Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

t 0 Every Tuesday nvoid sqiuuls of h(>.ivy booted soldicis. Wiit at iiist tht'V leiiclu'd the seciiiity of lin- lodyiiiu*. While Steve diied his clothes iiiid hi,-. -(|iul(h- iii<; shoes, she iiiiido some tea iiiid lohl him M)iiiethiii<j ot heiself. lie leiuiicd her iiuine wiis Nediii, mid «lie whh II .siii;,'ei-, now out of work hecaii.-e people had Ml little irioiiey to sfieiid on pleasiiie. 'I'hen she (handed the sulijeet. and asked simply why they had been shoot in;,' at Steve. "Well, it se<'m(i I'm a liailoi- to the State," ho said drily. "Oi-, anywa.x', a confedeiate of a traitor." "'I'laitor?" she whis|)ered, widecyed. "Who wa.s it ?" Steve told her ahoid .voiing Carlson. '',1 was lucky," he said grimly. " lliil they .him." vas shocked to se(> lier eyes (ill uilli tears br mouth tremble, rdered." she pasped. "Murdered I" "Did you know him?" asked Steve luu-asily. "He was my brother," she .said brokenly. He could see her liKhfinjf to get a jjrip on her- fclf as lie sat theie dumbly watchiuH' hei. '■ Von're in very .urave danger, Mr. Kendall." she said evenly. "H the Secret I'olicc find .vou I have no doubt you will be just as coii- x'liiently murdered. This is the safest place for yon." Steve frowned, and she added urgently: " Uon't trv to leave under any circumstances. Von can sleep here somewhere. To-morrow ^ nioniing I'll ir.v to help you—if I can. Good- night !" Stove watched her go into the V)ed-room and shut the door. 'J^hen he stretched himself out on the sofa. lie had just discovered he was dotr-tired, and, at that moment lie didn't care wiiat the Secret Police did. But the inspector of the Secret Police—a hull-necked mi'ii liated by the citi/.ens-^was still inteiested in Steve. He was receiving the report of Wilson. "Jlc ma" liave escaped, sir." said the secret agent, "but I doubt it. One of my bullets must have hit him." "I hope so." the other growled. "You blundered badlv. lieutenant. b\- placing him under arrest. You should have waited for our launch before taking action." "T know, inspector." " He must l)e a member of the same organisa- tion that wrecked the s.s. Sender." said the chief savagely. "We have to break that ring, lieutenant !" "The other man. Carlson, was communicat- ing with some shore statioi\," began Wilson. "We have already traced the r-oimection!" "One of our men?" Wilson asked. The inspector saicl nothinir. He pressed a button, and when an oi(lerl\ (.iitie he handed him a box that he took from a drawer. "Take this to Ijieut<'naiit Kelli-r and wait for the ansv.er!" Wilson's eyes widened. Tveller. the radio operator I He knew that in the box was a revolver, and that the traitor h,id been ofTered an ea.sy way out. KENDALL MUST DIE ! NKDRA was ushered into the book-lined study of the little grey-haired doctor who headed the revolutionary organisation that was fighting the dictatorship. She had slipped out without awakening Steve, and had been picked up in a car by Oair, the doctor's chief assistant, a tall, lean man who said little. "Come in. my dear," said the little man sympathetically, taking her hand. "1 don't have to tell you how sorry I am. We'll miss Carl even more than vou will. Xedra," "You knew my brother befoie this—this this horror started!" she burst out. "He was kind— brilliant! Now he's dead. Why, doctor, why ?" "I don't know why." he said sadly. "All wo can do is fight for the things we know are just and tnie." "When Carl stopped sending," the girl went en softly, "I knew somethinsr had happened. 1 wenjt to the dock m.vself to see if I could learn anything. It was too late." "And you didn't meet anyone?" asked Doctor Fromm. She looked np, hesitated, then said: "No!" He nodded thoughtfully. BOY'S CINEMA "I nee. And the Kalcon?" "They started unloading her this moniini,;. We failed, doctor." Doctor.Fromm rose. " \'ou did your best." Then he swung rouiiij to face iier. " \'ou must get rid iti that American at once. He is a menace to every one of us. 'Ctu'v have spread a net lor him. He will be killed!" The girl v.as shocked into sihiice. 'Hn-n she stammered: "He knows nothing .iboiil lhi». Carl stumbled across him in the radio room by accident." " Vou can liardly expect the Secret Police to believe that," her .supeiior shrugged. "He- sides, they have already reported his death to the American lOnbassy. Now they will make sure he sta\ s dead." "What can I do, doctor?" shi- a^kcMl anxi- ously. " Don't go back to your rooms. They may pick up his trail. In that case it would lead to .vou—to all of \is, perhaps." "It's not fair. It isn't liis fight. I'm not going to add his life to that of my luother. I've got to help him !" "I'm soriv, Nedra," the old man said slernlv. "Vou have .your orders!" "Very well, doctor," she said dull.v, and walked slowly from the room. Immediately she had gone, Doctor Fj-omm turned to the sileul (Jair. "Gair, Nedra is going to try to Iielp that boy! We must get lid of him—at once!" Steve Kendall had decided that since Ne<ha hadn't come back, lu' mic>lit as well have some breakfast. He was fr.ving an egg when he heard a gentle knock on the door. He crossed over, frying-pan in hand. "Who is it?" "Is Nedra there? This is a friend of, hers." "Well," Steve chuckled, "any friend of hers ought to be welcome in her house." He opened the door, and eyc'd the tall man with a thin moustache who stood there. "My name is Gair," he said cpiietly. 