him. I knew he’d make very good bait for our trap.” With a mock bow at the men, she backed away. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, gentlemen, I must get back to the castle before anyone misses me.”
“When,” asked Ensolardo, “will the Avenger die?”
“Very soon,” she answered as she climbed up into the darkness.
CHAPTER XVI
Hunting
It happened at sundown.
Smitty was scuffling along a twisting downhill street, grumbling. “Blank walls, blank walls. Thats all we come up against.”
“Aye,” agreed MacMurdie, “ ’tis not verra encouraging.”
“The cops don’t know nothing, that McClurg guy don’t know nothing. Geese, I hope old happy-go-lucky Cole is having better luck than we are.”
“The lad seems ta be onto something. The note he left for us at our hotel would seem to indicate he’s got a good lead.”
“A dame,” said Smitty. “It involves a dame, I bet you.”
“I’m commencing to think that the late Mr. Rodney mayhap had something ta do with leaking information to the birkies on the other side.”
“Yeah, from what that Colonel Heberden guy told us when we first got down here, and what this McClurg had to say, it sure sounds like the Nazi bozos had a darn good source of info.”
“Aye, they knew Richard was coming here, and when. They knew all about our arrival.”
The giant scratched his head. “Wait a minute, though, Mac. Rodney got knocked off about a week ago. Nobody knew we were coming then.”
“Aye, ’tis true, but still the leak has to be somewhere pretty high up. Otherwise the kind of information that’s being passed around could nae be had.”
“Well, we checked out McClurg’s phones and gave his office a pretty good going over. Don’t think he much liked our moving all the furniture around,” said Smitty. “There ain’t no bugs or Dictaphones hidden there, that’s for darn sure. It could be that that Escabar bird, valet or whatever he is, has been snooping around. Somehow, though, he don’t look like a spy to me.”
“Nonetheless, Smitty, it would probably be a good idea to keep an eye on the lad. We mot do a wee bit of tailing of Escabar later tonight.”
“Yeah, I guess we could,” said the giant, without much enthusiasm.
“I believe the restaurant we’re seeking is around the corner and doon that lane,” said MacMurdie, pointing.
The day was rapidly fading. The whitewashed walls of the buildings were turning a silvery blue, and the tile roofs were growing darker red.
“Yeah, I could do with a little chow right about now.”
They turned down the lane side by side.
Smitty heard the very faint sound. And that was what saved them.
The leather sole of a shoe scraping on the rough tiles of the balcony above them.
“Look out, Mac!” warned the giant, pushing as he shouted.
MacMurdie hit the gutter and rolled.
The .45 automatic in the hand of the man on the balcony spoke. Two slugs tore through the gathering darkness.
One of the slugs hit Smitty in the back as he dived for the protection of a doorway beneath the second-floor balcony. He went slamming into the alcove, flattening against the oaken door, then pitched forward to his knees.
Mac got his pistol out now and sent a shot at the balcony The gunman threw himself back into the room from which he’d come. He was a lean man, with dark leathery skin. He ran across the room and into the hallway. He grabbed the newel post of the staircase, spun himself around and went galloping down the stairs. He was halfway down when a huge dark shape loomed up in his path.
“The fun’s just starting, buddy, you don’t want to rush off yet,” said Smitty.
“I . . . I shot you. I saw the bullet hit you.”
“Oh, yeah, sure. But what you didn’t see was the bullet-proof vest I’m wearing.”
“Too bad that bum didn’t know anything about where Dick is,” said Smitty.
“Aye, but perhaps the lad he’s working for will.”
Using the highly effective truth gas which MacMurdie had
“When,” asked Ensolardo, “will the Avenger die?”
“Very soon,” she answered as she climbed up into the darkness.
CHAPTER XVI
Hunting
It happened at sundown.
Smitty was scuffling along a twisting downhill street, grumbling. “Blank walls, blank walls. Thats all we come up against.”
“Aye,” agreed MacMurdie, “ ’tis not verra encouraging.”
“The cops don’t know nothing, that McClurg guy don’t know nothing. Geese, I hope old happy-go-lucky Cole is having better luck than we are.”
“The lad seems ta be onto something. The note he left for us at our hotel would seem to indicate he’s got a good lead.”
“A dame,” said Smitty. “It involves a dame, I bet you.”
“I’m commencing to think that the late Mr. Rodney mayhap had something ta do with leaking information to the birkies on the other side.”
“Yeah, from what that Colonel Heberden guy told us when we first got down here, and what this McClurg had to say, it sure sounds like the Nazi bozos had a darn good source of info.”
“Aye, they knew Richard was coming here, and when. They knew all about our arrival.”
The giant scratched his head. “Wait a minute, though, Mac. Rodney got knocked off about a week ago. Nobody knew we were coming then.”
“Aye, ’tis true, but still the leak has to be somewhere pretty high up. Otherwise the kind of information that’s being passed around could nae be had.”
“Well, we checked out McClurg’s phones and gave his office a pretty good going over. Don’t think he much liked our moving all the furniture around,” said Smitty. “There ain’t no bugs or Dictaphones hidden there, that’s for darn sure. It could be that that Escabar bird, valet or whatever he is, has been snooping around. Somehow, though, he don’t look like a spy to me.”
“Nonetheless, Smitty, it would probably be a good idea to keep an eye on the lad. We mot do a wee bit of tailing of Escabar later tonight.”
“Yeah, I guess we could,” said the giant, without much enthusiasm.
“I believe the restaurant we’re seeking is around the corner and doon that lane,” said MacMurdie, pointing.
The day was rapidly fading. The whitewashed walls of the buildings were turning a silvery blue, and the tile roofs were growing darker red.
“Yeah, I could do with a little chow right about now.”
They turned down the lane side by side.
Smitty heard the very faint sound. And that was what saved them.
The leather sole of a shoe scraping on the rough tiles of the balcony above them.
“Look out, Mac!” warned the giant, pushing as he shouted.
MacMurdie hit the gutter and rolled.
The .45 automatic in the hand of the man on the balcony spoke. Two slugs tore through the gathering darkness.
One of the slugs hit Smitty in the back as he dived for the protection of a doorway beneath the second-floor balcony. He went slamming into the alcove, flattening against the oaken door, then pitched forward to his knees.
Mac got his pistol out now and sent a shot at the balcony The gunman threw himself back into the room from which he’d come. He was a lean man, with dark leathery skin. He ran across the room and into the hallway. He grabbed the newel post of the staircase, spun himself around and went galloping down the stairs. He was halfway down when a huge dark shape loomed up in his path.
“The fun’s just starting, buddy, you don’t want to rush off yet,” said Smitty.
“I . . . I shot you. I saw the bullet hit you.”
“Oh, yeah, sure. But what you didn’t see was the bullet-proof vest I’m wearing.”
“Too bad that bum didn’t know anything about where Dick is,” said Smitty.
“Aye, but perhaps the lad he’s working for will.”
Using the highly effective truth gas which MacMurdie had
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