Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

10 Eleanor aiu? lier mother stepped oiit from the lift on tlie ground floor of the building, but in the eiitiance hall ilrs. Baxter asked abruptly: "Have you brought the Ri-ocei-y h'st?" Eleanor looked in her handbag. "No, I haven't!" she exclaimed. "I must have left it on the table. Back we go!" They ascended to the fifth floor, found to their surprise that the door of the flat was ajar, and staled in astonislunent at MadeloTi' Martin as she advanced towards them in the sittins-ioom. "Oh, hallo!" said the intnider with a dis- arming smile. "I cairie over to borrow a cup of sugar. Your door was open, so I just walked in." "Oh!" said Eleanor. " I hope you don't mind ?" "Of course not." the supposed Mrs. Baxter assured her. "I'll get it for you." And she hurried away to the kitchen. "How is Piofessor Leonard getting along?" asked ]\fadelon. "Quite nicely, thank you." Eleanor rejilied. "I saw him yesterday. He seemed nuich better." "Oh, I'm so glad I Dr. Carter's really a remarkable man." "Yes," agreed Eleanor," quite remarkable." Afis. Baxter loturnrd with a cupful of s\igar and handed it to jNIadelon, who professed to be very grateful and said that she would ret\uii it next day. Eleanor and the older woman looked at one anothci' after she had gone. "That door was locked!" said the motherly Secret Service agent. "Yes," confirmed Eleanor. "I think one of us had bettei stay here always in future." "Could she have found anything to make her suspicious?" "No." Eleanor shook her liead. "John is very careful to have only Professor Leonard's papers here." Dr. ("art"r was in his office one morning about a week afterwards, and was talking to JIason, when tli^ dictograph on the desk claimed his attention. The receptionist in the hall aimoiuiced that a Mr. Corbiu desired to Bee him. "Corbiu?" Carter seemed to have some difficulty in recalling the name. "Oh, jes, send him in." Mason was waved awa.v. and into the room walked Johnson. His right arm was in a black sling. The receptionist was with him. " Good-iuorning, IMr, Corbiu, " said Carter in a professional maimer, "and how is the arm to-day?" "Much betler, doctor, much better," responded Johnson. "That's good." The receptiotu'st withdrew, and the instant the door was closed Carter's manner changed. "What are you doing here, Johnson?" he rapped. " Why did you leave the Duncan Aircraft factory?" Johnson made a grimace. "I loft one jump ahead of a Oovernment agent," he said. "T didn't have time to con- tact you." He withdiew his arm from the Fflug, and with it a very thin roll of tracing- paper. "I (lid manage to bring something with me. however—the specifications for the new pursiu't planes they're b\iilding." Carter took the roll with a grunt of satis- faction. "You're certain you weren't followed here ?" "Positive." Johnson slipped the sling over liis head and lanmicd it into a coat-pocket. "You've nev(>r worked in this section, have you ?" "No." "PI! arrange to place you in the Standard Munitions plant." A drawer of the desk was opened and a bulky envelope was taken from it. " Here are the iriontification papers for your new role—driver's licence, birth certifi- cate, family history. You'd better start memorising them now." "Yes, sir." Johnson ripped open the envelope, and Carter spoke into the dicto- graph : "Get me Walter Clark on the phone. You ran reach him at (ho Standaid Munitions plant." January Ctli, 1040. BOY'S CINEMA - He had no idea that his telephone line had been tapped, but the Goveriunent agent in the flat across the street took down in short- hand every woid that passed between him and Walter Clark, and he handed Ted Hall a typed transcription. "I've just intercepted this conversation," he reported. Ted read the transcription. "Notify the Department to pick up this Walter Clark," he said. Johnson, in the course of studying the papers which had been given him. happened to look out at a window of the office. John, in a spotted dressing-gown and slippers, was sitting on a bench in the grounds, and the spectacled spy caught sight of him, " Dr, Carter," lie burst out excitedly, "who is that man?" Carter joined him at the window, "That's Professor lyeonard. He's suffering from amnesia. Why?" " He looks like one of the Government men who arrested 11.27 at the Duncan Aircraft plant!" Carter stared, then frowned. "You must be mistaken," he said, "Possibly," shrugged Johnson, "but tlie resemblance is remarkable," Carter spoke into the dictograph: "Have Professor Leonard brought to my office immediately." The nurse called Anna went out into the grounds and presently ushered .John into the office. Johnson's back was turned because he was looking out through the window. "Wait outside, Anna." directed Carter. He closed the door upon her and faced John, who was standing perfectly still, "Well, pro- fessor, I've a friend of yours here." "A friend?" John looked puzzled. " Yes—Johnson." Johnson turned away from the window. "Hallo. Baxter." he said, oflFering his hand. "You remember me?" John ignored tli<e hand, and his face was a blank. "No. I don't," he said slowly. "The