Part 13 (1/2)

TELEPHONE CODE

As he regained consciousness, Tom's eyes fluttered open. Sparks of pain shot through his head. A groan escaped his lips.

”Oo-o! What hit me?” Tom wondered.

He was lying on a sofa in a strange room. Someone was seated nearby, watching him. Tom tried to move his limbs and sit up. Then he discovered that his wrists and ankles were tied with sash cord.

”Better lie still, sonny boy,” a gruff voice advised. ”You ain't goin'

nowhere.”

The man who had spoken got up from his chair and came over to the sofa.

He was of medium height, very muscular looking, with cold, glittering eyes. Rolled-up s.h.i.+rt sleeves revealed his powerful, hairy arms.

”Where am I?” Tom asked, suddenly remembering the events on the road before he blacked out. ”And what's this all about?”

The man said with a mirthless grin, ”You're a prisoner. And you're goin'

to stay here until the cops let Dimitri Mirov go. It's up to you how fast they spring him.”

The huge man lifted a telephone from an end table adjoining the sofa and set it on the floor alongside Tom.

”Here's a phone. Go ahead and use it, but don't try any funny stuff.”

In spite of his headache, Tom's brain was racing. What to do now? He shut his eyes and screwed up his face in an expression of pain, pretending to be still groggy while he stalled for time to figure out his next move.

”How can _I_ get Mirov out of jail?” Tom faltered.

”You figure it out!” the man snarled. ”And you'd better get results if you want to stay healthy!”

Through half-slitted eyes, Tom noted the telephone number printed on the dial. Evidently his captor had not thought to remove it from the instrument. A lucky break!

If only, Tom thought, he could devise some way to transmit the number to Ames without arousing his captor's suspicion--the phone's location could then be traced!

What about some sort of double-talk code? For instance, Tom told himself, keep slipping numbers into the conversation in order to transmit the digits of the telephone number. Would Ames catch on?

The number shown was BArwick 3-7156. BA on the dial would be the same as ”2, 2.”

”Come on! Quit stalling!” the man said threateningly.

”How can I dial with my hands tied?” Tom objected.

”I'll do the dialing, wise guy!”

He lifted the phone from its cradle and extended it to his prisoner. Tom told him the Enterprises number, then asked for Ames's extension as the switchboard operator answered. A moment later the security chief's voice came over the line.

”Ames speaking.”

”This is Tom Jr., Harlan.” His captor bent close to the receiver as Tom replied, in order to overhear what was being said. ”I've been thinking,”

the young inventor went on, ”that it might be smart to have Mirov released.”