Читать книгу Raiders of the Red Death - Emile C. Tepperman - Страница 6

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In Washington, a blue-eyed, keen-faced young man jiggled the hook of his private telephone desperately.

"Operator!" he barked. "I was connected with New York. Reestablish that connection at once. This is government business!"

"Sorry, sir," the operator answered. "New York reports that there has been an explosion in the store where the pay telephone was located. Everybody in the store was killed!"

"Thank you," the young man said in a low voice, and racked the receiver slowly. His blue eyes had become suddenly cloudy as he stared across his desk. After a moment, he picked up another telephone beside the one he had just used, spoke three words into it: "Field Office Three!"

A few seconds later he was saying: "Chief! Are the Secretary of State and the Secretary of War there yet? Insist that they wait. It's more serious than they realize. We must make them understand. Yes, I'll be there inside of ten minutes!"

He hung up, picked up the other telephone, and spoke a number into it. When he got his connection his voice, which had been crisp and tense, softened a bit.

"Tim? You dressed? Big doings on. I'll pick you up at the usual corner in five minutes. Don't keep me waiting!"