Atlanta Daily World

"There is - or there was an official in the Coronadan Ministry of Air who remained loyal to me. Through his office we were able to place Jack Forbes as a pilot for CCA. For a number of months Forbes reported to me. He gave me invaluable information, for which he was paid extremely well - as indeed he had been from the day he'd agreed to become my agent as soon as I could pull the strings necessary to place him as a pilot with CCA."

Ramez paused for breath. I remembered that Tom Lear had told me Forbes had struck it rich before he'd gone to work with CCA. That checked with Ramez' story.

Ramez went on. "My trust and my confidence in Forbes unfortunately grew. And then it became necessary for me to transport money to the guerrillas fighting for me in the back country. The funds were for the purchase of guns and ammunition, Dolan. The stipulations of the purchase were such that the money would be paid in United States currency, cash, immediately upon delivery of the merchandise."

He paused and sipped his drink. "The secret transfer of half a million dollars, in cash - when the delivery must be made in utmost secrecy - is no easy matter."

I glanced at Marta. Her face looked blank - as if she understood none of the things Ramez was saying. She'd told me the money involved was a quarter of a million dollars. I wondered if she'd consciously lied to me. Perhaps, I thought, her information had been wrong. Perhaps all this was Ramez' plan to make me talk.

If I thought Marta had lied to me, had planned to hold out on me, I'd blow my top, he figured, and tell him what he wanted to know.

I looked at Ramez. He was watching me closely. If that statement of his had been designed to break me up - and I was reasonably certain now that it had been - he was in for a big disappointment....

"The half million dollars was never delivered!" Ramez claims.

Continue "Miami Manhunt" tomorrow.