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

"The suit the murderer was wearing," he declared.

"Then it is some one in the building," Monk growled. "The fellow burned his rig because the police have the doors blocked and are not letting any one out."


UNNOTICED, a man was standing in the background near the door. He was a scrawny fellow, bedecked with grease stains and dirt, garbed in the green coveralls which the janitors of the building wore. It was because he was one of the janitors that he was receiving no attention.

He deserved attention. No hint of the fact showed on his features, but he was catching every word that was being said, He had a stupid face, anyway; it was almost without a jaw, being round, with small features, and having a sickly gray color. His whole head was very much like an old, white rubber ball which had been handled with grimy fingers. He wore a costly wrist watch.

The fellow glanced over his shoulder, as if anxious to get out of the boiler room. Shortly, he did leave, but he took his time so that no suspicion was attached to his departure.

Finding his way to a telephone, he called a number. A voice - a coarse, whispering voice, obviously disguised - answered.

"This ain't goin' so hot," said the man in janitor regalia.

"What is wrong, Bugs?" asked the whispering voice.

"Two of Doc Savage's men are snooping around," reported "Bugs," his round, pale face close to the transmitter.

The whispering one swore. "I saw that in an extra edition of a tabloid newspaper. What on earth got those two involved in the affair?"

"One of them, named Monk, has a chemical laboratory on top of the building," Bugs advised.

This called forth more sibilant profanity.

"If I had known one of Doc Savage's men had a place on the building, we would have used other methods on old Winthrop," grated the distant whisper. "Doc Savage is the last man on earth we want on our necks at this stage of the game. Savage is almost inhuman. He is a mechanical wizard, a scientific genius, and a man as strong as Hercules; and he applies all of his abilities to helping other people out of trouble. He goes in for big stuff. Something like we are pulling would be his meat."

"Boss," Bugs muttered, "there's somethin'' else."

"What?"

"A clerk must've been listenin' outside old Winthrop's door when - well, you know - and he overheard stuff, I don't know how much, because I croaked him before he could tell it all to Doc Savage's two men."

"You damned fool!" snarled the other. "There was nothing said in that telephone talk which would give me away."

"How was I to know that?" Bugs whined. "I was afraid he had a line on us. I had my silver outfit on, and I got hold of an old how and arrow and let him have it."

"Oh, you idiot!" the whispering man groaned. "Right in front of two men who are as brainy as they come. Doc Savage does not have any mental blanks working for him - like I seem to have."

"Aw," Bugs mumbled. "I got away, banged a fireman over the head and burned my silver outfit, so they couldn't find any finger prints or where it was made or maybe trace the cloth."


SEVERAL seconds of silence followed this; the distant mastermind seemed to be giving deep thought to the affair. Bugs, impatient at the delay, began speaking.

"If we just hadn't bumped old Winthrop," he said. "That was - "

"That was necessary!" the distant voice finished for him. "Winthrop was a man who would not hesitate to swindle an orphan, if it could be done legally. That fooled me. The old nut had his own screwy idea of honor. Or maybe he was afraid of the law. Anyway, he was going to tell the police all about us. And he knew plenty, especially about the job we had done in his shipyard."

"Well, Savage's two men are snooping," Bugs muttered. "What're we gonna do about that? Let it ride, huh? They ain't got a line to go on."