Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

Every Tuesday to John—tlio picture of the " (iciiioiisliiition " at ihc llaichiig provint? k'oii"<I»- • "Thai's tlio man 1 iiR'aii," pohitod Caiter. "Ho's (alkiiiK to Piofessor licoiiard now. Thfio h(! goes- out on to the field." "That's Baxter's ii.ssistant!" exclaimed Johnson. "I.ighl.s!" balked farter; and tlie ("ilin was s(of)ped and the liglits wpi'e switclied on. "Mis as.sistant? Jle was killed by the gas. Mason, get back to the laboratory." Mason went off to the laboratory on tho (\cKti- above. The light of day never entered it because the windows were covered with steel screens, and it was in darkness. IIo switched on a single lamp, over one of tho benches, and he went to a washing tank whence he removed a whole-plate negative. Evachng the nurse in charge of him, John had stolen into the laboratory a few niirmtes Iwfore, and he had slipped into a cupboard at the approach of footsteps. IJe pushed the cupboard door open a little way, and he watched Mason carry the negative to the box- like contrivance and insert it in the frame. A light in the box illuminated an X-Ray picture of a human hand, but the light was (nrned off. a switch on the other side of the box was depressed, and the X-lvay picture vanished magically, and plans of an aeroplane appeared in its stead. John streaked out from the cupboard, flung himself upon Mason, and with a terrific right hook to the jaw knocked him senseless to the floor. With the cord of his dressing-gown he bound the assistant hand and foot, and then he gagged him with a handkerchief, threw off the dressing-gown and wrapped it round the inert bod}'. There was a lied-room on the other side of the corridor. .John looked out into the cor- ridor to make sure that the coast was clear, then picked Mason up in his arms without any great effort, carried him across into the bed-room, and dumped him on the bed. He went back into the laboratory, and he inserted other plates in the box-like contrivance ^nd tried tho lo^^•-frequency lighting upon t4iem. Down in the hall, a manservant opened the front door to Madelon Martin, who made straight for the receptionist's desk. "Where's Dr. Carter?" she asked urgently. "He's in Room C," the girl informed her, "but he's busy right now." Madelon burst into the room where Carter was talking to Johnson. "Dr. Carter." she said. "I searched the apartment and found this. It's the ring I gave Phil Dnnlap!" Carter took the ring and recognised it. His deep-set eyes glittered in a very different fashion from the diamond. "Get back to your apartment and stay there imtil you hear from me," he said. Madelon departed, and Carter rose. "I think it's time we had a talk with Pro- fessor Leonard," he rasped ominously, anij he led the way out to the stairs..' Avoiding the sim-parlonr, where Eleanor and hor mother were still waiting, the two reached John's room—and foimd it deserted. They looked into other rooms, and in the bed- room opposite the laboratory they found Mason and freed him of his bonds. Mason explained what had happened, and Carter jabbed a finger against a bell-push on the wall. A male nurse appeared. "There are two Vadies in the sun-parlour," Carter said to him. "Take them down to my office." The nurse nodded and went off. Carter took an automatic from his pocket, and Mason and .Johnson followed his example. They crossed the corridor and they burst into the laboratory. John was at the cabinet where the X-Ray plates were kept, and one of the plates was in his hands. He swung round as lights blazed in the ceiling, and he dropped the plate and held his hands above his head. " Pi-ofessor." said Carter in a voice that was as haid and cold as steel, "you're quite a good actor. Not only did you convince me that you were Professor I^eonard. but I really believed in your amnesia. Take him to my office." Mason and Johnson gripped John by the arms and he went meekly with them. Carter DOT'S CINEMA followed down the stairs and into the ofl'ico, an<l his face e.\pressed evil pli-asurc as ho witn('s.sed John's consternation at finding I'^leanor there—and J'jicanor's iiorror at sight of tho guns. But John masleied his emotion and .walked straight over to her. "(!