Duncan Aircraft factoiy." Johnson took ofY his hat. "Duncan Aircraft?" John looked him over and shook his head. "I'm sorry." "Well, maybe I've made a mistake, doctor," murnuu'ed the spy. "I wish I could remember." said John. "I —T haven't been well lately." "That's all right, professor." Carter inter- vened. "Mr. Johnson understands." He opened the door. "Anna, take the professor to his room." The nurse went off with the patient, and the door was closed again. "Well?" rasped Carter. "There is a resemblance." said Johnson, Carter used the dictograph, spoke to an interne named Richards, "Keep a close watch on "Professor liconard," he instructed. "Arrange with Foster to relieve you. Ho may be a Government agent," He spoke to the receptionist again, telling her to get Miss Martin on the teleplione, atid in a very few minutes Madelon Martin was talking to him from her flat. "No. I haven't been able to as yet," she said. "They only go out one at a time." "I'll arrange to get them both out at once," he a.sserted, and he put through a call to John's flat. Eleanor answered, and he told her regret- fully that Professor Leonard had had a relapse. "Oh, no!" she gasped. "I may be alarming you needlessly," he went on, "but (he relapse seems quite serious, T woulfl suggest that you come at once and bring his mother and any other close rela- tives. fJood-bye," "Good-bye," she faltered, ITer make-believe mother sprang up from a chair as the telephone was replaced on the little desk. "What's wrong?" she cried. "I don't know," gulped. Eleanor. "That horrible Dr. Carter says John hns suffered a relapse." " But he isn't sick I" Every Tuesday "The doctor wants us both to go over there at once." "Who are you calling?" Eleanor had returned to the (eiephone with sudden resolution, and was dialling a number. "Colonel Scully," she replied. The colonel was in his room at the War department. He listened attentively to what she had ro say. "You'd better go," he informed her. "We don't know what they're up to, bur if we play along with them wo may find out. You have a gun?" Eleanor said, rather shakily ,that she pos- ses.sed a gun. "Fine! Take it with you. At the first sign of trouble (lie a shot a? a signal. There ^^ill be plenty of men near at haud^the place is surrounded. Good luck." THE SIGNAL ELEANOR and her mother set off for the sanitarium in a taxicab. There was nothing in particular to sugjje.^t that the place was surrounded when tiie cat) drew up outside the building, but half a df^^en Secret Service men wore concealed behind the cur- tains of the flat opposite, and a grey car that was parked some little way along the street was full of plain-clothes men. Men who were trimming he«ge.s and mow- ing lawns in the immediate vicinity were actually Federal agents, and so worn two tele- phone linesmen, who made a pretence of work- ing in a manhole outside the gate.s of the sanitarium. The butt of a guti projected from the hipporket of one of tlie pair «.i he bent over a cable in the manhole, ard his com- panion gave him a warning nudge. "Better cover up that gun," he ■said under his breath. A manservant admitted Eleanor and her mother, and the receptionist conducted them to the office, whore Carter greeted them. "How is my "son?" asked Mn. Baxter anxiously. "Much better," was the reply, "I'm sorr.y if I worried you unnecessarily, hut half an hour ago his condition was most grave," "But he is better now?" asked Eleanor. "Oh, yes. he's sleeping. However. I'd appreciate it if you would wait until he wakens." "Of couise we will." "I bolieve your presence would reassure him. Thoie's a pleasant snr.-parlour on the first floor, if you'd like to wait there. I'll have a nurse show you where it in." He put his head out into the hall and called to the receptionist: "Miss Loring, have these ladies shown to the sun-parlour." "Yes, doctor." The §rirl left her desk to take charge of the two visitors. "I'll be in Room C—if anyona wants me." Carter crossed his oflSce into the raom with the projector and the screen, and the recep- tionist! summoned a nuree by means of the dictograph on her desk. On the other side of Elm Street a long, dark blue saloon stopped out-sid-^ the apart- ment-house and Colonel Sculiy alighted from it. He was seen by his men, wiia were at the windows of the first-floor flat, and the front floor of the flat was opened the moment ho reached it. Ted mot him a.s he entered. "How long a.go did Eleanor and Mrs. Baxter go in?" questioned the colonet. "Just a few minutes ago." Ted's nerves were on the stretch. " Don't you think we'd bettor step on it ?" "No." The colonel was very definite. "I want to give Baxter every chance to get all possible evidence." "Yes, sir," gritted Ted. Mason had drawn the curtains over the win- dows in Room C, at the sanitarium, and had switched on the lights. He v/aa threading a film into the projector when Carter walked in at the door, Johnson was sifting at the long table, and the doctor dropped into a chair on his left, "Come along, Mason, come .along," he said impatiently. The lights wore extinguished, and on to the screen came the picture that had l.»eeti shown I