"Avenger - 4303 - Calling Justice, INC" - читать интересную книгу автора (Avenger)

Avenger would have taken. This was no case for Justice, Inc. Here was not involved any matter of
injustice to some unfortunate who could not fight back against the overwhelming power of the
overlords of the underworld. It was a matter of murder and theft, purely a police-routine case.

That was the way she saw it at the moment. She reached for the telephone, and already had the
receiver off the hook when she stopped abruptly. A news announcer had cut in on the radio program:

"In connection with the murder of the unknown bus passenger at Daytona Beach, the police have
narrowed down their search to one suspect, whom they expect to apprehend within the next hour. It
has been established that the murdered man was accompanied by an auburn-haired girl dressed in
white blouse and navy-blue slacks. She was seen in his company at the Terminal and the victim was
found stabbed to death immediately after the bus left Daytona. Furthermore, the auburn-haired
girl was seen to be carrying a black leather brief ease which had belonged to the victim. With
utter callousness, this auburn-haired girl rode the bus into Miami, carrying the brief case, and
left the Miami Terminal with the other passengers. Police have her fingerprints taken from the
seat she occupied in the bus, and they are conducting a fine-comb search of all Miami hotels and
of all busses and trains leaving the city. She cannot hope to escape...."

Nellie gulped hard and put the receiver down. If the police found her here, with these treasures
in her possession, she'd have a hard time clearing herself of the murder charge. She could just
imagine a district attorney laughing with hard incredulity at her story that the plump Mr. Joplin
had given her a brief case worth an emperor's ransom--and had trusted her to deliver it to him at
the Sunset Hotel.

Acting swiftly she swept the Jewels back into the brief case. She had only a small overnight bag
with her, for her trunk was coming by express and would arrive tomorrow at the Coronado Hotel. She
stuffed the brief case into the overnight bag and went to the window for a last look before
departing.

She peered out into the street and her heart sank. The green convertible was just returning.
Four men emerged. Long-face spoke to them swiftly for a moment, indicating the hotel with a nod of
his head. Immediately, two of them disappeared around the corner and two crossed over toward the
hotel entrance.

And even as she watched a second car drew up behind the green convertible. This was a black
limousine. More men emerged from it ; and she saw the man in the tan sport coat giving them swift
orders, then saw them cross toward the hotel.

Her eyes flickered. The sober truth was that she was trapped here in the Sunset Hotel; trapped
until the man in the tan sport coat decided to launch his attack--or until the police came.

Swiftly. she picked up the overnight bag. Then she opened her door and darted out into the
corridor. Far down the hall she spied a broom closet. She ran to it, pulled the door open, and
peered inside. There were several pails in there, a couple of mops, and a laundry hamper. She opened
the hamper, lifted out a pile of the soiled linen and pushed the overnight bag into it. Then she
piled the linen on top of it. She closed the door of the broom closet and sped back to her room.
Just as she reached it she heard the elevator cage stop at her floor. saw the door begin to slide
open. Without waiting to see who was coming up, she stepped into her room and closed the door. She
heard the elevator door clang shut, but could not hear any footsteps on the carpeted floor out
there.