The Avenger 29 - The Nightwitch Devil by Kenneth Robeson

newel post.
    “Came here to ask your cooperation.”
    “What’s up? Sounds like something pretty important.”
    “Espionage,” Early told him. “Two enemy agents were landed from a U-boat in the harbor tonight.”
    “Yep, that is pretty important.”
    “Not the first time.”
    The chief blinked. “I should of known about this.”
    “So should we,” said the clean-cut agent. “If we hadn’t received a tip we wouldn’t have known about this landing tonight, either.”
    “Who told you ’bout it?”
    “Don’t know, yet.”
    Rubbing his eyes, Chief Storm asked, “What can I do to help out, Mr. Early?”
    “How many men do you have on your force?”
    “Only me and an assistant,” answered Chief Storm. “Of course I could ring up the Civil Defense fellers, we got six air raid wardens.”
    Early scratched at his rain-dampened crewcut. “Not yet,” he said. “Wanted you to know I was in the area, mainly.” He took a few steps toward the doorway. “You know the beach area fairly well?”
    “Ought to, after living here nearly forty years.”
    “The two spies who came ashore, my men lost track of them,” said Early. “Any idea where they might hide?”
    For several seconds the chiefs face was blank, then he remembered something. “The pirate caves,” he said.
    “Pirate caves?”
    “Well, sir, now, they weren’t actual pirate caves, but I remember we called them that when I was a young feller playing down there,” explained Chief Storm. “They was the mouths of some kind of tunnels. We always meant to explore them all, through and through, but we never did. I think maybe we was a mite scared. Darn, I ain’t thought of those for years. Don’t think the young kids nowadays even know about the pirate caves, since nobody uses that stretch of beach for swimming no more.”
    “Sounds like a good possibility,” said Agent Early. “Can you take me there, Chief, show me where the tunnels are?”
    “Might take me a while, till the kid I was way back then helps me remember,” said Storm. “But, yep, I’m sure I can. You just wait till I pull on some clothes.” He started up the stairs, then stopped. “Say now . . . ?”
    “Yes?”
    “Thought just now struck me,” said the chief. “I wonder if these disappearance cases I been working on are tied in with your espionage thing.”
    “Somebody’s disappeared?”
    Chief Storm nodded glumly. “Three folks, so far,” he said. “And then there’s two dead men and the other four Mr. Benson turned over to me. Course he didn’t say nothing about them being spies. But still, now that my brain’s all woke up, it does seem—”
    “Benson?” asked Early, a look of fretful anticipation touching his youthful face. “That wouldn’t be Richard Henry Benson?”
    “Yep, that’s him, very soft-spoken feller,” replied the chief.
    “Why is Benson in Nightwitch?”
    “Something to with his friend Mr. MacMurdie vanishing and—”
    “MacMurdie’s here, too?”
    “Well, we ain’t sure. He was here, but then he wasn’t. Or so it seemed,” said Chief Storm. “Mr. Benson promised to give me all the details tomorrow.”
    “Then he’s planning something tonight,” said Early. “Damn, how’d he get onto this ahead of us?”
    “You think he’s after them saboteurs, too?”
    “Why else would the Avenger be here?” said the federal agent.

CHAPTER XXIV

Reunion
    “Perhaps it’s only this spooky atmosphere,” said Cole, “but I think I heard a girl scream.”
    “So did I,” replied Nellie.
    The pair had been traveling along dim passways of rock for several minutes now.
    “Up ahead that way,” said Cole, “unless my old ears deceive me.”
    “It could be the missing girl. Let’s go.” Nellie broke into a run.
    Cole caught up with her after a moment of concerted sprinting. “We ought to enter you in a marathon, Nell.”
    “I’d get bored with twenty-six miles of just running.”
    The tunnel they came into now slanted sharply upward. It