28

DOC SAVAGE

“Fifty-centers,” Monk said of the cigars.

dense in the cold. Then Spatny moaned like “And his name seems to be J. Heron Spatny, a hound that had ground glass with his din-of 1880 Vista Road. His January light bill was ner.

eight dollars seventy. He has slightly over “Alfred is dead! Das ist zu arg! Oh my seven hundred dollars in cash.”

God!” He brought his hands to his face, and Monk made a second search. He didn’t long as his face was, his hands would span find a holster. “Where were you carrying the it. The yellow skin showed between the fin-gun?”

gers. “Is this true?” he blurted. Without wait-

“Why, it was reposing in my sleeve,”

ing for an answer, he added, “Alfred—I was Spatny said.

waiting here for him—he is my friend. He is in Monk got out and looked in the gate-danger. He told me so this morning, and house, came back and reported, “There’s a asked me for help. He made an appointment repeating shotgun standing inside the door, to meet me here, secretly, at midnight—after where he might have grabbed it if we had I agreed to help him.”

accepted his invitation for a conference in Savage said: “Midnight? A meeting there.”

here?”

The old man stirred uncomfortably.

The words came out of the mountain-

“Really, you’re attributing me with excessive ous old man like rain out of a cloud. His bloodthirstiness,” he complained.

name was J. Heron Spatny—the J. was for “Would you care to correct any other Jemnost—and he was a Czech, a refugee, wrong ideas we might have?” Savage infive years in this wonderful United States of quired.

America. He had refugeed via Vienna, Aus-Spatny sat with back bent, head tria, where he had met Albert Gross—then bowed. But the top of his head was nearly wearing the name of Albert Grossberger—against the top of the car anyway. He was under awfully nice circumstances. Albert had taller than Savage. He said: “First, would you helped him lam from the Nazis, I gathered.

mind telling me who you are?”

Here in America, Spatny had spent four Savage introduced himself, Monk May-years in the traveling salesman business in fair and me. The names seemed to mean Florida, and one year here in New York in the nothing to the old Alp.

flower business. He had a shop on Madison “I don’t know you,” Spatny said gloom-Avenue near Thirty-fourth Street, he said. He ily. “That’s my trouble—I don’t know enough was happy, getting rich, and Alfred Gross about anything. If Albert had just told me had turned up a few months ago, and they’d more . . . But he didn’t. Albert was so afraid, had a delightful reunion.

too.”

Alfred Gross didn’t seem to have any “Albert Gross?” Savage said.

business, and he had for partners in it Mr.

The old man lifted his head; it whacked McGraff and Mr. McCutcheon. Spatny inti-the top of the car, and he lowered it again.

mated

he

didn’t

like

McGraff

and

“You know Albert Gross?”

McCutcheon, didn’t think highly of them ei-Savage said: “Sammy, here, got better ther. But they, and Albert Gross, lived well at acquainted with him than the rest of us.”

this estate, which Gross professed to own.

“A wonderful chap, Albert, don’t you Spatny thought the Macs were refugees too.

think?” Spatny said to me.

Three idle refugees rolling in wealth, appar-

“Great,” I agreed. “Very quick with a ently.

rap on the head, that Albert.”

“Truthfully, I imagined they had profited “I wish we could get hold of Albert and well in the business of getting refugees out of have him vouch for you gentlemen,” Spatny Europe, and had settled down to enjoy the said thoughtfully.

fruits of their labors,” said the old man.

I said: “He ought to be easy to get hold Yesterday his friend Albert Gross had of. But he’s a little dead for vouching.”

called on Spatny; they’d lunched, discussed The old man jumped with every mus-old times, and Gross was noticeably jerky.

cle. He rocked the car like a rowboat. Think-But they hadn’t done business yesterday—he ing he was starting a go-around, I ducked.

kept referring to day before yesterday as yes-But he gave only the one jump, sank back in terday—and the next day Gross had called the seat, and laid off breathing for a while. It on him again. Gross had intimated he was in was quiet enough to hear our breath con-a predicament, his life was in danger, and NO LIGHT TO DIE BY