Читать книгу The Avenger - Emile C. Tepperman - Страница 8

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IN Grand Central Station, the crowds of hurrying men and women were oblivious of the tense drama which was being played at the information booth. True, they did cast a glance or two at the towering figure of Smitty, who loomed head and shoulders above anyone in the vast vaulted concourse.

But it was not Smitty who was carrying the ball at the moment. He was merely standing at The Avenger's side, ready to run the interference when and if it became necessary.

They were facing the tall and saturnine Gregorio Ruiz, who was accompanied by Arnie Jasper. It was like a duel at dawn, where each man brings his second. But there were no rules of honor to this duel, for Dick Benson well knew that no honor was to be found in the black and evil heart of Gregorio Ruiz.

"All right, Ruiz," he said. "We understand each other thoroughly. If Laura Trent is alive, we can do business."

"She's alive all right, Benson." Ruiz seemed to be preoccupied. His gaze was constantly wandering to the far side of the station, where the telephone booths were located. "And I'm willing to trade. I can't afford to have Barney Dorset grilled—by you. He can take anything the police hand him. But you'd know how to break him down."

"We wouldn't use force," Benson said. "We have drugs. Rest assured that he'd talk. But as I told you, I'll give him up, to save Laura Trent's life. That isn't the end, though. I'm going after you, Ruiz, when this deal is over. You have fair warning."

"I understand," said Ruiz. His eyes wandered once more to the telephone booths, "Now what about Laura Trent? If I set her free, she can identify...er...the man she saw in the boat that night."

"I'll guarantee that she keeps silent on that," The Avenger assured him. "You'll have nothing to fear from her. I'll get you on something else."

"Then I suppose it's a deal," Ruiz began. Suddenly, a bitterly vindictive smile twisted his lips. A man had come out of one of the phone booths at the far side, and had raised a hand in the air. He waved the hand once, then disappeared in the crowd.

The eyes of Gregorio Ruiz gleamed with vicious hatred as he swung his gaze back to Dick.

"I've changed my mind, Benson!" he snapped. "It's no deal. If you want to do business with me, you'll have to do it on my terms, now!"

The Avenger had noticed that signal. His eyes narrowed. "What are your terms, Ruiz?" he asked softly.

Ruiz turned and winked at Arnie Jasper, who grinned insolently. "You tell him, Arnie. I want to watch his dead-pan face while he hears the news."

Jasper licked his lips. "It's a pleasure, boss!" He looked at Smitty. "It's your girl friend, pal—Nellie Gray. How would you like to see her body floating face up in the river tonight? She's a cute trick, that dame. But she won't look so good when she's dead!"

The Avenger became tense and wary. But Smitty growled deep in his throat. "Why, you two slimy rats. If you so much as scratch her, I'll twist your heads off your necks!"

He took a threatening step toward them, and Arnie Jasper became pale and backed up. But Gregorio Ruiz did not retreat. He wiggled a finger at Smitty.

"Tut, tut, my overgrown friend. No violence, please. Don't forget that golden-haired young lady of yours." He looked up at Smitty, giving him a sour smile. "I have no doubt that you could kill me easily with those two hands of yours. Or that Benson could do it, too, for that matter. You see. I don't depend on strength for my success. I depend on the gray matter up here." He tapped his forehead. "That's why I selected this busy place for our interview. It isn't so easy for you to use violence here, with all these people passing. So I'm afraid you'll have to accept my terms."

Smitty turned and looked helplessly at The Avenger.

Dick Benson's gaze had never left Ruiz's face.

"What's your proposition?" he asked harshly.

"That's better!" said Gregorio. "You'll forget about the Trent girl, Benson. She's out of this deal altogether. If you ever thought I'd turn her loose—with what she knows—you must have been crazy! We'll make an exchange—Nellie Gray for Barney Dorset. And you pay me a hundred thousand dollars to boot! Take it or leave it. I want your answer now. If you refuse, you'll never see Nellie Gray alive again."

"But we'll get you, you rat!" Smitty growled. "We'll make Dorset talk, and send you to the chair!"

Ruiz shrugged. "I don't think you'd sacrifice Nellie Gray in order to get me. I think you'll do every thing in your power to save her life."

"You want me to sacrifice Laura Trent for Nellie?" The Avenger asked.

"Sure," said Ruiz. "What's she to you?"

"She has a mother who trusts me," The Avenger said.

Ruiz looked at him incredulously. "Then you refuse?"

