Show Telegram Serial Serial- 11 Dangerous Baggage By Eleanor At Atterbury 1 Chapter 23 28 I Blindfolded g gag gagged a g g e d and bound and racing through the city eIty streets as if speed laws didn't exist It couldn't possibly be really happening Sharon thought wildly It was too absurdly absurdly absurdly ab ab- ab- ab melodramatic But she tried vainly to tp free her hands it was happening Could it have been this about which the countess had warned her she thought trying to brace herself against the cars car's wild lurching Or was it some scheme evolved by the countess herself to get Sharon out of her way And what had they done with Tom Slipping across the wide seat she made sure that she was the only passenger She was alone with alone with some madman at atthe atthe atthe the wheel The car slowed now with a high whine of brakes and turned sharply A sharp Jolt and then the sound of a gate clanging shut behind them The car stopped so abruptly Sharon was thrown forward onto her knees Someone opened the door lifted her out Sorry we had to handle you so roughly Sharon It was Harvey Goodwin hImself himself himself him hIm- self He unfastened the gag pulled off the blindfold For a moment Sharon blinked at him trying to focus her eyes and her thoughts Then she glanced at the wrists rubbed red by the handcuffs and indignation indignation indignation indig indig- nation came to a boil within her What in the name of heaven did you think you were doing she demanded furiously Goodwin Is The Kidnaper Had to Do It If for Precaution Goodwin opened the door to the plant office snapped on a alight alight alight light motioned her inside When hed he'd closed the door door- he said quietly I am sorry to have had to take such rough measures meas meas- ures I had to get Tom Stafford out of the way I had the boys bind you up too so Tom would not suspect you were an accomplice Oh Sharon rubbed her wrists Well why didn't you tell me me Because I wanted you to re react react react re- re act quite naturally He smiled And you did Im I'm sure has some bruised shins Pavlo Pavlo is driving the car that thatis is taking Tom to a safe place G Goodwin o 0 o 0 d w win i n explained grimly Pavlo will see that he is put to sleep for a few hours And when young Tom wakes up again hell he'll be back in my guest room and never know the awful head he has is anything but a nasty hangover That takes care of the opposition opposition for for tonight Maybe Sharon amended si silently sI- sI Tom may have been high enough to put on a good act But he hadn't been drunk Tom was too smart for that Furthermore he would certainly remember that scene on the terrace ter ter- ter- ter race race over over hang or not But and she shrugged away from all that that was tomorrows tomorrow's problem and it would have to wait until then Right now there was too much else to worry about Here put this on Mr Goodwin Goodwin Goodwin Good Good- win ordered handing her a lined flannel-lined raincoat You are driving the second truck Just follow me It Its It's s after eleven now so we well we'll 11 have to step on an it it She struggled into the oversized oversized oversized over over- sized coat turned back the sleeves so that her hands were free Pulled a a. mans man's cap over her head And better take this this just just in incase case Goodwin handed her the ugly little automatic he had carried carried carried car car- ried on their trip to Half Moon Sharon drew back No thanks Im I'm more afraid of that than I would be of a hold up Take it he insisted curtly And use it if f you have to Snap this release he showed her and then pull the trigger Aim low With dread Sharon felt him slip the gun into the big side pocket of the raincoat All set 1 he asked a moment later Sharon could only nod They crossed the darkened yard toward the looming shadows shadows shadows shad shad- of two big trucks Someone climbed down out of the cab of one as they approached Everything all right 1 Goodwin Good Goodwin win demanded sharply Yes boss Good Then to Sharon Up you go She scrambled into the cab clutched the big wheel with cold trembling hands The engine was already growling quietly She waited until the truck ahead moved toward the gate Then she released the brake slipped the gear felt the big heavy monster under her take hold move forward They were off The plant in the southern part of the city was some four miles from the warehouse on the docks To Sharon that night it seemed 40 Goodwin led the way wayby wayby wayby by circuitous back streets little little- travelled but poorly lighted And the fog which had been pouring in from the ocean curtailed curtailed curtailed cur cur- tailed the streets ahead Eerily the tall darkened buildings lIning lining lining lin lIn- lin- lin ing the streets loomed suddenly sudden sudden- ly out of the fog followed their passing with hollow muffled echoes Occasionally a traffic signal light blinked warningly And from out on the bay fog foghorns foghorns foghorns horns wailed like lost souls Numb with cold and with a fear that chilled her even more than tho the dank fog Sharon kept her eyes fastened on the truck ahead and prayed