Читать книгу The Valdmere Mystery or The Atomic Ray - Milo Milton Oblinger - Страница 9

Table of Contents

It was just ten o’clock by Ted’s watch when he left the Langdon Prairie Hospital after hearing the verdict of the physician who had examined the unconscious Colby. It was a different Ted than the one who had risen so cheerily that morning, unaware of what the day had in store. Altogether, it had been an exciting, thrilling four hours. Looking back over the events that had taken place during that time, it seemed incredible that so many mysterious happenings could have been crowded into so short a space. It had all tended to confuse and bewilder him. Almost staggering down the hospital steps toward the street, his thoughts were whirling dizzily. He scarcely heard the voice of the big man who had assisted him in bringing the constable to the hospital.

“He was pretty lucky at that,” the voice ran on. “If that bullet had gone an inch further to the right, Colby would have been killed instantly. He has a chance, a fighting chance, the doctor said.”

“I—I’m glad,” stammered Ted. “I suppose I ought to be glad that they didn’t kill me too. I must hurry and take you home and try to find my friends,” he concluded.

“What is all this trouble about?”

“I really don’t know myself,” replied Ted as they got into the car. “We were trying to find two friends of mine when we saw this car following us. Constable Colby went back to order them not to do so when they deliberately fired upon him. That’s about all I know.”

“You mean that’s all you care to tell me,” said the big man, smiling queerly at Ted.

Ted flushed. “It would take too long to go into all the particulars. All I care to say now is that Professor Valdmere has disappeared and that my friend and myself are trying to find him.”

“Professor Valdmere was giving some sort of a demonstration at Brownsville, wasn’t he?”

“Yes, that was his intention. But it seems there’s a conspiracy against him. We have reason to believe that he was brought here to Langdon Prairie.”

The big man was pondering over this information when Ted stopped the car at the scene of the recent encounter with the Russians and his passenger got out. Just before turning to make his way up to his own house, he held out his hand to Ted.

“I don’t understand it all, but I wish you all the luck in the world. Here’s hoping that you find Professor Valdmere.”

“Thank you,” returned Ted, struck with the sincerity in the other’s voice. “We’ll certainly do all we can to find the professor and bring his captors to justice. Good morning, sir.”

“Good morning,” smiled the man.

Ted drove on. In a few more minutes, he was back to the same place where they had originally parked their car. To his unutterable joy, he saw Miss Valdmere standing near the edge of the curb waiting for him. No sooner had he driven up beside her than she gave a little cry of welcome and hurried toward him.

“Oh, Mr. Winters,” she declared, her lips trembling, “I thought you’d never come. We must hurry. There isn’t a moment to lose. Your friend, Mr. Philo Birch, is in grave danger.”

She had clambered into the seat beside him and one hand rested agitatedly upon his arm.

“I’ll show you the way. Straight to the west side of town—a little house just on the outskirts. Oh please hurry, Mr. Winters!”

Trembling with eagerness, Ted backed the car away from the sidewalk, then put it into forward gear. Speeding down the street and taking the first turn to the right, they raced like mad.

“Hurry—hurry—hurry!” sang out the girl almost hysterically. “I think that Father is in that house.”

“But Philo——”

“Three men came out to grab him when he crept up to investigate. I was standing back by the gate and just as soon as I saw that, I turned and ran for my life.”

“What did these men look like?” asked Ted.

“There were three desperate looking men. I really can’t describe them.”

“But how did you happen to go there in the first place?” puzzled Ted. “What led Philo to believe that he had struck a hot clue?”

“It wasn’t Philo. It was I. We were sitting there waiting for you, when a man, very nicely dressed, a Japanese, passed along the street right in front of us, carrying a portmanteau. It was in black leather with a silver clasp. Down in one corner, in small silver letters, were the initials C. C. V. It was the one I had given father last year for Christmas and I knew that I couldn’t be mistaken. Father kept it in his office and, of course, the thieves took it. So I told Philo, I mean Mr. Birch, and we got out of the car and followed him. We kept about a block behind him and he led us straight to this little shack to which we’re proceeding now. We watched the man go inside. Then, after a time, your friend, Mr. Birch, asked me to wait for him near the gate while he went forward to reconnoitre. He wanted to look through the window to see if Dad was there.”

Ted’s eyes were shining. “Miss Valdmere,” he announced, “I believe that you have stumbled upon a real clue. That man who carried the portmanteau must know of your father’s whereabouts. Was he one of the three who came out and overpowered Philo?”

She shook her head. Then, suddenly, her hand gripped his shoulder.

“Slow down!” she instructed excitedly. “There’s the place!”

Not only did Ted follow out these orders, but he stopped altogether. Turning in the seat, he faced the girl.

“Now, Miss Valdmere, I’ll tell you what I propose to do. It would be folly to go over there unarmed, so to make sure that I have a chance to rescue your father and Philo, I’m going to secure a weapon from some person in this neighborhood. It will be necessary for me to explain that your father and my chum are being held prisoners there. I shall tell them about my experiences with Colby. You don’t know anything about that yet, but I’ll tell you later. Will you wait here in the car or would you rather go along with me?”

“I think I’ll go with you,” replied Miss Valdmere.

At the first place a woman opened the door, regarding them with ill-concealed distrust. When Ted had explained his errand, she shook her head and slammed the door.

“I won’t be no party to such goings-on,” they heard her shrill voice on the other side of the barrier. “I don’t believe a word of it anyway.”

Ted looked at Miss Valdmere and Miss Valdmere looked at Ted. The young lady wrinkled her nose and sniffed.

“Come on, Mr. Winters,” she said haughtily, “we’ll go to the next place.”

Here they found a more sympathetic audience. The man of the house, an honest-looking young fellow of perhaps thirty or thirty-five years of age, clad in a pair of unionalls and with a grease smudge on his right cheek, heard them through and immediately came to their rescue.

“Sure I got a gun. A shotgun an’ a rifle. An’ what’s more, stranger, I’m gonna lend you a hand. Colby is a friend o’ mine, an’ I’m sure sorry to hear that he got hurt. Won’t you stay here, Miss,” he turned to the girl, “while me an’ your friend go over an’ find out what’s what? It ain’t no job for a woman.”

Miss Valdmere hesitated, looked at Ted, puckering her pretty mouth.

“I’d like to go, too, if you’d let me,” she beseeched them. “I’ll promise to stay ’way behind and not get into any danger. I just know Father is there. I can’t wait until you capture those men and release him.”

So it was agreed. Miss Valdmere accompanied Ted and his new-found friend to the end of the block. Holding their weapons in readiness, the two advanced.

“Who lives in that house?” inquired Ted.

“Nobody. It’s been empty for weeks. It’s just a shack and it’s difficult to find a renter.”

They reached the gate without mishap. It stood partially open, swinging on rusty hinges. The two advanced within the yard.

“There’s a window on the right side,” explained the mechanic. “I’ll sneak around to the front while you go to that window. Just as soon as I knock, smash in the glass with the end of your gun barrel and threaten to blow them into Kingdom Come.”

Trembling and shaking in every limb, Ted made his way to the place designated and stood there waiting for the signal. Presently it came—a loud knock, repeated several times, then a voice calling out harshly:

“Open up or we’ll fire!”

At that instant Ted leaped, jabbing fiercely at the glass which splintered around him. He called out in a shaking voice:

“Open the door. I have you covered.”

The door did not open. No sound issued from within. An unusual silence had followed the smashing of the glass. A sudden realization came over Ted and he leaned forward dizzily, grasping the ledge of the window for support.

“Too late!” he mumbled in a choking, agitated voice. “They’re gone!”