Part 5 (1/2)
The big man jarred me a little, however, by saying, ”We'll see what can be done with the fellow in the hospital.”This indicated a certain firm judgment the man might have.
But, unfortunately, it was not the sole shock. Because, when we had driven to the hospital, we did not enter. We parked nearly a block distant. And immediately we were approached by a uniformed policeman who saluted Doc Savage respectfully, then queried, ”Ready for it?”
”Yes. Turn him loose,” Savage replied.
Mayfair grinned like the ape he was. ”So you got to work on this as soon as I phoned you, Doc,” he said.
Savage nodded. He produced from a glove compartment in the car several small cases resembling hearing-aids. He handed these to Mayfair.
”Monk,” he said. ”There's four cabs waiting in line in front of the hospital. Go to each of them in succession, tell the drivers you're looking for an object which was lost, and open the back doors of the machines and feel over the cus.h.i.+ons, as if searching. As you do that, plant one of these gadgets, shoving it down between the cus.h.i.+ons of the seat and the back. Can do?”
”Duck soup,” said Mayfair.
”The gadgets are numbered,” Doc warned him. ”Put number one in the first cab, number two in the second, and so on.”
”It's done,” said Mayfair optimistically.
The homely fellow departed and proceeded to do his job. For a person with no manners and such violent ways, he seemed to deceive the cab drivers smoothly.
Doc Savage himself left our car, walked to the entrance of the hospital, and loitered for a time there, but moving back and forth while he was loitering. I could not imagine what he was doing, although it did seem that he had a purpose.
When Savage returned, he at once removed a small container from his pocket and placed it in the glove compartment. The container had a perforated top, and evidently held some sort of powdered substance.
”What did you do?” I asked curiously.
”Scattered some dust on the steps.” he replied. ”It might seem a bit childish. On the other hand, there's nothing like a precaution.”
The man, I reflected, must be on the idiotic side.
AFTER Mayfair returned, we moved the car to an inconspicuous spot from which the entrance of the hospital could be watched, and there we waited.
”What are we hanging around for?” I asked.
Mayfair glanced at me as if the query were extremely stupid. ”For smooth-talker to come out,” he said.
”What!”
”Yeah.””You mean the chap is going to be released?”
Monk glanced at Doc Savage and said, ”That's the idea, isn't it?”
”But he's wounded!” I exclaimed.
”Not very seriously,” Savage replied. ”The knife entered high, and did not go in deeply. He can get around all right. And as he gets around, we're going to trail him and see where he leads us.”
”But he was bleeding from the lungs!” I cried. ”I saw him! His wound was serious.”
”A bitten tongue. He was struck on the head, as well as stabbed, and he bit his tongue when struck.”
”Oh!” But this still didn't make sense to me. ”But surely-you say he's being turned loose! Surely the police wouldn't be such fools!”
”The police,” Savage explained quietly, ”are cooperating with me.”
I suppose he spoke with modesty, but the implication of his words was ridiculous. The police turning this fellow loose to accommodate Savage! Preposterous!
”You mean you asked them to let him go, and they are?” I said coldly. ”That is ridiculous!”
Mayfair said, ”Oh, shut up, Henry. You're always zigging when you should be zagging.”
I subsided. This was beyond me. I tried to think that it was a coincidence, that the young man was going to be released from the hospital at this time anyway-but the appearance of the uniformed officer a while ago rather belied this theory. It seemed that the police were cooperating with this Savage, all right. I wondered what kind of prevarications he had told them to accomplish a thing like that. Someone should warn the police about being so gullible.
Miss Farrar was gazing at the big bronze man with a fawn-eyed look. She was more beautiful to me than ever, and I felt an overwhelming wish to protect her from the influences of this big bronze bluffer.
Presently the gentlemanly-mannered young man did appear from the hospital.
He took one of the cabs in which Mayfair had planted a gadget.
”On the hook,” said Mayfair dryly.
Chapter VI.
THE taxicab carrying our quarry moved completely out of sight. It vanished.
”You've lost him!” I said.
”Henry,” Monk Mayfair said. ”It's going to be a pleasure to disappoint you.”
And he did disappoint me. Because they followed the polite young man with ease. They did it with a device which, because I am a scientist myself, I at once recognized. The thing they were using was absurdly simple-I understand that airplane drivers use it every day in a less complex form. It was a radio direction-finder. The objects which Mayfair had planted behind the cab cus.h.i.+ons were obviously small continuous-signal transmitters utilizing peanut tubes and a compact battery supply that was self-contained. It was not unbelievable, because quite powerful aircraft radio transmitters are oftencompact enough to be held easily in the palm of the hand.
Lila thought it was wonderful.
”Why, this is amazing!” she declared. ”I've heard a great deal about you, Mr. Savage-how your methods are almost magical! I'm delighted for this chance to see you at work.”
He seemed to color slightly in discomfort, but it was probably another trick he had mastered.
”Isn't this a little theatrical and small-boyish?” I inquired.
Monk Mayfair thought this amusing. He said, ”Henry, you're quite a guy. You're a character, you are.”
Displeasure kept me in silence for a while, but presently curiosity too strong to be denied moved me to ask, ”What was the powder you sprinkled on the hospital steps?”
Mayfair answered that. ”Oh, it's something we use quite often, Henry.”