suit for divorce."
"No? Not even if he was going to name Paul Elsmere as corespondent, and sue him, too? You knew that, didn't you?"
"That's silly," Sue said; but her heart seemed to skip a beat. "Don't you ever take a vacation?" she finished, meaningly.
Color crept up under his numerous freckles He suppressed a visible anger. A diabolical grin etched his wide lips. " Well," he shrugged, "it's nothing in my young life — but if you don't know it — they framed you!"
"You're lying," she said icily.
"Wait a minute!" he said, with a soft anger. "Before you call names, Mrs. Elsmere." A sombre resentment burne I in the depths of his curiously light eyes, a sudden lust for retaliation. "You say you don't know that Ricardo was going to sue Alma for divorce and name your husband as corespondent? It's mighty funny, because everybody else knew it! Ricardo was also going to sue Elsmere for alienation of affection^
"You're lying," she broke in numbly.
"I'm not!" he snapped. "Paul Elsmere and Alma Allen were carrying on a hot love affair at Kcssler's place, and you know it! Until Ricardo caught them at it. He came back to town and threatened to file those lawsuits. Kessler went crazy. Alma's his star box-office attraction Elsmere's just as big. None of them could afford the scandal of being smeared all over the front pages."
There was an edged malice in his voice as he added: "That's why it was so lucky — so opportune — that Elsmere fell in love with you and got married. It killed the lawsuits."
Sue sat immobile, heavy with | please turn to page 105 |
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