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

HE decided not to tell her now. There were several reasons for not doing so. There might be a microphone in the room, for one thing. The main reason was that he had, actually, not the slightest intention of letting Pat get involved in the affair. He couldn't think of a way now of bustling her off to New York, but he hoped to. In the meantime, he would keep her from finding out anything.

He said, "The man is a little less than average size, ruddy complexion, a few freckles, a grin like a man about to bite a baby. And red hair. The reddest hair you ever saw. Know him?"

"Not in my book," Monk said.

"I don't recall such a person," Ham said.

Pat looked interested. "Does he laugh a lot when he talks, and tell corny gags now and then? Seems to have a fancy cane and gloves to match every suit he wears?"

"About his talk I couldn't say, but he had brown gloves and a cane," Doc admitted. "He got on my trail as soon as I stepped off the plane."

Pat said, "He must be a fellow who has been popping his eyes at me. Didn't seem like a bad egg."

"You met him?"

"He introduced himself."

"What seemed to be his business?"

"Monkey business, the same as most guys who introduce themselves to me," Pat said. "He didn't strike me as a bad character, although he gets you down with his jokes, and you have the feeling that he has more energy than he knows what to do with."

"Know anything definite about him?"

"No, I don't."

Doc frowned, and decided that they had better take a look at his red-headed man to make sure it was the same one Pat knew. He told Monk, Ham and Pat how the carrot-top had followed him from the Clipper base, and explained the trick he had used to mislead the fellow. "The theory of the trick was that he will ask the cab driver where he left me, and the cab driver will sell him the information, then also sell him the fact that he, the driver, has an envelope which he was to keep and deliver to me later. The envelope isn't sealed, so they will immediately take a look at the contents, and find that the stuff seems important So the red-headed man, to get back on my trail, will be watching the waiting cab driver in front of the Hotel Giocare." He added dubiously, "If it all works out right."

It did.


"THAT'S my red-headed man," Pat said. "That's Full-of-Jokes."

The red-headed man was sprawled on the grass in Giriegia Park. He had spread newspapers out on the grass and was lying on them, making a pretense of contemplating a statue of Pedro IV, emperor of Portugal during the troublesome Miguelite war period.

The cab driver had parked at the curb about forty yards distant and was sitting on the runningboard of his vehicle lunching on a bottle of wine and a long loaf of bread.

"I'm sure," Pat said. "I'm positive that's the same red-headed fellow."

"What would happen if you walked up to him?" Doc asked.

"How do you mean?"

"Are you on good terms? Have you slapped him, or anything, the way you've been known to do?"

"Not yet," Pat said. "Although I've a hunch he's a fellow who could stand a little slapping. What have you got on your mind?"

Doc explained, "We might as well rake that fellow in now and see what he can tell us."