◆ SpookStack

island, and in villas built - on the cliff live a small colony . ef British and American ee: N same ways the fiv weeks in Majorca during the summer o 1953, were the happies linda had spent. sinc clean left. Cala Ratiada, where she-stayed with her mother and Ghildren, is a littie seaside village some sixty miles from Palma, the capital. ° It is on a bay in the lovely rocky eastern coast of the families who have made this charming island their home— anyway, for the summers, | Although = at The weather was magnificent and the cbliidren had a Heavenly time on the beach abd playing in the sea. Nae appeared to be happy. times nervous ' gild worried she seemed for a » time to have shaken off the which surrounded her, depression which had obtained so firm a grip on her. ~The fair artist She was a great success and made many iriends--as she had also many aamirers. See- ing Melinda thaw out in the Majorca sunshine and in the friendiiness and admiration Mrs. Tiinbar also began to feel me reliet. At last, she told herself, Melinda was beginning to fqr- gat the tragedy which had cgme irito her life, was - ginning to forget that she was the wife of the Missing Dipl oe ’ ; mat, was beginning] even, to forget the Diplomat imaelf. But events were todprove her wrong. Among the friends they made at Cala Ratjada was an artist, & tall, fair man of about 80. And one day. when they had been at Cala Ratjada a fortnight of so, Melinda said quite suddenly: “How like Donald he is!" - A ehance remark — There was indeed a strong resemblance, not only in looks, but also in walk, gesture and voite. If was one day soon after this that Melinda came back from the beach and, as she stood on the veranda of the house in. which they were living, gazing out at the sea, she said, sud- -denly and with no. connection to what she had previously been saying: “He doesn't believe in war’either.” At the time Mrs, Dunbar replied, casually, her mind on other things, something Nke: “Well, lots of people don't believe in war,” and gave the matter no further thought, Later, after Melinda had disappeared, this chance re- mark assumed great signifi- eance. Melinda was one of the least politically-conscious of women, quite astonishingly sa if it is remembered that she had been married for over ten years to a man whose profession was international affairs, She was rarely, if ever, ., heard to begin a discussion on any of the great world prob- lems of the day, and if they - were “brought up- in her presence she would reply vaguely and without interest or knowledge, Innocent words But if, at the back of her mind, she did store away afew vague unformed views, they - were the residue of views she “had heard Donald advance— . _the few phrases. or ideas that "s ‘ the -had stuck, for Donald d mily thinking... « lieving sin .war.”” was, . how- ey one of the rare expe ob This vital question ‘of “not:: fhe” rare excep~. tidns,-She had sald itin quite [" different circumstances, on before, and little Ferguj, watthing a school-friend. pla} ing rapturously with toy tan and wooden soldiers, had onc said, rather proudly that his daddy was fighting for peace. It could wel] be that those few innocent words hide the ; entire secret of the disappear- © ance o8 these beings, two @iults and: three children, : But was it by sheer coincidence five human : that Melinda heard some echo - of them on the golden sands of - Majorca? Or had she already received fhessages telling her that wherever whatever else he might be doing, he. was basically still fighting for peace ? There was, however, only one other thing of any significance | that happened during the Majorea holiday. One evening, as they were getting ready to go out td dinner, rs. unbar heard Melinda say — again, robably to herself~"Oh, what ave done with Donalg’s letter fT“ It dg probable that this was qne jeliet soe teceived in Taisfielq a few weeks after Donald ls: appeared, and whith she alwai's earcied with her. Mother is — angry But there js a vague possi-- onald was and . bility that Melinda might have, : received. another letter, she kept secret Melinda wag obviously c¢on- tacled several times before the last. meeting which resulted in which . her flight, but it ig unlikely that ¢ anything was arranged by letter , or that anything, at any time, - was put in writing. A few days before they left Majorca Mrs. Dunbar suggested to Melinda that she should write ie the garage in Geneva where they had left the car to ask that it be taken, to the airport. to . meet them when they landed. She had also said it would be a | help, as they were due to arrive in the late afternoon, if Melinda , wrote to the concierge to ask her to buy milk, bread, butter, eggs and the other groceries they would require that evening and the next. morning . The day they were leaving, Mrs. Dunbar found that Melinda had not written, and asked her to send telegrams. They landed at Cointrin Air- port, some 20 minutes fror: Geneva, aground 430 p.m. 0 onday Septernber 7. Ther a5 mo car ta meet them. -: Mrs. Dunbar turned’ 14 linda, Did you -send- th Before’ she could finish 7her*