"coffinfortheavenger" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tepperman Emile C)

"Yes," said Dick. "He did say something about a black tulip. But he was excited, and
he jumped from one thing to another. He said something about looking out for the black
tulip."

"I've never heard of such a thing," Nellie said. "It must be horrid. Imagine a tulip
being all black!"

"During the last war," Benson said slowly, "there was a vicious German spy who passed
himself off in this country as a Dutchman. He went by the name of Pieter van der Heusen.
He killed without compunction, and he had no mercy for men or women or children. But he
had an abnormal love of flowers. He spent all his spare time in horticulture. It was said
that his greatest ambition in life was to develop a black species of tulip!"

Nellie's eyes were on the Rolls-Royce, which was tearing down the road at a terrific rate
of speed.

"Crawford's in an awful hurry," she said. "But tell me about this Pieter van der Heusen.
Was he caught?"

Benson shook his head. "No. He operated in this country all through the war, and then he
went back to Germany and retired to grow tulips. No one knows whether he is still alive. If
he is--"

Benson left the thought unfinished, and Nellie said slowly, "I wonder--"

She broke off, gasping, and pointed to the big Rolls-Royce. It was nearing the bottom of
the hill, but instead of slowing down for the curve, its pace was increasing.

Nellie frowned. "He must have plenty of confidence in his brakes."

She uttered a short cry as the car leveled off at the foot of the hill and headed directly
for the hotel, never slackening its speed. Now, with the Rolls less than a hundred feet away,
they could clearly see George Crawford seated behind the wheel. He was upright, and seemed to
be leaning backward, and his mouth was working spasmodically as if he were trying to shout to
them. He seemed to be wearing a voluminous white coat of some sort, which was on backward.
The car was so close to the hotel now that they could see the coat had no lapels or buttons.

"It's Crawford!" Nellie exclaimed. "He must have lost control--"

She had no chance to finish for she was suddenly seized around the waist from behind by
Dick Benson. He fairly lifted her off the floor, and leaped backward toward the desk at the
rear of the lobby.


Benson didn't move a fraction of a second too soon, for he had hardly carried Nellie to
the safety of the desk at the rear of the lobby before the heavy Rolls-Royce, traveling
straight as an arrow, jumped the curb and crashed head-on into the front of the hotel.

The smashing impact of the immense juggernaut tore away part of the wall and the doorway