"032 (B032) - Dust of Death (1935-10) - Harold Davis" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robeson Kenneth)

Long Tom had the sudden feeling that he was looking upon the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life.
Ace Jackson made introductions.
"This is Seёorita Anita Carcetas, daughter of the president of this republic," he said. "Anita, I want you to meet Major Thomas J. Roberts, better known as Long Tom, electrical wizard extraordinary. And a lug who would rather fight than eat. And he loves his food. Where there's trouble you'll find Long Tom, and he's a pal of mine."
"I have not been so dazzled since I saw my first sunrise," Long Tom said gallantly.
His eyes told him things. These two were violently in love.
The girl was patting pillows, adjusting coverlets and bandages and otherwise making Ace Jackson comfortable. She was getting such a big kick out of it that Long Tom let her continue for a while. Then he spoke.
"You said something a moment ago," he reminded Ace Jackson.
The wounded flyer looked around the girl at him. "Eh?" he queried.
"The Inca in Gray," Long Tom explained.
Over Ace Jackson's face came an expression as if he had just met, face to face, a bitter and detested enemy.
"I guess it's a man," he muttered. "Sometimes, though, that don't seem so sure."
"Riddle me again," Long Tom suggested. "I like guessing games."
A thought struck Ace Jackson with all the visible effect of a physical blow. He reared up on the hospital cot, heedless of the girl's admonishing gasp.
"Gimme straight dope on something," he requested.
"Sure," Long Tom said.
"Did Doc Savage send you to Santa Amoza?" Ace Jackson asked pointedly.
Long Tom's answer was prompt.
"I came here solely to see an old pal, who had cracked up. And for no other reason," he said. "Now what is this ranting about an Inca in Gray? Is it a secret?"
Ace Jackson sat up rigidly on the cot.
"You won't believe this," he clipped. "But I'll give it to you, anyway."
"Go ahead," Long Tom invited. "I'm rather gullible."
"The Inca in Gray is responsible for this war!" Ace Jackson leaned back as if he had gotten something heavy off his chest.
Long Tom squinted at the bandaged aviator.
"I suppose this Inca in Gray is the nickname of some general of Delezon, the country Santa Amoza is fighting," Long Tom suggested.
"You don't get me right," Ace Jackson corrected. "The Inca in Gray is somethingЧsomething horrible. No one knows whether he is from Delezon, or what."
Ace Jackson sat up on the cot again. He leveled a gauze-wrapped arm at Long Tom.
"I'll give you one example," he said. "At one time the Santa Amoza army apparently had Delezon licked. We had broken through their lines in a big drive, and were marching across the desert toward their capital. Then, one night, every officer of consequence in the expeditionary force died, mysteriously. It was the work of the Inca in Gray."
"Sounds to me like the work of an espionage agent," Long Tom corrected.
Ace Jackson shook his head. "This Inca in Gray has done horrible things; murder, butcherings, things deliberately calculated to stir our nation into a frenzy. Our enemy, Delezon, would hardly do that. General Fernanez Vigo, commanding the enemy force, is a straight shooter, even if he is hell on wheels in a fight."
Long Tom grunted. "I still say espionage."
"I'll give you another example," Ace Jackson said. "There wasЧ"
Entrancing Seёorita Anita Carcetas interrupted.
"Let me give you the example of Seёor Ace Jackson," she said.
Ace Jackson scowled at his bandages. "I look like a swell example."
THE GIRL went on as if she had not been interrupted.
"Ace Jackson is commander of our Santa Amoza air force," she explained. "He learned that a fever was sweeping a certain mountain tribe of natives. Serum was needed to save them. Ace Jackson volunteered to fly this serum to the spot to save these people."
"Am I blushing," Ace Jackson muttered.
"The Inca in Gray tried to kill Ace Jackson," the girl finished. "Our enemy, General Vigo, would not have tried that. The fever epidemic is as much in his country as in ours."
Long Tom shook his head. "This doesn't sound reasonable."
"I know it," Ace Jackson growled.
"Just who is this Inca in Gray?" Long Tom demanded.
"Mystery," Ace Jackson retorted. "Nobody knows. He is just a name that you hear whispered."
Seёorita Anita Carcetas looked at Long Tom, but spoke to Ace Jackson, saying, "Ace, you might tell Long Tom what we were talking about this morning."
Long Tom interposed: "How did this Inca in Gray get you, Ace?"
"You know I never go up without going over my plane," Ace Jackson said. "I did this time not ten minutes before taking off. But a wing came off just the same. My parachute had been tampered with. It split, but evidently not as much as they had hoped. I got broke up some."
Long Tom nodded. "Now, what is this thing you were talking about?"
Ace Jackson opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. A door of the room had opened. A male nurse, the same one who had guided Long Tom, entered, carrying a glass of milk and some food on a tray. The nurse seemed very weary, as if he had worked long and hard hours. Perhaps, that explained the small accident which now befell him. An accident innocent of itself, but one which was to have grisly consequences.
He stumbled. Milk and viands landed on Long Tom's coat.
"Thousand pardons, seёor," the nurse gasped contritely, seizing a towel and mopping at the mess he had made. The towel did not help much.
"Forget it," Long Tom said.