"Doc Savage Adventure 1945-03 The Ten Ton Snakes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Doc Savage Collection)

"I think so," Doc said. "But tracing it down is going to take time. We want to talk to this Sir Roger Powell fellow without delay. So we had better turn the job of tracing down the laundry mark over to Monk."

"Good idea," Renny agreed.

Monk Mayfair was the only other one of their group who was in New York, or in the United States for that matter. Monk was Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Blodgett Mayfair, the chemist of their outfit.

Doc got Monk on the telephone.

"The blouse with the laundry mark will be in Renny's desk in his office," Doc said, after he had told Monk what had happened. "Your job is to get it, check back the laundry mark with the police, and find Bob French if you can. Better not waste any time."

Monk had a small squeaky voice. He wasn't too happy about the assignment.

"You guys wouldn't be shoving off some routine on me, so you can go after the exciting part?" he demanded.

"What makes you think that?"

Monk snorted. "I've had some previous experience."

"If you're not interes - "

"Oh, I'll go after the laundry angle," Monk said hastily. "But it's funny I always get this leg work."

Doc mentioned Monk's reluctance to Renny Renwick while they were riding an elevator down to the street. Renny said, "Monk always finds something to squawk about. But he's worse lately. I think he misses fussing with Ham Brooks since Ham went to Europe to work on that legal tangle the Nazis left."

Doc agreed that Monk certainly missed Ham. He added that it was a relief, though, not to have to listen to the quarrel the two had carried on for years, and not to have to put up with the practical jokes the two liked to pull on each other.

They got a cab.

"The Westland," Renny said.

"That's on Madison, ain't it?" the driver asked.

"Right."

During the ride, Renny told Doc Savage what he knew about Bob French. On the Yurig-shun job, on which Renny had been supervising engineer, French had been with the army engineer group assigned to the project. Renny had been assigned the same living quarters as French, a Chinese farmer's house, and they had become friends in the same fashion as any two men would become friends under the same circumstances. French's two-fisted ability had impressed Renny.

It was Renny's opinion that French would have been a Major or a Colonel - French was a buck sergeant - if the man had been more amenable to discipline. French was one of those fellows who didn't regard the war as a career, hadn't the slightest intention of staying in the army a minute longer than was necessary, and got away with anything and everything he could. Some of it he didn't get away with. He had been busted back to private grade several times for just helling around. But there was nothing wrong with Bob French's war-making. He was a guy who was in it to lick the Japs and Nazis, and the hell with the rest of it. Renny had liked him.

None of which shed much light on the matter at hand, Renny admitted.

"Here's the Westland," Doc said, looking out at a radio prowl car, a detective squad car and a police ambulance.



IV


"HOLY cow!" Renny said. "Things don't look too peaceful around here!"