for sheer physical courage to see this through Finally the big lumbering truck Goodwin drove turned into the Embarcadero Clear out to the end and then finally into the yawning opening of a warehouse ware ware- house Sharon pulled on the wheel slowed cautiously as the truck ahead disappeared in the cavern of darkness Douse those lights A gruff command shouted at her as she pulled in Obediently she snapped the switch and felt as if the darkness darkness darkness dark dark- ness had pounced down at her She jerked the truck to a dead stop That s good Ill I'll take it from here The same strange voice voice Her eyes still unaccustomed to the dark she fumbled her way out of the trucks truck's cab stepped down onto the cold cement floor Then Goodwin spoke just beside beside beside be be- side her That's all for now You can wait outside The truck will be ready to take back in about half an hour Let us know if you see any suspicious loiterers loit loit- Got it Yes Yes Sharon didn't wait walt for any more Only too glad to be out of that black cave she went out onto the street Deserted almost completely blacked out the docks stood like hulking black monsters crouched as if to spring Down the street a lone night watchman prowled his flashlight flashlight flashlight flash flash- light tracing long ghostly fingers fingers fingers fin fin- gers up the walls of the huge building And the rest of the street beyond shrouded in white fog Sharon shivered ably saw her own breath make a little plume of smoke in the cold air air She walked the length of the building and back briskly trying to rouse the circulation in her chilled body Sacks of Wheat Placed On Top of Steel Valves Back at the great doorway again she was surprised to find it closed Only the small door marked office office remained unlocked un un- locked Stepping inside Sharon found herself in a small dimly lit room crammed with tall filing cases an old-fashioned old top roll-top desk A door opposite her opened into the warehouse Pursuing the sound of voices beyond she crossed the tiny office peered into the gloom beyond Mountainous piles of sacks on either side of the huge building Row after row disappearing into the darkness as if there were no end Sacks of what she wondered wondered wondered won won- dered idly Then she heard Goodwin's Goodwins Goodwins Goodwin's Goodwins Goodwin's Good Good- wins win's voice Put our cases on the bottom The wheat on top And pack them tight so they wont won't roll he told someone sharply Remember Remember Remember Re member these have got a long ways to go Long To Los Angeles Surely Surely Surely Sure Sure- ly not more than a few hours by the slowest kind of freighter Still Still Still- Then another word snagged her attention Wheat Her curiosity roused Sharon stepped out of the light of the narrow doorway into the gloom walked closer to the sound of Goodwins Goodwin's voice voice But look boss if they count these bags bags bags- They wont won't wont Goodwin interrupted inter inter- Just do as I tell you And make it snappy Be sure you keep track of the code numbers num num- bers Now move Aware now of the many figures figures figures fig fig- ures moving through the darkness darkness darkness dark dark- ness Sharon watched fascinated fasci fasci- Silhouetted by the faint reflection of light from the bay men passing to and fro through the side-opening side of the warehouse warehouse warehouse ware ware- house were plainly visible And the superstructure of the small boat tied at the dock there The burden each man carried earned made him grotesquely m misshapen i s s hap e n when in the instant he moved up the plank gang Sharon could see him They worked at top top speed Staggering up the gang plank with a heavy load returning on the run to the gradually dimInishIng diminishing diminishing dimin dimIn- stack of boxes Finally one of the men drew near enough Goodwin and Goodwin-and and unknowingly unknowingly unknowingly un un- un- un knowingly Sharon Sharon to to say Weve got the steel aboard sir Shall we start loading that wheat Right Are the gas tanks full Yes sir sirWell Well pull out in 15 minutes then Aye sir Goodwin spun on his heel then walked directly toward where Sharon stood concealed in darkness dark dark- ness Before she could step out of his way he had bumped squarely into her He grabbed her instantly Its I Sharon I-Sharon Sharon wincing under under under un un- un- un der the tho cruel grasp of his fingers He released her I thought I 1 told you to stand outside 1 What are you doing in here Just watching Do your watching outside then then curtly Im depending on you to warn me if anyone shows up Without replying but stinging under the sharp rebuke Sharon fled back through the office to the damp cold street outside There as she paced slowly to keep from freezing she tried to organize her impressions Something told her there was much about tonight's strange developments that she did not understand Too much The violence violence vio violence vio- vio lence the secrecy the strange commands in the dark steel dark steel first and the wheat on top of that What wheat And why code numbers To Be Continued |