()t a cigarelloV" he asked. She opened her handbag and gave him a cigarette from it, then held a lighter for him. Carter was at a drawer of his desk. "Looks like we're in a jam," whispered John. "It does look that way, doesn't it?" she whispered back; and then, with wonderftd self pos.se.^sion, she took out a lipstick and a little mirror and began to make-up her lips. Carter was taking a hypodcrnn'o syringe from the drawer. He filled it from a blue bottle, iind while he was doing this I'lleanor wiote on the little nn'rror with her lipstick and held the mirror so that John could see it. She had « ritten : "Men outside. Signal one shot." Johnson, suddenly suspicious, snatched at the mirror. He saw what was on it and he showed it to Caiter, who eyed Eleanor mur- derously and said : "Put your guns away! No shooting under any circumstances!" Johnson took jio-ssession of Eleanor's hand- bag. Carter s|X)ke into the dictograph: "Miss r^oiing. tell the entire staff to pack. We're leaving." ]fe rang a bell, and the nurse named Foster entered. "Take the ladies out—I'll call for them when I'm read}'!" Eleanor and her mother went out reluc- tantly with the stalwart male nurse. Mason closed the door, and Carter strode over to John with the hypodermic. "Bare your right arm, please," he rapped. .lohn began slowly to roll up his sleeve. His right forearm was bared, and Carter was about to plunge the needle of the hypodermic into the flesh when John's leTt fist came up and round with the violence of a sledge- hammer, caught him on the point of the jaw, and sent him thudding against the desk. Mason and Johnson, who had put away their gims. sprang forward simultaneously, but Mason went down from a straight left that made his lip bleed, and .Johnson dropped to his knees from a straight right that smashed his spectacles. John was out in the hall before they were on their feet, and he was up in the laboratory " Get back to your apartment and stay there until you hear from me ! " a and had locked III" tloor beforo they reached if. "liicuk tliat lUmr down!" bellowed Cirter. MaMOM and Jolinhoii put Itieir 'l^lionUI'-ni to lh('(lo()i-. bill Jiihii had bairicaded it with iho caliiiiel and a bench, and though the lock gave way, the door did not op.'ii. "He's got. Mjnielliiiig fixed against it," panted Mason. "Wait a minute!" Juhngori whipped out his gun. "I'll gel him !" "I said no shooting!" roared Carter. Johnson held liis gun by il.s barrel and used the butt to hammer at one of the iianeU of the door. The panel was broken, but John was ready with a bottle of ammonia and hurled it at the gap. Tho choking fumes drove the atlaekors away from the door till iFie air near it was breathable, and then Carter drew his auto- matic and attached a silencer to it. "They won't hear this one!" he said, and stepped forward and fiicd at John a3 he was reaching up to a shelf. There was hardly any sound, but thf»re was a jet of flame, anrl a bullet whisrlerl past John's head. He dropped to the floor, and a bench concealed him from hi.s enemie.^. but a bottle of nitro-glycei ine was in liis hand. The three made a united thrust against the door, and the door was forced opeii about 3 ff)ot. Carter ■ squeezed in past the bench, blundered into the cabinet, and dropped his gun. He did not look for it in th" darkness, but grabbed up a glass jar and held ir abov^ his head with the intention of smashing it upon tiie crouching figure fiehind the bench; but John dived beneath another bench, rose up on Ihe far side of it and threw the bortle of iiitro-glyceiine with all his might. The explosion that followed, as the bottle broke against the wall, was like the sound of a shot to those who waited across the street. "There's the signal!" cried Colonel Scully, and he and his men rushed out from the fl.-it, while the men in the manhole scrambled out from it. the trimmers of hedges and tho mowers of lawns dropped their tools and drew their guns, and the plain-clothes men jumped out from the grey car armed with snb-machine- gun':. Windows were shattered by bullets and Federal agents climbed in at the windows. The lock of the front door was shot to pieces, the hall was invaded. ^Members of Carter's staff who tried to repel the invade;-? were shot down. The receptionist stood screaming Januaij 6tb. 194<j.