Arnie Jasper broke in. "You're crazy, Benson! That dame has been with you a long time. She's your friend—"

"I'm sorry," said The Avenger. "Nellie wouldn't want to live at that price. I refuse!"

He glanced at Smitty. "I think we need a little interference at this time, Smitty," he said mildly.

"Ah!" said Smitty.

He took a single step forward. One huge hand darted out and seized the neck of Gregorio Ruiz. The other moved equally fast, and seized the neck of Arnie Jasper. Then, with a quick, powerful motion, be slammed the two heads together.

For all his size and bulk, Algernon Heathcote Smith was capable of moving with the concentrated speed of chain lightning. Else, he would not have been able to survive so long in the service of Justice, Inc.

He moved so swiftly now that no one in the crowded station noticed that quick, sharp contact of the two heads. Bone cracked against bone, and the two men sagged!

Swiftly, Dick Benson stepped around and put an arm about Gregorio Ruiz's waist. He raised Ruiz's right arm, and draped it around his own shoulder, thus supporting Ruiz on his feet, though the latter was semiconscious from the blow. At the same time, Smitty put an arm around Arnie Jasper, and supported him in similar fashion.

Smitty had put just enough force behind that smashing together of the two heads to make the men groggy, but not enough to knock them out completely. There were two reasons for this: First, they had to have Ruiz and Jasper in a condition to talk; second, they didn't want to carry two unconscious men through the crowd in Grand Central Station.

It was characteristic of the way The Avenger and Smitty worked. It had not been necessary for Dick to tell his giant companion any of this. They had operated together for so long that they could almost read each other's minds, and when they were in a tight spot, they functioned with smooth precision.

So, now, they needed no lengthy conference to decide what to do. Smitty knew what The Avenger had in mind, and Dick knew that Smitty understood his plan of action.

They began to walk the two semiconscious men out through the crowded station, moving close together. And they both raised their voices in close harmony, singing "Auld Lang Syne." Smitty sang bass, and then switched every once in a while to treble, while Dick Benson took the baritone, changing occasionally to a high key.

As they sang, they headed for the exit.

A woman looked at them in disgust, and said, "Imagine—grown men allowing themselves to get in such a drunken condition!"

The woman's companion sniffed, disgustedly. "If they were my husbands, I'd know what to do with them!"

Smitty, who was nearest her, turned and looked at her owlishly. "Oh, lady," he said, making his voice thick and drunken, "what would you be doing with four husbands?"

They kept going, dancing Ruiz and Jasper out into the street. A station policeman said grimly, "Better get out of here, you fellows, or we'll run you in!"

"Sure, sure," said Smitty.

Jasper, who was just beginning to regain his senses, started to shout something at the policeman. Smitty lurched against him and, at the same time, pinched his arm so hard that he uttered a yell of pain.

The policeman watched them for a moment, and then turned away in disgust.

The four "drunks" lurched into The Avenger's car, which was parked at the curb. Smitty slid in behind the wheel. He was grim and sober as he tooled the car away from the curb and headed downtown to the headquarters of Justice, Inc.

In the back, The Avenger was seated between Ruiz and Jasper. He had one arm of each twisted behind their backs, and pushed up almost to the breaking point. He said no word to either of them. But, as he saw them coming to their senses and preparing to cry out, he put just a little more pressure on each of them. The pain drained all the breath out of them, leaving them powerless to cry out.

Smitty drove like a mad genius, cutting lights by a hair, swerving in and out, but never taking his foot off the gas. It was a testimony to his superb driving skill that he reached Bleek Street in twelve minutes without once stopping for a light, and without once scraping a fender.

They drove in through the garage, and five minutes later they had their two captives upstairs.

Ruiz was pale and shaken, but stubbornly silent. Smitty picked him up, kicking and fighting, and carried him away to the blue room, which was next to the yellow room, where Barney Dorset was being detained.

Then Smitty came down and joined The Avenger in the office, with Arnie Jasper.

Jasper had fully regained consciousness, by now, but he had a lump on the right side of his head. He was sitting in a chair where The Avenger had thrust him, after frisking him for weapons. His little rat eyes were watching every move which The Avenger made, at the little experiment table in the corner.

Smitty took one look at the vial which The Avenger was handling and gasped.

"Dick! You're not going to give him that!"

The Avenger turned around. His eyes were almost expressionless.

"Why not?" he asked bleakly.