'Mind if I come in ?" Steve waved him in. He shut the door, and leaned with his back against it. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kendall," he diawled. and Steve whirled round to find an automatic covering him. "And all the time T thought you were a magazine salesman workino- your way through college!" Steve grinned, his body tensing. "I'll have to ask you to leave here with me." "I'm sorry. I can't go with vou just now," said Steve lightly. "You leave with me—now!" Gair's e.ves were cold. He was a fanatic where danger to his movement was concerned. He had nothing personally against Steve, but he had received his .orders. "All right." Ste\e sighed. He turned towards the door, then, without A\arning, swung the frving-pan in a wide arc. It struck the gun ^vith a clang, sending it flying from tiair's hand, and Steve closed with him. They fought fiercely, until Steve loosed a punch with all his weight behind it, and sent Gair sprawling, da/.ed, on the floor. Triumphant, the radio operator snatched up the gun. "Something tells me I'm the only man in this country without one of these things," he gasped. "I think —I'll just take care of it until vour headache is better." He waved around the room as Gair rose shakily. "That's no way to behave in a lady's apartment, friend! You .got it all messed np, and you're gonna have to put it back together again." He pointed ruefull.y to the eggs on the carpet. " My eggs, you know. Those are the last two in the house, and I'm starving. Well, I can have a cup of coffee, an.yway. Would you have a cup. Air. Gair?" Gair, rubbing his jaw, was trying to under- stand this strange young man when Nedra burst in. "Gair!" she gasped. "Who sent .you—■ Doctor Fromm?" "Of course. Nedra," he growle<l. "You must have realised by now that he's always right." "Yes. After all the work I've done for him 18 for all of you- (Ills io thf way you pay mu back." "Hut, Nedia, you didn't work f'^r him, or for me. Wliat you did wim for your country, •Mid your pefiplc." She h.irj ii, admit he wan tinbt, but (■he snappe<| : "Tell Doctor KiO'iim it'n no ii-e trying |>. slop me. I'm going (o do cveiylhiiig I con (oi Kendall.'' Steve. Kipiiing lii« eolTe*-, watched fJnir lihrug, and then quietly leave the aparliiient. " Wlio is he, anyway? Ami wlm the deuce is the doctorV" "1 can't tell you that, Steve." she «aiil ((iiietly. "Later, pfihaps. I'm gnitig to help you get out of the country. Tluie i» cicm! dang<-r. The Secret I'oli<o liave leportoflyoii dead." Ili.s eyebrows lose. "And tlie.y in lend to keep it official!" "Charming cily you have Iiere—two million people with but a single thought—murdei!" "On an international scale," she said liaiBhly. "Do you ' know what cargo the Falcon wii'i carrving in its number three lioW?" Steve shook his head wondeiingly. and she went on grimly: " Clieniici:ls ! Cliemicali to inaUe poison gas enough to destroy a big city! That's wliy we wanteil to wreck your diip before it could laud. Onr country is run by a pack of mad dogs I'' She got a grip on herself, and began more calmly to discuss ways of getting hini away. He protested that he didn't want to involie her any more deeply: that he had dotie nothing wrong, and hadn't anytlilng to woir.v about. "I'll go to the American Contul right now, and give myself up !" "Don't be a fool. Steve! They have men posted everywhere—waiting for you to do just that. You won't get within a mile of the Embas.s.v." She gave him some old clothes, including a hat which was much too big for him, but elt'ectivel.v shaded his face. " I'ut these on. We'll make a break to night as soon as it gets dark. I think I know soine<ine who can help nie. An American, like you." TIO'S CAFE THE American lan a cafe. He called him- self Tio. and nobody k))ew his real name. He was a big man with a strong face and a heavy moustache, who never gave himself away. When Nedra entered the c;ife. leaving Stevc! in a cat) outside, his assistant. Stud.s, an ex-jockey, welcomed her warmly and left her sitting :it a table. She had worked for Tio, as a sin.gcr, and when the big man came and .sat oi'posito hei' he wanted her to go and ilo a number straight away. The cafe was full, a large number of the patrons being thick-necked men in luiiforin. His fliarp glance told him something was worrying her. "Wait, Tio." she beggetl in low tones. "A friend of mine—an American—has to get out of the country." His face remained impassive. " What's he done?" "Nothitig. That's why I want you to help him." "Why should I?"' he shiiigged. "Well, he's an American; so are you. I—T —thought " " You're wron.g," he said simply. "I can raise some money," she whis|.ered. "Now tliat's my nationality." he griiuied. "How much?" She showed him some note.^ in her bag. "All right. Where is he?" She nodded towards the doorwa.v. "Do your number," Tio grunted. "I'll take care of him.' With great relief in her heart she moved over to the piano and began a song. Tio set St^iids out to fetch Steve in by a side passage. The jockey was glad to see a fellow coutitrvmain, and chatted away amusingly as the.v walke<! down a corridor at the ba<k of the cafe. He unlocked a door and locked it again as they passed through, with more step? before them. Steve wondered where he was being taken. "Sav, you're not Tio, are you?" Studs laughed. "You're not even close, kid. Come on.' Fclini.nry lot';.. ini3