"Golly!" O'Toole sighed in relief. "You sure had a Goliath on your
hands. Wish I could have helped you."
"What became of those two guards," Jeff asked? "Seems to me they had you
on the spot for a while."
"Aw!" O'Toole said. "I got hold of one of them fire guns and there
wasn't anything to it."
Blake had reached the door to the outer cavern. He opened it a couple of
inches and looked out. The Silver Mask gang were still working on Mono
6.
Even as he watched, a man detached himself from the gang at the far end
of the train and came slowly toward the partially opened door. Blake
jumped back and closed it tightly.
"Get two of these guards out of their uniforms," he said. "Make it
quick. We've got more trouble coming."
* * * * *
A quick knock came on the door. Blake said, in a hard voice.
"Yeah! Who is it?"
"Slater," was the reply. "Tell the boss we got the train cleaned out.
We're all ready to set it loose."
In the light of the open door, Blake looked at O'Toole. The Irishman was
already in one of the Silver Mask uniforms. His face was hidden and he
looked like one of the gang.
"Tell him the boss will be all set in a minute," Blake said. "I've got
to get into one of these outfits."
O'Toole flung the door open wider and pushed the bodies of the silent
guards out of sight.
"We'll be out in a minute," he said to Slater. "Get her ready to roll."
"Yes sir," Slater answered him respectfully. "The cab is all fixed, and
the motors are turning. The hidden door has been opened so we better
make it snappy."
O'Toole nodded.
"Okay," he said. "Make sure you don't leave anything on board that's
useful. And Slater...."
The man had turned. Now he hesitated and turned back.
"Yeah?"
"Harror is staying here," O'Toole said quickly. "He ain't feeling so
good. Says I'm to give the orders."
Slater laughed.
"That's a good one," he chuckled. "How long since that gorilla started
giving orders around here."
Still laughing, he turned and went back toward the waiting masked men.
O'Toole closed the door and ripped the mask away.
"This is it," he said quickly. "I knew Wade was mixed up in this
business. Harror isn't the real boss here."
Blake was half way into a uniform of the Silver Masks. He finished his
job before answering. Then he spoke.
"I know you and Ferrell hate Wade's guts," he said slowly, "but...."
"It's not me so much," O'Toole protested. "Ferrell said long ago that
Wade was in this mess. He didn't seem to get any action on the case. Now
with the guy Slater saying Harror isn't the boss, there isn't any other
answer."
* * * * *
"Sorry, O'Toole," Blake said. "I should be willing to admit that Wade's
our man. I don't know why I can't. It's just that blood is pretty thick
stuff, I guess. It's hard to think your own brother would turn on you
like this."
O'Toole lowered his head.
"We've got to do something," he said quietly. "Those guys won't sit out
there waiting forever."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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