Show PMs s 10 vz 5 t IN III gli r vo AU all over but the esric igo Ridic hoi ird s powell shooting Shoot inq 1 fc l ast AN I 1 INNER N N F R SANCTUM MYSTERY sil n A R RI NO A an RAB AD A A kirov ni alc nito CHAPTER I 1 knelt beside joey for a moment then straightened he had been d ead dead when he hit the floor renee rence was e still waiting by the desk the list fist doubled against her side seemed darker her body swung lightly up into my arms I 1 carried her out into the corridor we were lucky the smoke suffocating and the flames had started on the top fl floor oo 00 r and t gnawed their way d down own yet I 1 started downstairs bob she said suddenly sorry this Is ju lust st andy her eyes opened bob used to carry me like this did he H he used ed to say I 1 ought to try out tor for the ninety pound team you could still make it 1 I talk about myself she whispered you still have work to do did you understand that he be went into the powerhouse he took the black light set with him lie he can attach it and signal through one of those slots near the root roof dont let hl him m tel tell I 1 the men on the U boat about the convoys well take care of him th the door will be open andy he expected joey and me to follow him ill make sure he get 10 lonely nely I 1 picked my way through a jumble of furniture on the first floor kicked the back door open the guard the man who had paula thompson was still huddled beside the creps but he was off the books as completely as joey his head lolled at a queer angle apparently the fat at man like to leave unsolved problems lying around the guard might have talked later I 1 carried renee well back from the house and placed her gently on the sand her eyes were feverish and she gasped 1 q I used to be afraid afraid of dying afraid tor for my people in brittany afraid that the germans could not be beaten now I 1 am not afraid it Is worth dying to beat the germans tonight I 1 stood at the window and when the guns fired atred the third time 1 I found that I 1 was no longer afraid I 1 said gruffly you always did have what it takes 7 1 I im sorry you saw how bow I 1 acted with with she nodded toward the powerhouse with him it really me 1 I know it will bob understand feet scuffled in the sand and arab ran up to us she dropped to her knees spilling an armful of loot how Is she she gasped 1 I grabbed a tablecloth Y ou ll 11 have to rip it into bandages andy my fingers P renee pressed the stained fist into her side let me alone she said sharply the U boat you must warn the ships about it ft you mus must t go after that man in the powerhouse arab bent and kissed her 1 I brought jocys flashlight she saia and nd I 1 brought that international code book you were using I 1 can work the flashlight with my thumb and warn the destroyer andy will do the rest renee smiled her head drooped onto the sand her lips moved I 1 leaned close she was crooning an elfin melody for a moment I 1 could see renee and her big dartmouth kid hanging over their balcony watching moonlight on the seine and humming a quaint little college tune I 1 dont think there could have been any homesickness in the way bob had sung it because there any now she whispered it softly dartmouth will shine tonight dartmouth will shine dartmouth will shine tonight dartmouth will shine dartmouth will shine tonight dartmouth will shine when the tun sun goes down and the moon comes up dartmouth will shine it was a almost gay almost a challenge the elfin whisper faded she lay there quietly smiling up at the dartmouth moon from the look on her face bob must have been waiting I 1 got up stiffly take the shotgun arab said 1 I cant handle a shotgun let lem cm know about the sub she pushed something into my hand band take this then please take it andy it was the hand grenade from the fat at mans arsenal I 1 stuffed it in side my undershirt remembering my trouble earlier in trying to untangle a gun from my pocket I 1 walked across white sand to the powerhouse I 1 thought about renee and the building blurred and I 1 had to gulp knots out of my throat the door was slightly ajar I 1 kicked it open and went vent in the fat man straightened slowly he had been crouching on a narrow platform adjusting the black lIght set to bear out through a seaward loophole light from a single electric bulb flashed on his glasses the afie room was filled with the shudder and whine of the dynamo and at first I 1 could not hear bear what he was saying finally I 1 caught a sentence hi he had said this time we will not be b interrupted I 1 moved carefully to toward nard the plat form there were steps leading up ui to it but this time I 1 going to t hand him any presents by making a t rush the platform side I 1 could stay on the floor and yank him down when he saw I 1 chang ing he started down the steps his round polished head hunched be tween his shoulders the long tal fat arms swung out fingers stroking the air ahead of him he was three steps up when I 1 reached the bottom 1011 W I 1 carried het her out into the corridor or I 1 of the stairs suddenly he whirled dropped to his hands A toot foot lashed at my throat I 1 was waiting for it I 1 jerked back my head caught the tha foot with my left hand and flipped it the fat man crashed down I 1 locked a foot around his ankle to steady myself ripped hooks into his left kidney with my free hand his bent back was a sweet target like socking a drum I 1 pounded him three times he grunted jerked upright something tore agonizingly agonizing ay at my locked arm I 1 dug into his kidney once more and then he whirled around and let me fly off at the wall it a clean toss I 1 hit spinning felt skin burn bum off one shoulder but I 1 kept on my feet my right forearm ached A curved flap hung loose three inches above the wrist it was lucky though his teeth had missed the artery and rabies takes a long time to kill a man just tor for that I 1 mumbled well see ee how you like blinking glass out of your eyes and suddenly he broke and ran ran sobbing along the wall and u up the steps onto the platform at the top he swung around I 1 could hear his breath whistling above the dy namo he jerked and tore at a pocket for a second I 1 goggled ur up stupidly at him he was yanking out his gun his hand wavered up faltered rose again the slide of ol 01 the automatic had a greasy blue shine I 1 ripped open my undershirt and clamped my fingers around the waffle pattern of 0 the hand grenade it II felt good it would raise hell in this concrete room I 1 have picked a room like this for rn my first lesson in using a hand arc grenade but the selection was limited he had the gun up now it steadied on me I 1 cocked my arm and thought this Is for dartmouth and I 1 burned it down the groove at him flame slashed at me A blast of noise seemed to stave in my eardrums drums s like old barrels I 1 closed my eyes and let lef things go dark when I 1 opened them again ages later I 1 heard myself mumbling 1 I got the guy I 1 got the guy I 1 got the guy 1 I 11 someone tugged at my arm argued with me me for some reason I 1 was walking I 1 complained why dont you let a guy stay in bed after hes blown to bits this is a hell of an army walking a guy around and around aidyl oh andy please the fog swirled around in my head bead and smoked quietly away arab was waa clinging to my arm laughing and crying we were walking through sand the fragment of moon I 1 had seen ages ago was still skimming through the night sky I 1 growled wheres the hospital hospi talT what am I 1 doing here that grenade tore me to bits oh andy she choked it go boffl you arent really wounded just a bitten arm and a lot ot of bruises and just that huh and why the grenade go off one of your lousy defective ordnance grenades ill get off a military letter with nineteen indorsements endorsements Indor and see about these defective grenades she nuzzled my arm and quivered with an assortment of laughs and sniffles they dont ever go 90 off unless you pull the pin she moaned you pull the pint they ought to print directions on the things how would I 1 know you had to pull a pin what happened to the tat fat man she shuddered slightly well andy you hit him with it did I 1 hit him hartl hard it if you can always throw grenades as hard and straight as that lot well have some special ones made up tor for you without pins yeah but I 1 saw a flash and there was an awful bang A forty five makes an awful racket in a closed room he missed me huh yes darling and ive been walking you up and down for il five ve minutes to wake you up arab took a deep breath and clung to me her lips felt cool and soothing andy she whispered 1 I wont ever try to stir things up again from now on ill be a mouse I 1 scrubbed a hand over my aching face peered at the flaming house and distant depth charges it if youre going to be a mouse I 1 said solemnly god help the cats THE END |