"Doc Savage Adventure 1945-01 The Hate Genius" - читать интересную книгу автора (Doc Savage Collection)

"As soon as we catch the real leader, and broadcast the fact, they won't assassinate the double."

"No. There would be no point"

Doc Savage frowned. "The man has changed his appearance, probably."

"No doubt."

"Have you his fingerprints?"

Gonnerman smiled grimly. "We have the only set in existence, as far as we know. They were taken by a police sergeant named Moestez in Munich following the well-known beer hall putsch. Later, after the Nazis came into power, he had all his police records destroyed, with particular attention to fingerprints. But Moestez kept these prints as a souvenir, and we have them."

"You are certain they are genuine?"

"Quite." Gonnennan indicated the dossier which Mr. Dilling was holding. "You will find a copy in there."

Doc Savage nodded. He had, now that he had heard the assignment, a heavier feeling than before about the thing. The fear was still with him, the same fear that had started to plague him on the fight across the Atlantic, when he'd had too much time to think. Out of this talk he had gotten a definite, bitter feeling of hopelessness.

Two days, he thought. Two days wasn't much time, and the immensity of the job was terrifying. He wished, with sharp aching violence, that the infernally crazy world would finally come to its senses and things like this would no longer be happening.

It was a mad, wild thing that one fanatic ex-paperhanger could cause so much terror and suffering, and this present thing of taking fight and leaving a double to be murdered and martyred was as wild as anything before.

Thinking how hair-brained it is doesn't help, he reflected wryly.

He looked up, and began to describe the redheaded man. He gave a complete word picture of the man, then asked, "Know him, any of you?"

"His name, I think, is Hans Berkshire. No record."

"He got on my trail," Doc said. "I thought he might be a Nazi agent assigned to the job of finding out just why I was in Lisbon. So I caught him, let him find out I was here to catch a man, and turned him loose."

Mr. Dilling didn't like that "I don't understand why you would do such a thing!"

"It was an idea."

Dilling frowned. "I don't get it."

Doc leaned forward. "We have no idea where our man is to be found. We might waste months hunting him."

"Yes, but -- "

"My idea is to draw attention to myself, disclose that I am after the Nazi leader. That was my purpose in handling the red-headed man as -- "

"My God, you'll pull them down on your head!" Dilling said violently. "They'll try to wipe you out! The minute they learn that you are on the job, they'll drop everything and try to get rid of you. And don't think they won't! Don't underestimate the effect you'll have on those fellows, Mr. Savage."

Doc said, "The attack on me will perhaps be made by someone in the confidence of the Nazi leader."

"Of course it will. They wouldn't take a chance of bringing in an outsider on a thing like this. The Nazi chief just took a few choice scamps into his confidence in this thing. We know that."

"Then whoever jumps me will probably know where the Fuehrer is."