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DOC SAVAGE

“We found the little radio in Miss Feni-know what it was. “Miss Fenisong!” I yelled.

song’s purse,” he said, and there could have “Paula! What have they—are you all right?”

been acid in his mouth.

She scared me stiff by not answering.

“Is she all right?” I asked around the “Paula!”

rocks in my throat.

She stirred a little then. There was “What do you think?”

cloth, not clean either, tied over the lower part of her face for a gag. I tried to tear it loose, but McCutcheon leaned over and Chapter X

struck my hand with his gun, hurting my fingers and not caring much whether he banged THE bridge went up. It made a satis-up Paula’s face.

factory—to McCutcheon—whoop of a sound “You don’t seem to realize,”

in the leaking night. Judging from the jump McCutcheon said, “that you’re not long for the ground gave, and the flash, there had this world—less if you keep it up the way been enough dynamite under the bridge to you’re going.”

ruin it. It seemed to rain harder for a moment “Both of us?”

after that.

“Both of you,” he said.

The second explosion came quickly.

The car, a sedan, was traveling head-Thirty seconds later, perhaps. It was at least long through the night, but not so headlong half a mile distant.

that it was likely to somersault off the road.

“Another bridge?” I asked.

And when they came to a parkway where “The only other one,” McCutcheon there was other traffic, they drove as deco-said. “That road runs across a stinking little rously as anybody, but just a bit faster.

swamp island. The mud is neck deep just “Where did you get the dynamite?” I about everywhere but on the island.”

asked.

“Savage can swim, probably.”

McCutcheon said, “We had been figur-

“Uh-huh. And find a house, if he knows ing on a nice bombing for a guy we know.

where to look. The nearest one is about a You know him too. Anyway, it was in the car.

mile. . . . But that will take time. An hour, There’s even some left.”

maybe. Say it’s only half an hour—that will McGraff said, “What’s the idea telling get us where we’re going.”

him that?”

It seemed that there was another road, “Pay attention to your driving,” the tall better-paved than the one we were on, that Mac said.

cut back to this one. Presently their car came “You’re going to kill us?”

along that road, moving fast, and stopped “Probably.”

when its headlights splashed upon us.

“Why? . . . Because we’re friends of Short Mac looked out at me and said to Savage? That will just upset him a little tall Mac, “Why didn’t you shoot him and get it more.”

over with?”

McCutcheon shrugged. “Don’t give us “I think he’s one of Fleur’s boys,”

that. You’re working for Fleur,”

McCutcheon said.

“Both of us? The girl, too?”

“That’s what I mean.”

“Could be.”

“He might be useful.”

“Who’s Fleur?” I asked.

The short one shrugged. “All right. He’s “Hah, hah,” McCutcheon said.

your responsibility, though.” He was dis-pleased about it and, as I climbed into the car, he swung some kind of short blow to my APPARENTLY the doings were to be neck that sent me headfirst into the machine, held back in town. McGraff drew the car to with my head full of fireworks. More of his the curb on a side street in what was clearly judo. By the time things settled down, the better part of town. He turned, swung his McCutcheon was in the back seat with me, hand over the seat back to show me it con-had his gun in my eye and the car was mov-tained one of the biggest guns ever to go ing.

unmounted on wheels, and made a speech There was something soft against my cut out of raw flesh. He said: “Albert Gross left side, and only one touch was needed to was our friend in a way you will not understand unless you have risked your life for a NO LIGHT TO DIE BY