Read Online The Avenger 34 - The Glass Man by Kenneth Robeson - Free Book Online
Authors: Kenneth Robeson
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see him. He had managed to wipe the coffee away on something. He was completely invisible again.
Nellie could hear him, though. Hear him running away, away and up toward the outside.
We can pinch him later, she decided. Now I better see why Pike hasn’t butted in to any of this.
Pike was unconscious. Sprawled on the stone floor of another of the small caves. His spread-out arms touched another circular trap door. Just behind his ear was a growing goose egg.
Her purse also contained a little jug of a special sort of smelling salts which Fergus MacMurdie had concocted. Nellie—she was much stronger than she looked—rolled the government agent over and uncorked the little jug beneath his flattened nose.
“Huh?” he said, eyes opening. “Who decked me?”
“Our invisible chum,” she told him. “Did you look down there?”
“The invisible guy was here? Where is he now?”
“Taking off for the tall grass, I imagine,” Nellie said. “Don’t worry. We can tag him later.”
“You saw him? No, that’s not the right word for it . . . you encountered him?”
“Saw him, too, or part of him.” She quickly explained what had happened while Pike had been unconscious.
“You’re a pretty tough kid,” he said when she finished.
“What about this trap door?”
“Was just about to lift it when Lamont lowered the boom.” He bent to take hold of the rope handle. Then he dropped to one knee. “Damn. I’m a little dizzy still.”
“Here, hold the light. I’ll do it.”
“You can’t—”
But she could. Nellie got the round stone lid out of the floor.
“Who is it?” said a weak voice from below.
“Is that you, Dr. Dean?” asked Pike.
“Pike, you’ve found me,” said the physicist.
“With a little help,” said Pike.
“Do you have to jiggle?”
“I’m not jiggling. I’m sitting calm as a sphinx.”
“You’re jiggling,” repeated Ellis Zanes.
“I don’t know why you want to paint after dark anyway, Ellis.”
“Would you ask Renoir a question like that? Or Van Gogh?”
“I don’t happen to be personally acquainted with either of them,” said the platinum blonde.
“You surely are a halfwit, Alice.”
“I suppose so. I think only a halfwit would sit here holding a flashlight on your canvas so you can do a night scene of the desert, Ellis.”
“Don’t start sobbing, it makes you jiggle the light.”
From down on the dark road a voice called, “Hey, is this your truck?”
“Go away, buffoon, whoever you are,” Zanes called back.
“I’m Robert Pike, an acredited agent of the U.S. Government, buddy.” Pike came into the cast of the light Alice was holding.
“Is he going to give you a parking ticket?” Alice asked.
“Shut up, nitwit. What can we do for you, Mr. Pike?”
“My own damn car is defunct up the road. I have a very important man I have to get back to . . . well, back to where he came from.”
“You mean that secret base out near—”
“Never mind what I mean. I’d like to borrow your truck for a couple of hours.”
“Let me see some paper that proves you’re a Fed,” requested the painter.
“Here.” Pike thrust a fat wallet between him and the canvas.
“That’s a very flattering photo of you on your ID, Pike. Looks like they retouched the nose.”
“Can we borrow the truck? You’d be doing the government a great service.”
“Sure, we’re going to be here for several more hours. Give him the keys, nitwit.”
“Several more hours?” the girl said forlornly. She gave Pike the keys to the pickup.
CHAPTER XV
Reception Committee
Smitty took an enormous deep breath. “Look at that sun up there,” he said. “That ain’t a New York sun.”
Josh, swinging his single suitcase, walked across the small desert airfield in the giant’s wake. “Same sun, you just got a different perspective.”
The Avenger was already checking out the car which he’d arranged to have left for them at this private field. By the time the other two
Nellie could hear him, though. Hear him running away, away and up toward the outside.
We can pinch him later, she decided. Now I better see why Pike hasn’t butted in to any of this.
Pike was unconscious. Sprawled on the stone floor of another of the small caves. His spread-out arms touched another circular trap door. Just behind his ear was a growing goose egg.
Her purse also contained a little jug of a special sort of smelling salts which Fergus MacMurdie had concocted. Nellie—she was much stronger than she looked—rolled the government agent over and uncorked the little jug beneath his flattened nose.
“Huh?” he said, eyes opening. “Who decked me?”
“Our invisible chum,” she told him. “Did you look down there?”
“The invisible guy was here? Where is he now?”
“Taking off for the tall grass, I imagine,” Nellie said. “Don’t worry. We can tag him later.”
“You saw him? No, that’s not the right word for it . . . you encountered him?”
“Saw him, too, or part of him.” She quickly explained what had happened while Pike had been unconscious.
“You’re a pretty tough kid,” he said when she finished.
“What about this trap door?”
“Was just about to lift it when Lamont lowered the boom.” He bent to take hold of the rope handle. Then he dropped to one knee. “Damn. I’m a little dizzy still.”
“Here, hold the light. I’ll do it.”
“You can’t—”
But she could. Nellie got the round stone lid out of the floor.
“Who is it?” said a weak voice from below.
“Is that you, Dr. Dean?” asked Pike.
“Pike, you’ve found me,” said the physicist.
“With a little help,” said Pike.
“Do you have to jiggle?”
“I’m not jiggling. I’m sitting calm as a sphinx.”
“You’re jiggling,” repeated Ellis Zanes.
“I don’t know why you want to paint after dark anyway, Ellis.”
“Would you ask Renoir a question like that? Or Van Gogh?”
“I don’t happen to be personally acquainted with either of them,” said the platinum blonde.
“You surely are a halfwit, Alice.”
“I suppose so. I think only a halfwit would sit here holding a flashlight on your canvas so you can do a night scene of the desert, Ellis.”
“Don’t start sobbing, it makes you jiggle the light.”
From down on the dark road a voice called, “Hey, is this your truck?”
“Go away, buffoon, whoever you are,” Zanes called back.
“I’m Robert Pike, an acredited agent of the U.S. Government, buddy.” Pike came into the cast of the light Alice was holding.
“Is he going to give you a parking ticket?” Alice asked.
“Shut up, nitwit. What can we do for you, Mr. Pike?”
“My own damn car is defunct up the road. I have a very important man I have to get back to . . . well, back to where he came from.”
“You mean that secret base out near—”
“Never mind what I mean. I’d like to borrow your truck for a couple of hours.”
“Let me see some paper that proves you’re a Fed,” requested the painter.
“Here.” Pike thrust a fat wallet between him and the canvas.
“That’s a very flattering photo of you on your ID, Pike. Looks like they retouched the nose.”
“Can we borrow the truck? You’d be doing the government a great service.”
“Sure, we’re going to be here for several more hours. Give him the keys, nitwit.”
“Several more hours?” the girl said forlornly. She gave Pike the keys to the pickup.
CHAPTER XV
Reception Committee
Smitty took an enormous deep breath. “Look at that sun up there,” he said. “That ain’t a New York sun.”
Josh, swinging his single suitcase, walked across the small desert airfield in the giant’s wake. “Same sun, you just got a different perspective.”
The Avenger was already checking out the car which he’d arranged to have left for them at this private field. By the time the other two
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