Chapter III

17

STRANGE FISH

Then Johnny was telling the story. He began with the fat man's appearance in New York, on Paris' trail. He told briefly who Paris Stevens was.

Johnny finished his story and listened.

He hung up.

“What do you know about that!” he muttered. “He's coming down here!”

Chapter IV

DOC SAVAGE looked at the telephone thoughtfully. He was surprised himself. The call had caught him while he was working in the laboratory. The lab was a part of his headquarters suite. The work he had been doing was routine research into the stress−strain factors of plastics, monotonous and not too important. He was in a mood to welcome excitement. But he wondered if he hadn't jumped too quickly at this thing, whatever it was.

He swung around slowly in his chair, facing the window. New York City at night was spread below him. His place was on the eighty−sixth floor of one of the tallest midtown buildings. Below was the string of lights that was Broadway, beyond that the dark panel with the jeweled beading of lights that was Central Park. New York City at night. It was, beyond doubt, one of the world's great sights. It never failed to give him a bang.

“Monk,” he called.

Monk Mayfair was one of his aides. Monk was a chemist, a noted one. Complete with title, he was Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Blodgett Mayfair. Monk was short, wide, hairy, as homely as a movie actor's nightmare, and had one bad trait of doing almost anything for a gag now and then.

Monk came in. He had taken the Oklahoma call.

Doc said, “Did you listen in on that call on the other phone?”

Monk nodded. “Yeah, I stayed on the wire.”

“I suspect we had better check on the thing,” Doc Savage said sheepishly. “Better find out whether there is such a ranch and a ranch foreman named Johnny Toms, and whether the call actually came from the ranch.

And I suggest you get hold of Ham Brooks and have him check on the girl, Paris Stevens, and find out what he can.”

“You haven't,” Monk asked suspiciously, “any particular reason for the order of business you just mentioned?”

“Eh?”

“If you don't mind,” Monk said, “I'll check on the girl, and let Ham have the Indian.”

“Fight it out with Ham,” Doc said.