"Doc Savage Adventure 1934-11 Death in Silver" - читать интересную книгу автора (Doc Savage Collection)

"Your t-time is almost up," he said shakily.


THE other did not respond immediately, and Paine L. Winthrop seemed on the verge of repeating his warning. Then a coarse, angry whisper came over the line.

"Winthrop, you are passing up a chance of becoming one of the richest men alive," said the distant speaker.

"I am passing up a chance of landing in the electric chair," Winthrop snapped.

"Listen, Winthrop," the other said earnestly. "I have explained to you very - "

"There is no object in arguing," said the shipping magnate. "I may be a hard business man, and I may be a skinflint and a slave driver, as some people have called me; but I stay within the law. Early in my youth, I learned that was the best policy."

The distant whispering voice took on a menacing quality.

"You are already too deep in this to back out' Winthrop," it pointed out. "We have used your shipyard."

Winthrop flinched as if he had been seized with an inner chill in the region of his spine, but his forbidding face remained set and determined.

"I was deceived," he grated. "I thought the thing being built in my shipyard was for a foreign government. I think I can convince the authorities of that."

"It seems that I made a mistake in taking you into my confidence," said the whisper.

Winthrop snapped, "You certainly did!"

"I should have turned the matter over to the Silver Death's-Heads, as the newspapers so dramatically term them," retorted the other.

The mention of Silver Death's-Heads had the effect of nearly causing Winthrop to drop the receiver. The man peered about as if fearing some grisly menace might be in the room with him. Then he got a grip on himself.

"There is no more to be said," he stated grimly. "I have given you a chance to disband the Silver Death's-Heads and destroy the - the thing that was built in my shipyard. You refuse. Therefore, I shall now call the police."

His voice, charged with desperate excitement, had risen to a yell that had considerable volume. The sound penetrated through the door of the private office, despite the precautions which Winthrop had taken in stuffing the keyhole and covering the crack at the bottom of the door.

Clarence Sparks, at his desk outside, heard. He hesitated, eying the door, longing to listen. Then, summoning his nerve, he shuffled over to the water cooler, which was beside the door of the private office. He could listen from there.

Inside the office, Winthrop screamed, "I am going to call the police and tell them all about the Silver Death's-Heads! I am going to tell who is apparently their chief, and I am going to tell whose devilish brain is actually behind all of this!"

The coarse whisper over the telephone said, "I can promise that you will not live long enough to do that, Winthrop!"

Winthrop was squirming, perspiring. He shouted, "Killing me will not help! I have a blueprint showing some of your working methods. I have given it to my secretary. And I have told her the whole story."

"You are bluffing, Winthrop," snarled the whispering one.

"I am not!" Winthrop barked. "My secretary will give the whole story to the police if anything happens to me. Now, will you give this all up, or do I call the police?"

"Call them if you dare," suggested the other.

"I will!" Winthrop banged the receiver up.