Smitty put on a good act. "But that will eat his insides out."

"That's right," said Dick.

He came toward Arnie Jasper, with the vial in his hand.

Jasper's eyes were big and round, and his lips were trembling.

"What...what you doing—"

"Hold him, Smitty." said The Avenger.

Jasper leaped up, in a frantic effort to escape, but Smitty put a big paw on him, got Jasper's legs between his knees, and twisted his arms behind him. Arnie Jasper was helpless in Smitty's massive grip.

"No, no!" he shrieked, as The Avenger bent over him, with the oily, colorless liquid lying heavy in the vial.

"You know what this is," The Avenger said tonelessly. "It's sulphuric acid. You've heard of cases where jealous women throw it at other women. You know what it does to their faces."

He paused. "Well, Jasper, I'm going to feed this to you— internally!"

"Have mercy!" Jasper whimpered. "In the name of pity—"

"Pity?" The Avenger said harshly. "Do you ask for pity? You who have done Ruiz's dirty work for him? What kind of pity do you expect when Nellie's life is at stake?"

He reached over with one hand and clamped Jasper's nostrils shut in a cruel grip.

"When you can't breathe through your nose any more, you'll open your mouth to get some air. Then I'll pour the sulphuric acid in!"

"Give me a break!" Jasper screamed. "I'll tell you where to find Nellie Gray!"

The Avenger paused, with the vial hovering above Jasper's mouth. "What do you think, Smitty?" he asked. "Can we believe him?"

"Well, we can try," Smitty said. "Let him give us the dope. If we get Nellie out safely, all right. If we don't, we'll come back and give him the acid."

"I'll tell you the truth. I swear I will!" Jasper screamed. "They took her to the Loomis Apartments, on the river. Ruiz owns the whole place. He's got a terrace apartment on the top floor, and he's got the subcellar fixed up for prisoners. You'll find her there, I swear!"

"Hm-m-m," said The Avenger. "Do you think he's telling the truth. Smitty?"

"It's true!" Jasper whined. "She's there. And that Trent girl is there, too. She saw Ruiz and me and Degnan dropping Lou Marconi's body in the river, uptown. Degnan followed her and picked her up, while Ruiz and I got a diving suit and fished the body up and moved it down the river. It's right near the Loomis Apartments now. I can even show the cops where to drag for it—"

The Avenger nodded slowly. Smitty relaxed his grip on Jasper. The frightened man got to his feet, still shrinking away from the vial.

"I'd do anything not to get that stuff spilled into me. I once seen a dame who got it thrown in her face—"

"This?" said The Avenger, holding up the vial. "Why should you be afraid of this?" He turned the vial upside down, and poured the thick, oily liquid over his own hand. Nothing happened.

"You see," Smitty explained, laughing, "if you knew The Avenger better, you'd know he'd never do a thing like that to anybody, not even a rat like you. That stuff in the vial happens to be mineral oil!"

"You dirty crooks!" Jasper shrieked. "You tricked me!"

Smitty picked him up bodily and carried him away. In a moment, he was back. The Avenger was waiting for him.

"I've phoned Cruikshank," he said grimly. "The inspector is going to meet us at the Loomis Apartments with the riot squad!"

Just twenty minutes later, the Loomis Apartments were in the hands of the police, without a shot having been fired. All those hard killers in the pay of Gregorio Ruiz permitted themselves to be taken like lambs when they saw the submachine guns in the hands of grim-faced policemen who welcomed this opportunity to clean up.

And in the subcellar, they found Nellie Gray, recovered from the effects of the drug and none the worse for wear. Laura Trent was there, too, just as Jasper had said.

When Nellie crawled out of the camouflaged coal bin in which she had been confined, she wiped soot from her face and grinned at Smitty and Dick.

"I didn't think you boys would make it in time," she said, brushing the golden hair back from her face. "They were going to dump ten tons of coal into the bin, on top of Laura and me. My next view of the river would have been when I passed up in smoke, out of the Loomis furnace!"

The girl who had lured Nellie into the cab was in custody, as well as every one of the hirelings in the service of Gregorio Ruiz.

Ruiz lanced looks of murderous hatred at The Avenger, when, a half-hour later, he was turned over into the custody of Inspector Cruikshank, together with Barney Dorset and Arnie Jasper.

"Damn you!" he said. "I don't know how you did this—"

"It's easy when you know how," Smitty told him. "Just grease the skids with a little mineral oil!"