the drums of jeopardy-第17章
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of jeopardy! Murder and loot; he could understand。
Immediately after the patient was put to bed Cutty changed。 A
nondescript suit of the day…labourer type and a few deft touches
of coal dust completed his make…up。
〃I shan't be back until morning;〃 he announced。 〃Work to do。
Kuroki will be at your service through the night; Miss Frances。
Strike that Burmese gong once; at any hour。 Come along; Harrison。〃
〃Want any company?〃 asked Harrison; with a belligerent twist to his
moustache。
Cutty laughed。 〃No。 You run along to your lambs。 I'm running with
the wolves to…night; old scout; and you might get that spick…and…span
uniform considerably mussed up。 Besides; it's raining。〃
〃But what's to become of Miss Conover? She ought not to remain
alone in that apartment。〃
〃Well; well! I thought of that; too。 But she can take care of
herself。〃
〃Those ruffians may call up the hospital and learn that we tricked
them。
〃And then?〃
〃Try to force the truth from Miss Conover。〃
〃That's precisely the wherefore of this coal dust。 On your way!〃
Eleven o'clock。 Kitty was in the kitchen; without light; her chair
by the window; which she had thrown up。 She had gone to bed; but
sleep was impossible。 So she decided to watch the Gregor windows。
Sometimes the mind is like a movie camera set for a double exposure。
The whole scene is visible; but the camera sees only half of it。
Thus; while she saw the windows across the court there entered the
other side of her mind a picture of the immaculate Cutty crossing
the platform with Johnny Two…Hawks thrown over his shoulder。 The
mental picture obscured the actual。
She had called him old。 Well; he was old。 And no doubt he looked
upon her as a child; wanting her to spend the night at a hotel! The
affair was over。 No one would bother Kitty Conover。 Why should
they? But it took strength to shoulder a man like that。 What fun
he and her father must have had together! And Cutty had loved her
mother! That made Kitty exquisitely tender for a moment。 All
alone; at the age when new friendships were impossible。 A lovable
man like that going down through life alone!
Census taker of alien undesirables; a queer occupation for a man so
famous as Cutty。 Patriotism … to plunge into that seething
revolutionary scum to sort the dangerous madmen from the harmless
mad…men。 Courage and strength and mental resource; yes; Cutty
possessed these; and he would be the kind to laugh at a joke or a
hurt。
One thing; however; was indelibly printed on her mind。 Stefani
Gregor … either Cutty had met and known the man or he had heard of
him。
Suddenly she became conscious that she was blinking as one blinks
from mirror…reflected sunlight。 She cast about for the source of
this phenomenon。 Obliquely from between the interstices of the
fire…escape platform came a point of moving white light。 She craned
her neck。 A battery lamp! The round spot of light worked along the
cement floor; vanished occasionally; reappeared; and then vanished
altogether。 Somebody was down there hunting for something。 What?
Kitty remained with her head out of the window for some time;
unmindful of the spatter of rain。 But nothing happened。 The man
was gone。 Of course the incident might not have the slightest
bearing upon the previous adventures of this amazing night; still;
it was suggestive。 The young man had worn something round his neck。
But if his enemies had it why should this man comb the court;
unless he was a tenant and had knocked something off a window ledge?
She began to appreciate that she was very tired; and decided to go
back to bed。 This time she fell asleep。 Her disordered thoughts
rearranged themselves in a dazzling dream。 She found herself
wandering through a glorious translucent green cavern … a huge
emerald。 And in the distance she heard that unmistakable
tumpitum…tump! tumpitum…tump! It drew her irresistibly。 She
fought and struggled against the fascinating sound; but it continued
to draw her on。 Suddenly from round a corner came the squat man;
his hair a la Fuzzy…Wuzzy。 He caught her savagely by the shoulder
and dragged her toward a fire of blazing diamonds。 On the other
side of that fire was a blonde young woman with a tiara of rubies
on her head。 〃Save me! I am Olga; Olga!〃 Kitty struggled
fiercely and awoke。
The light was on。 At the side of her bed were two men。 One of
them was holding her bare shoulder and digging his fingers into it
cruelly。 They looked like coal heavers。
〃We do not wish to harm you; and won't if you're sensible。 Where
did they take the man you brought
CHAPTER XI
Kitty did not wrench herself loose at once。 She wasn't quite sure
that this was not a continuance of her nightmare。 She knew that
nightmares had a way of breaking off in the middle of things; of
never arriving anywhere。 The room looked natural enough and the
pain in her shoulder seemed real enough; but one never could tell。
She decided to wait for the next episode。
〃Answer!〃 cried the spokesman of the two; twisting Kitty's shoulder。
〃Where did they take him?〃
Awake! Kitty wrenched her shoulder away and swept the bedclothes
up to her chin。 She was thoroughly frightened; but her brain was
clear。 The spark of self…preservation flew hither and about in
search of expediencies; temporizations。 She must come through this
somehow with the vantage on her side。 She could not possibly betray
that poor young man; for that would entail the betrayal of Cutty
also。 She saw but one avenue; the telephone; and these two men
were on the wrong side of the bed; between her and the door。
〃What do you want?〃 Her throat was so dry she wondered whether
the words were projected far enough for them to hear。
〃We want the address of the wounded man you brought into this
apartment。〃
〃They took him to a hospital。〃
〃He was taken away from there。〃
〃He was?〃
〃Yes; he was。 You may not know where; but you will know the address
of the man who tricked us; and that will be sufficient。〃
〃The army surgeon? He was called in by chance。 I don't know where
he lives。〃
〃The man in the dress suit。〃
〃He was with the surgeon。〃
〃He came first。 Come; we have no time to waste。 We don't want to
hurt you; and we hope you will not force us。
〃Will you step out of the room while I dress?〃
〃No。 Tell us where the man lives; and you can have the whole
apartment to yourself。〃
〃You speak English very well。〃
〃Enough! Do you want us to bundle you up in the bedclothes and
carry you off? It will not be a pleasant experience for a pretty
young woman like yourself。 Something happened to the man you knew
as Gregory。 Will that make you understand?〃
〃You know what abduction means?〃
〃Your police will not catch us。〃
〃But I might give you the wrong address。〃
〃Try it and see what happens。 Young lady; this is a bad affair
for a woman to be mixed up in。 Be sensible。 We are in a hurry。〃
〃Well; you seem to have acquired at least one American habit!〃 said
a gruff voice from the bedroom doorway。 〃Raise your hands quickly;
and don't turn;〃 went on the gruff voice。 〃If I shoot it will be
to kill。 It is a rough game; as you say。 That's it; and keep them
up。 Now; then; young lady; slip on your kimono。 Get up and search
these men。 I'm in a hurry; too。〃
Kitty obeyed; very lovely in her dishevelment。 Repugnant as the
task was she disarmed the two men and flung their weapons on the bed。
〃Now something to tie their hands; anything that will hold。〃
Kitty could see the speaker now。 Another coal heaver; but evidently
on her side。
〃Tie their hands behind them。。。 I warn you not to move; men。 When
I say I'll shoot I mean it。 Don't be afraid of hurting them; miss。
Very good。 Now bandage their eyes。 Handkerchiefs。〃
But Kitty's handkerchiefs did not run to the dimensions' required;
so she ripped up a petticoat。 Torn between her eagerness to
complete a disagreeable task and her offended modesty; Kitty went
through the performance with creditable alacrity。 Then she jumped
back into bed; doubled her knees; and once more drew up the
bedclothes to her chin; cont