room,” Cole told himself. “Brother Cranford is hiding out in the shower room.”
Ducking down, his eyes getting used to the darkness now, he moved slowly in the direction of the dripping water.
Another faint rattle as Cranford shifted his position in the shower room.
As he eased toward the white door, Cole noticed a canvas truck filled with dirty towels. He grabbed up a handful, dashed to the door, grabbed it open and tossed the bundle far into the white-tiled room.
Cranford fired at the tumbling mass of towels.
And before he could turn again toward the door Cole was on top of him. He slapped the weapon from the young man’s hand.
Twisting away, Cranford slid across the tile floor.
Cole went after him, tackling him. The boy’s head cracked against the wall and then the floor. He passed out and from his relaxing right hand something fell.
It took Cole a moment to find it in the dimness. It was a poison capsule.
Don Early slowed down. There was something about the way they were looking at him, illuminated by the headlight beams of his parked car. Something especially about Smitty.
“I see you beat me to it again,” he said, saying what he’d intended to say when he’d first noticed them out there. But he no longer felt it was the thing to say.
There was something wrong. He sensed that.
“We found the joint where they been building them gadgets,” said Smitty by way of greeting. “And we nabbed the guy who—”
“What about Emmy Lou?”
The giant looked down at his big feet. “Well . . .”
“She’s dead,” the Avenger said.
Early had been afraid of that, anticipating that since he’d stepped from his car. And yet it hit him. He stood where he was, not moving, not saying anything.
By taking a dozen steps to the left Early got out of the yellow glare of the headlights and into the darkness beyond. He stayed there for several minutes.
The other two men waited, silent.
Finally Early stepped back into the light, asking, “How’d it happen?”
“She took one of the motor launches,” said Benson, “in order to get away. I followed in a second boat. There was an old abandoned scow drifting by, and when the girl turned to fire at me she ran into it.”
“You’re certain she’s dead? I mean, it might be some trick she’s playing.”
The Avenger slowly shook his head. “There’s no doubt about it.”
“And I thought I’d saved her life,” said Early.
CHAPTER XXIV
Aftermath
The fog came sweeping across the grassy fields of the park. The branches of the trees were shrouded in it. The day was ending in a grey muffled twilight. Foghorns were calling. The few cars driving through Golden Gate Park made faint swishing sounds on the roadway surface. Far off and unseen, a horse was galloping along a bridal path.
Don Early, wearing his wrinkled tan raincoat, was standing beside a small lake and watching a single white swan glide across its misty surface.
“Sir?” said an anxious voice behind him.
“Don’t worry, Willis, I’m not going to jump in.”
Young Willis joined him at the water’s edge. “They told me you’d come out here.”
“Something come up?”
“A few things,” said the agent. “Dr. Gruener has decided to talk. Looks as though we’ll get a list of all the other men involved in this attempt to ruin the Vermillion Project.”
“Gruener wasn’t the top man.”
“Fairly close to it on this operation, it seems, and he’s provided us with the names of two men who were his superiors,” said Willis. “Gruener seems to be another one of those agents who was planted here years ago.”
“A brilliant man, as they say.”
“Brilliant doesn’t mean you can’t go wrong.”
“Very true, Willis.”
“Didn’t mean to sound . . . Anyway, there are some other things you ought to know. A search of the Macri winery brought forth a book listing a good many of the lesser foreign agents in the Bay Area.”
“Round ’em up.”
“That’s being taken care of,
Ducking down, his eyes getting used to the darkness now, he moved slowly in the direction of the dripping water.
Another faint rattle as Cranford shifted his position in the shower room.
As he eased toward the white door, Cole noticed a canvas truck filled with dirty towels. He grabbed up a handful, dashed to the door, grabbed it open and tossed the bundle far into the white-tiled room.
Cranford fired at the tumbling mass of towels.
And before he could turn again toward the door Cole was on top of him. He slapped the weapon from the young man’s hand.
Twisting away, Cranford slid across the tile floor.
Cole went after him, tackling him. The boy’s head cracked against the wall and then the floor. He passed out and from his relaxing right hand something fell.
It took Cole a moment to find it in the dimness. It was a poison capsule.
Don Early slowed down. There was something about the way they were looking at him, illuminated by the headlight beams of his parked car. Something especially about Smitty.
“I see you beat me to it again,” he said, saying what he’d intended to say when he’d first noticed them out there. But he no longer felt it was the thing to say.
There was something wrong. He sensed that.
“We found the joint where they been building them gadgets,” said Smitty by way of greeting. “And we nabbed the guy who—”
“What about Emmy Lou?”
The giant looked down at his big feet. “Well . . .”
“She’s dead,” the Avenger said.
Early had been afraid of that, anticipating that since he’d stepped from his car. And yet it hit him. He stood where he was, not moving, not saying anything.
By taking a dozen steps to the left Early got out of the yellow glare of the headlights and into the darkness beyond. He stayed there for several minutes.
The other two men waited, silent.
Finally Early stepped back into the light, asking, “How’d it happen?”
“She took one of the motor launches,” said Benson, “in order to get away. I followed in a second boat. There was an old abandoned scow drifting by, and when the girl turned to fire at me she ran into it.”
“You’re certain she’s dead? I mean, it might be some trick she’s playing.”
The Avenger slowly shook his head. “There’s no doubt about it.”
“And I thought I’d saved her life,” said Early.
CHAPTER XXIV
Aftermath
The fog came sweeping across the grassy fields of the park. The branches of the trees were shrouded in it. The day was ending in a grey muffled twilight. Foghorns were calling. The few cars driving through Golden Gate Park made faint swishing sounds on the roadway surface. Far off and unseen, a horse was galloping along a bridal path.
Don Early, wearing his wrinkled tan raincoat, was standing beside a small lake and watching a single white swan glide across its misty surface.
“Sir?” said an anxious voice behind him.
“Don’t worry, Willis, I’m not going to jump in.”
Young Willis joined him at the water’s edge. “They told me you’d come out here.”
“Something come up?”
“A few things,” said the agent. “Dr. Gruener has decided to talk. Looks as though we’ll get a list of all the other men involved in this attempt to ruin the Vermillion Project.”
“Gruener wasn’t the top man.”
“Fairly close to it on this operation, it seems, and he’s provided us with the names of two men who were his superiors,” said Willis. “Gruener seems to be another one of those agents who was planted here years ago.”
“A brilliant man, as they say.”
“Brilliant doesn’t mean you can’t go wrong.”
“Very true, Willis.”
“Didn’t mean to sound . . . Anyway, there are some other things you ought to know. A search of the Macri winery brought forth a book listing a good many of the lesser foreign agents in the Bay Area.”
“Round ’em up.”
“That’s being taken care of,
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