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."You disappoint me," he said."You really do.Ithought you were smart enough to figure out that if you gave me a little help,I might go easy on you-maybe even give your luck a slight boost.It's aboutrun out, you know.You were lucky twice this afternoon.But you can't expectluck like that to continue unless it gets some assistance.And you know,boys," he added slowly, "I'm about the only one who can give it the kind ofassistance it needs.So suppose you tell me who sent you up to El Diablo."Sandy's outburst had alarmed Ken.He knew this was no time to enrage Tomen.The moment might come when they could turn on the big man.Ken realized theirlives were worthless if that moment didn't arrive.He was also sure thepresent demanded quite different tactics."But, Mr.Tomen," he said, trying to put a note of pleading into his voice,"you already know why we went up there.You heard us make that call to GlobalNews about doing a story on the dig."Ken didn't expect Tomen to accept his answer at face value.He had spoken onlyto gain time, to keepBRAINS AGAINST BULLETS 127Tomen himself talking.Tomen's scornful shake of the head was the reaction Kenhad anticipated."You don't think I believe that," the man said.Suddenly he leaned forward."Was it the customs men?" he snapped."Was it somebody on the State Police?Have they got a plain-clothesman around here I haven't spotted?""Clint, you know you get the story on every stranger that turns up aroundhere," Joe protested."Nobody could fool you that way.""Be quiet, Joe," Tomen said impatiently."Come on -are you going to answerme?" he asked the boys.Joe interrupted again, as if he wanted Ken and Sandy to be certain that he andTomen were equal partners despite the arrogant way in which he was spoken toby the big man."They'll talk, Clint, when we get them back to El Diablo anddown in the cave."Ken's heart leaped.Beside him, he could feel Sandy stifle the gasp that rosein his throat.Now they knew! There was a cave after all!Tomen was getting to his feet.The glare in his eyes when he looked at Joewould have withered most men."Anythin' else you'd like to tell 'em?" he askedthrough tight lips.He walked to the door without giving Joe a chance toreply.There he turned briefly."We'll leave in about twenty minutes," he toldJoe."I'll be back then.Keep your gun on 'em every second, and use it if youhave to.I'm the only one that'll hear it, and the sound won't bother me."His eyes narrowed as he looked over at the boys."I suppose I'll never knowwhether you'd actually sighted the cave or not.But I'm not goin' to worryabout it-or about you, for that matter.And you won't have to strain yourminds much longer, either.128 THE MYSTERY OF GALLOWS CLIFFYou're goin' to see the inside of that cave you've been tryin' to find.Ain'tthat nice?"The silence in the room after Tomen's departure was as thick as a fog thatmakes even breathing difficult.The shaking weakness that had gripped Ken after the landslide that afternoonPage 52ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlwas gripping him again.But this time, he knew, they had not escaped a danger.This time they were trapped.Yet, at this very moment, the clue to the problem Mort and Ramon werestruggling to solve was in their hands! Once more Ken thought of his father,and of how willingly Richard Holt would make this his own fight if he had thechance.If Sandy and himself weren't going to be able to walk out of thistrap, Ken told himself grimly, they were at least going to do their best toleave word somehow about the secret they had finally unearthed.But how?Ken's mind seemed unable to function.Think! Think! he commanded himself desperately.He knew the next twentyminutes were their best- perhaps their only-chance.Then Tomen would be back,and the odds would be even more heavily against them.They were heavy enoughat the moment, with that menacing automatic staring at them with its one,round, black eye.Joe's eyes were steady on them too.Ken wasn't sure whether or not Joe evenunderstood what he had done when he spoke the word cave.But Joe certainlyunderstood that Tomen was displeased with him, and that Tomen had given himpermission to use his gun if necessary, rather than let the boys get away.Joewould use it, too.For all his bluster in Tomen's presence, it was clear thatJoe was afraid of the big man.BRAINS AGAINST BULLETS 129Maybe that was their chance, Ken thought suddenly.Could they play on Joe'sfear? But they would have to do it in such a way that Joe didn't guess whatwas happening.Suddenly a daringly simple plan sprang into Ken's mind.If it worked, Mort-orRamon-would almost certainly obtain the information now in the boys' hands.One or both of the men would come to the motor court that night, Ken feltsure, and they would manage to get in if they found the room shut andunexpectedly deserted.They would find any message that had been left forthem.The only problem was to prepare that message under Joe's eye, and Kenthought he knew how that could be done.He didn't dare risk a glance at Sandy.But he did move his right armcautiously out from his body until it nudged Sandy's elbow lightly.That wasthe sole warning he could give of the campaign he was about to undertake.Hecould only hope that Sandy would follow his lead, however surprised he mightbe.Ken took a deep breath and cleared his throat.He thought he probably lookedfrightened, but he knew that a show of bravery at this moment wouldn't suithis purpose."I want to ask you something," he said abruptly, leaning forward to lookdirectly into the face of the man with the gun.Joe didn't reply immediately.It was as if he had to assure himself first thatTomen would approve of permitting Ken to speak."Go ahead," he said finally."But askin' me questions won't do you any good.""I'm thinking about you, Joe.I'm thinking about trying to do you some good,"Ken said earnestly."You! Do me some good! That's a laugh." Joe grinned widely.130 THE MYSTERY OF GALLOWS CLIFF"But I really think we can," Ken said."If you'll tell us how much you'regetting for-well, for your part in this-we can promise that you'll get morethan that if you'll help us to get away."Joe laughed outright."You can, huh? I suppose you go around with a couple ofmillion dollars each in your pockets."Ken tried to look as if Joe's amusement hurt his pride."Of course we don'thave very much money with us," he said stiffly."And I know you'll take thataway from us, anyway, if you want to.But that's not the money I'm talkingabout.We could see to it that you got a thousand dollars.Couldn't we>Sandy?"Sandy swallowed."Sure, sure," he said [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]