Read Online 19 - The Power Cube Affair by John T. Phillifent - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: John T. Phillifent
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private property, and the people are there by invitation only, and no one complains, the law cannot intervene. The only other way anyone can interfere is by moral protest, and there would be plenty to do that, but their guns are very neatly spiked. Because, you see, she really is operating a charity. Every guest is expected to contribute a substantial sum—and they all do—which then goes to famine relief. And it does, every last penny. That has been checked a score of times, and it is quite genuine."
"Very neat," Solo approved.
"It is. You see, the 'holier than thou' brigade can't say a word. And, so I'm told, everybody has enormous fun. Including Maggie herself. When you come to think of it, the kind of people she invites seldom have such an opportunity to let their hair down and relax."
"You're speaking from hearsay," Kuryakin pointed out. "You've never been to one of these Roman scandals?"
"I have other things to do." She snapped the words off sharp, then. "What did you think of her rubies?"
"Those hideous red beads were rubies?"
"They were," Miss Perrell said carefully, "either the genuine Danby rubies, which are something like five hundred years old and famous, even if they are hideous—or a replica—or a replica."
"Why the echo?" Kuryakin wondered, and she laughed again.
"Because, as you saw, Maggie has no taste at all, no color sense, but she adores those rubies. And they are immensely valuable, as antiques. And she likes to wear them whenever possible. So a long time ago now, she had them copied, twice, so perfectly that even she can't tell the real from the copy. At least, that's the story. And she switches them at random. So, if you were a jewel thief, would you care to try to snatch them, in those circumstances?"
"She sounds quite a girl," Solo chuckled. "That orgy might be fun after all." Before she could comment, he put a hand on her wrist. "Johnny's place is just around the next corner, left hand side."
As the car slowed to a stop, Solo got an idea. "Look," he suggested, "it's still a mess in there. You drop Illya and me here, while you go on to the hospital, see Guard and tell him how things are moving. By the time you get back we'll have the place tidy enough for visitors, maybe a meal if we can find the ingredients for it. You can find this place easily enough on the way back."
They watched the car glide away then went indoors to dried blood and silence, to find mops and buckets, to use hot water and muscle and clean the place up fit to be seen. And all the while a strange idea circulated in Solo's mind. Stones. Here the beach was full of them. Some on the window ledge. Red stones in a necklace. And the crystal jewels the greasy voiced man had spoken of, on that tape, were stones too. Solo felt certain of that. But why the "seventh stone"?
SIX
MISS PERRELL came back with a strange glow in her eye. "I saw him, talked to him," she told them. "The doctor was very kind and understanding, spoke to me privately after wards. Apparently Mr. Guard will be on his feet again in a week, would be up and about now if they would let him. He really is a fantastic man. So quiet and gentle, and yet you get the impression he would charge straight through a brick wall if it got in his way. He said he wished he had been there when you had your little mixup with the thugs,"
"That sounds like him," Solo grinned. "What do you fancy for lunch? There's a fair stock of supplies, and Illya is a fine short order cook."
She wasn't very interested in food. Instead, she made Solo show her exactly where and how they had found Guard and what they had done.
"It's hard to imagine," she said, "now that you've cleaned it all up. Stone floors don't leave traces. I shall have to get Charles to let me hear that tape for myself."
"I wouldn't," Solo advised. "It's not nice, nor necessary for what you'd learn from it. We've told you all the bits that matter."
"Will you stop trying to protect me?" She eyed the room,
"Very neat," Solo approved.
"It is. You see, the 'holier than thou' brigade can't say a word. And, so I'm told, everybody has enormous fun. Including Maggie herself. When you come to think of it, the kind of people she invites seldom have such an opportunity to let their hair down and relax."
"You're speaking from hearsay," Kuryakin pointed out. "You've never been to one of these Roman scandals?"
"I have other things to do." She snapped the words off sharp, then. "What did you think of her rubies?"
"Those hideous red beads were rubies?"
"They were," Miss Perrell said carefully, "either the genuine Danby rubies, which are something like five hundred years old and famous, even if they are hideous—or a replica—or a replica."
"Why the echo?" Kuryakin wondered, and she laughed again.
"Because, as you saw, Maggie has no taste at all, no color sense, but she adores those rubies. And they are immensely valuable, as antiques. And she likes to wear them whenever possible. So a long time ago now, she had them copied, twice, so perfectly that even she can't tell the real from the copy. At least, that's the story. And she switches them at random. So, if you were a jewel thief, would you care to try to snatch them, in those circumstances?"
"She sounds quite a girl," Solo chuckled. "That orgy might be fun after all." Before she could comment, he put a hand on her wrist. "Johnny's place is just around the next corner, left hand side."
As the car slowed to a stop, Solo got an idea. "Look," he suggested, "it's still a mess in there. You drop Illya and me here, while you go on to the hospital, see Guard and tell him how things are moving. By the time you get back we'll have the place tidy enough for visitors, maybe a meal if we can find the ingredients for it. You can find this place easily enough on the way back."
They watched the car glide away then went indoors to dried blood and silence, to find mops and buckets, to use hot water and muscle and clean the place up fit to be seen. And all the while a strange idea circulated in Solo's mind. Stones. Here the beach was full of them. Some on the window ledge. Red stones in a necklace. And the crystal jewels the greasy voiced man had spoken of, on that tape, were stones too. Solo felt certain of that. But why the "seventh stone"?
SIX
MISS PERRELL came back with a strange glow in her eye. "I saw him, talked to him," she told them. "The doctor was very kind and understanding, spoke to me privately after wards. Apparently Mr. Guard will be on his feet again in a week, would be up and about now if they would let him. He really is a fantastic man. So quiet and gentle, and yet you get the impression he would charge straight through a brick wall if it got in his way. He said he wished he had been there when you had your little mixup with the thugs,"
"That sounds like him," Solo grinned. "What do you fancy for lunch? There's a fair stock of supplies, and Illya is a fine short order cook."
She wasn't very interested in food. Instead, she made Solo show her exactly where and how they had found Guard and what they had done.
"It's hard to imagine," she said, "now that you've cleaned it all up. Stone floors don't leave traces. I shall have to get Charles to let me hear that tape for myself."
"I wouldn't," Solo advised. "It's not nice, nor necessary for what you'd learn from it. We've told you all the bits that matter."
"Will you stop trying to protect me?" She eyed the room,
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