"deathhastwohands" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blackmon Robert C)

Moran crossed the sidewalk. caught the girl's arm and thrust her toward Rayburn's sedan. A
siren was wailing in the distance, coming toward the Fairview Apartments.

"Your car's handier than mine right now, Rayburn," Moran said rapidly as he opened the rear
door and helped Wilma Trent into the car. "Take us to the Eagle Hotel over on Fourth Street,
fast. Frank Trent's life might depend on it."


"Certainly. Certainly! I'll do anything I can to help Frank Trent."


As he talked, Rayburn had the sedan moving, pulled it out from the curb and fed gas with a heavy
foot. Traffic was very light.

"I never did believe Frank Trent was guilty," Rayburn said sharply above the noise of the
car. "I did everything I could to help him. I was on my way to see Miss Trent when you two came
out of the alley. I was going to take her to talk personally with the governor tonight. Perhaps
if she talked with him--"

Rayburn lifted thick. gray-clad shoulders and crouched lower over the sedan wheel. He sent
the big car skidding around a corner and into Fourth Street. Wilma Trent gasped sharply and
caught at the seat back to steady herself.

"What happened back there?" Rayburn all but shouted as the sedan roared along Fourth Street.

Moran told him. finishing brusquely:

"So Frank Trent is innocent. Charlie Ricker can clear him. We'll take Ricker to headquarters,
get his story, then telephone the governor. The Eagle Hotel is along here somewhere."

Wilma Trent was crying, clinging to the seat back.

"It's just ahead."

Rayburn sent the big sedan swooping in to the curb before a painted wooden sign over a door-
way. The sign read:

EAGLE HOTEL
ROOMS $1.00 UP

Moran led the way up the gritty, uncarpeted stairway. Rayburn and the girl followed. The
girl was still crying. Moran strode along the dimly lighted second-floor hallway, found Room
231 and raked his hard knuckles across the dingy panels. Rayburn and the girl stopped beside
him.

No one answered Moran's knock and he tried the door. The knob turned and the door opened.
He stepped into the room. A low whisper pushed out through his suddenly clenched teeth and he
felt sweat come out on his face.

Light from the street outside filtered into the room through the dirty panes of the single