"Kenneth Robeson - Doc Savage 115 - The Fiery Menace" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robeson Kenneth)

Chapter II. ALL VERY FUNNY
DOC SAVAGE happened to occupy the same building.

He occupied the top floor, which was the eighty-sixth. For a long time there had been an effort to keep a
secret of this because of the plentiful assortment and, in some cases, the devilish cleverness of Doc
Savage's enemies. But for a period there had been no secret about the headquarters upstairs. In fact,
many of Doc Savage's clients had formed a habit of coming here with their troubles.

The troubles of his clients were actually Doc's troubles, because the business of the bronze man-as Doc
was called-was taking the weight off other people's shoulders when it came to dangers and difficulties.
This was the way a newspaper's feature writer had put it rather sarcastically. Doc Savage was not overly
popular with the press, although he was an excellent source of news; rather, his activities were. The
newspaper writer penned:

It is well known that Doc Savage makes a business of helping people out of trouble, provided the trouble
is so unusual that the police are non-functioning, or so big that the party cannot help himself. Or so they
report about Savage. They also report that he takes no pay; ever. Passing strange, to say the least.
Savage has five somewhat eccentric associates who are leaders in their fields. These men help him.
Together, they form a mysterious group-mysterious to this writer, at least. Danger is seemingly their only
business, and their pay is not profit.

The mention that some of Doc Savage's aids were тАЬsomewhat eccentric" applied to Lieutenant Colonel
Andrew Blodgett Mayfair. It applied to Monk Mayfair with bells on.

Monk Mayfair was about five feet two inches high and apparently about five feet nine inches wide. He
had a quantity of hair seemingly made of rusty shingle nails, most of it growing where hair should grow.
Inside his head, where apparently there was no room for anything, reposed as much knowledge about
chemistry as any man had yet been able to gather.

Monk had a runt hog called Habeas Corpus.

Monk and his hog rushed into the reception room of the eighty-six-floor skyscraper, and Monk said,
тАЬHam, is Doc in?тАЭ Monk wore a strange expression.

тАЬNot right now,тАЭ Ham Brooks explained. тАЬHe is down in Washington again trying to persuade them that
we should be in the front lines, fighting. I bet he gets the same answer-that the country needs our brains
more than our brawn. He'll come back as mad as a hornet.тАЭ

тАЬI wish he was here.тАЭ Monk rubbed his jaw. тАЬA man was just found downstairs. You know those big
modernistic ceiling chandeliers that light the lobby? He was in one of those. He was dead.тАЭ

Ham stared at Monk. тАЬIs that mentality of yours reflecting again? This sounds like one of its reflections.тАЭ

Monk scowled. тАЬI wish that Doc was here.тАЭ

тАЬWhy?тАЭ

тАЬBecause,тАЭ Monk said, тАЬthat man in the chandelier climbed into the chandelier hunting a vampire. I think
Doc would be interested in a thing like that.тАЭ