light.
Lamont drifted to the open doorway.
All those books, and I bet he’s never read a one of them, thought Lamont.
Montez was looking very bad. Much older than he had last night. The shock of the attempted attack must have hit him hard.
Lamont, taking in a deep breath and holding it, crossed into the room.
A bell started ringing, a harsh alarm-clock sound which went on and on.
Montez pushed a button at the side of the desk and the ringing ceased. “Good evening, Dr. Lamont, I’ve been expecting you.”
Wait a minute! This wasn’t Montez at all. It was a much older man made up to resemble Montez. Lamont had to get out of the room.
Exhaling, he took a step backward. The den door slammed shut before he could reach it.
“I’ve been here for some time,” said Werner Konrad. “After I put Mr. Montez and his zealous hound out of the way for a while, I had ample time to rig an electric eye in the doorway. Also a mechanism for shutting the door and locking it. You may as well sit down and chat with me.”
The door really was locked. And to get at the only window you had to go around behind the desk.
A pistol sat on the desk, near to Konrad’s right hand.
“Permit me to introduce myself,” said the actor, smiling toward the place where he imagined Lamont to be. “I am Werner Konrad, an agent for the German republic.”
Lamont made no sound.
“And you,” continued the German, “are Dr. Alan Lamont. You have something we want and I am prepared to negotiate with you to obtain it. I am very much afraid that Nolansville is not a place where any of us should linger much longer.”
“Who the hell are you?”
“Ah, a most impressive illusion. Your voice seems to come from out of thin air,” said Konrad. “As I told you, my country wants the Dean formula. I’m willing to negotiate with you, but you must act very quickly.”
“Why should I deal with you at all?” If he could get closer to the desk without Konrad realizing it, close enough to take up the gun and use it . . .
“It seems very unlikely that you’ll be able to go on with your original plan for revenge now,” said Konrad. “Your attack on Dr. Coopersmith has made you a fugitive. An invisible fugitive, I admit, but a hunted man nonetheless.” He placed his hand over the gun. “I can help you get clear of this area.”
“How are you even going to get yourself away? Dr. Coopersmith has probably told them all about you already.”
“No, she is not the kind to betray an associate, no matter what pressures are brought to bear,” said Konrad. “If you were to write out the formula and provide me with a sample of the fluid I could guarantee you a safe passage out of the country, into Mexico, or South America. I have many contacts south of the border. I am also prepared to pay you . . . let us say ten thousand dollars.”
Lamont laughed. “Very generous . . . for a formula worth millions.”
“It’s not worth anything to you if you don’t live beyond tonight, my friend.”
Dropping silently to his hands and knees, Lamont crawled toward the desk. He reached out and grabbed Konrad’s ankles, yanking the surprised agent completely out of his swivel chair.
Konrad’s head knocked hard on the chair seat as he came clattering down to the floor. The gun fell from his hand.
The weapon was swept far across the room by Lamont. “I won’t even need that for you,” he said. “I’m going to use my hands, the way I always do.” He got his strong fingers around the fallen man’s throat.
“Lamont, you won’t be able to—”
The words were choked off by the increasing pressure from the unseen fingers.
“Stop right there.”
The locked door had opened. The Avenger was in the room, a cylindrical apparatus in his right hand.
Lamont let go of the feebly struggling Konrad. He didn’t know the man in the doorway. But he could tell at once that he was dangerous.
He had to get away.
The object in the Avenger’s hand was a paint
Lamont drifted to the open doorway.
All those books, and I bet he’s never read a one of them, thought Lamont.
Montez was looking very bad. Much older than he had last night. The shock of the attempted attack must have hit him hard.
Lamont, taking in a deep breath and holding it, crossed into the room.
A bell started ringing, a harsh alarm-clock sound which went on and on.
Montez pushed a button at the side of the desk and the ringing ceased. “Good evening, Dr. Lamont, I’ve been expecting you.”
Wait a minute! This wasn’t Montez at all. It was a much older man made up to resemble Montez. Lamont had to get out of the room.
Exhaling, he took a step backward. The den door slammed shut before he could reach it.
“I’ve been here for some time,” said Werner Konrad. “After I put Mr. Montez and his zealous hound out of the way for a while, I had ample time to rig an electric eye in the doorway. Also a mechanism for shutting the door and locking it. You may as well sit down and chat with me.”
The door really was locked. And to get at the only window you had to go around behind the desk.
A pistol sat on the desk, near to Konrad’s right hand.
“Permit me to introduce myself,” said the actor, smiling toward the place where he imagined Lamont to be. “I am Werner Konrad, an agent for the German republic.”
Lamont made no sound.
“And you,” continued the German, “are Dr. Alan Lamont. You have something we want and I am prepared to negotiate with you to obtain it. I am very much afraid that Nolansville is not a place where any of us should linger much longer.”
“Who the hell are you?”
“Ah, a most impressive illusion. Your voice seems to come from out of thin air,” said Konrad. “As I told you, my country wants the Dean formula. I’m willing to negotiate with you, but you must act very quickly.”
“Why should I deal with you at all?” If he could get closer to the desk without Konrad realizing it, close enough to take up the gun and use it . . .
“It seems very unlikely that you’ll be able to go on with your original plan for revenge now,” said Konrad. “Your attack on Dr. Coopersmith has made you a fugitive. An invisible fugitive, I admit, but a hunted man nonetheless.” He placed his hand over the gun. “I can help you get clear of this area.”
“How are you even going to get yourself away? Dr. Coopersmith has probably told them all about you already.”
“No, she is not the kind to betray an associate, no matter what pressures are brought to bear,” said Konrad. “If you were to write out the formula and provide me with a sample of the fluid I could guarantee you a safe passage out of the country, into Mexico, or South America. I have many contacts south of the border. I am also prepared to pay you . . . let us say ten thousand dollars.”
Lamont laughed. “Very generous . . . for a formula worth millions.”
“It’s not worth anything to you if you don’t live beyond tonight, my friend.”
Dropping silently to his hands and knees, Lamont crawled toward the desk. He reached out and grabbed Konrad’s ankles, yanking the surprised agent completely out of his swivel chair.
Konrad’s head knocked hard on the chair seat as he came clattering down to the floor. The gun fell from his hand.
The weapon was swept far across the room by Lamont. “I won’t even need that for you,” he said. “I’m going to use my hands, the way I always do.” He got his strong fingers around the fallen man’s throat.
“Lamont, you won’t be able to—”
The words were choked off by the increasing pressure from the unseen fingers.
“Stop right there.”
The locked door had opened. The Avenger was in the room, a cylindrical apparatus in his right hand.
Lamont let go of the feebly struggling Konrad. He didn’t know the man in the doorway. But he could tell at once that he was dangerous.
He had to get away.
The object in the Avenger’s hand was a paint
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