Read Online The Avenger 36 - Demon Island by Kenneth Robeson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kenneth Robeson
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something very unusual going on on Demon Island,” said Benson. “I was felled by some . . . unseen force. Something which was, I think, supernatural.”
O’Malley tried a laugh. “You ought to be making this movie and not me,” he said. “Supernatural? I didn’t think you believed in—”
“I believe in a good many unusual and unorthodox things,” said the Avenger. “But only in things I’ve witnessed myself. And I witnessed something last night.”
“You mean you think it was . . . what? A ghost?”
“Some kind of spirit force, yes.”
“Just because they call this place Demon Island, that doesn’t mean—
“Sometimes a place gets a bad reputation simply because it’s a bad place,” said Benson. “You’ve been keeping something back from me, Terence. I’d like to know what it is.”
The Avenger’s eyes seemed to flash now, and O’Malley found that he couldn’t look away from them. “Look, Benson, maybe you can’t understand this. I want to get this film made on time and under budget.”
“The sooner we clean up the trouble on this island, the sooner you can concentrate on your film.”
O’Malley poked his tongue around the inside of his cheek for a while. “Okay, here’s what I know,” he said at last. “It may not have anything to do with Cole’s vanishing or with that poor guy getting himself killed. Anyway, it concerns Fanny Fiddler. You heard about her sleepwalking or whatever it was on the night Cole took off. Well, I know she was out again last night. She dressed up in one of the costumes from the wardrobe room and went roaming. Now, look, I just went over the whole thing with her. Okay, they say in this town never trust an actress, but I believe the kid. She’s telling the truth. I’m certain of that.”
“What does she say?”
“Not much, only that she doesn’t remember anything. She remembers going to bed and then later finding herself in the wardrobe room. She knew she’d been out in the woods, but that’s all.”
“A white dress, a flowing white dress, is that what was borrowed?”
“Yeah, that’s right. My head wardrobe lady hasn’t noticed the mud spots yet, but when she does . . . Is Fanny the one you followed last night?”
“I believe so.”
“Yeah, but then that means she killed that guy in there. A perfect stranger to her, far as we know.”
“If she didn’t kill him, she was close enough to see who did.”
“I don’t see how Fanny could strangle somebody to death,” said O’Malley. “She’s a tough little dame, but not that strong.”
“Someone may have helped her.”
“Some person?”
“Or some spirit.” The Avenger turned to face the castle. “I think we’d better go in and talk to Miss Fiddler.”
“Yeah, okay, if you think so.” The young director fell in beside Benson. “Makes me feel bad; she’ll think I double-crossed her.”
“It can’t be helped.”
“I guess not, but still—”
Inside the mansion a woman screamed.
CHAPTER XVIII
Secret Ways
Stark had stepped through the wall of the underground room and into a stone-walled tunnel. On a shelf a few feet from the secret door was a flashlight. He felt around in the dark until his blunt fingers closed on it and turned it on.
Nobody knows about this tunnel system but me, he thought as he moved along the damp, earth-smelling corridor.
This network of underground rooms and passageways had been built years ago by Silva and his men when Demon Island was being used as a waystation in the liquor-running operation. Silva, in his last days in the prison hospital, had told Stark all about it.
“If only he’d have told me where he stashed that dough,” he mumbled.
It looked like Stark would have to give up the idea of finding Silva’s hidden loot. With Jepson and Tucker dead and with cops crawling all over the island, he’d have to kiss the money goodbye.
They even knew about the underground rooms. That was probably that fat jerk Morrison’s fault. Well,
O’Malley tried a laugh. “You ought to be making this movie and not me,” he said. “Supernatural? I didn’t think you believed in—”
“I believe in a good many unusual and unorthodox things,” said the Avenger. “But only in things I’ve witnessed myself. And I witnessed something last night.”
“You mean you think it was . . . what? A ghost?”
“Some kind of spirit force, yes.”
“Just because they call this place Demon Island, that doesn’t mean—
“Sometimes a place gets a bad reputation simply because it’s a bad place,” said Benson. “You’ve been keeping something back from me, Terence. I’d like to know what it is.”
The Avenger’s eyes seemed to flash now, and O’Malley found that he couldn’t look away from them. “Look, Benson, maybe you can’t understand this. I want to get this film made on time and under budget.”
“The sooner we clean up the trouble on this island, the sooner you can concentrate on your film.”
O’Malley poked his tongue around the inside of his cheek for a while. “Okay, here’s what I know,” he said at last. “It may not have anything to do with Cole’s vanishing or with that poor guy getting himself killed. Anyway, it concerns Fanny Fiddler. You heard about her sleepwalking or whatever it was on the night Cole took off. Well, I know she was out again last night. She dressed up in one of the costumes from the wardrobe room and went roaming. Now, look, I just went over the whole thing with her. Okay, they say in this town never trust an actress, but I believe the kid. She’s telling the truth. I’m certain of that.”
“What does she say?”
“Not much, only that she doesn’t remember anything. She remembers going to bed and then later finding herself in the wardrobe room. She knew she’d been out in the woods, but that’s all.”
“A white dress, a flowing white dress, is that what was borrowed?”
“Yeah, that’s right. My head wardrobe lady hasn’t noticed the mud spots yet, but when she does . . . Is Fanny the one you followed last night?”
“I believe so.”
“Yeah, but then that means she killed that guy in there. A perfect stranger to her, far as we know.”
“If she didn’t kill him, she was close enough to see who did.”
“I don’t see how Fanny could strangle somebody to death,” said O’Malley. “She’s a tough little dame, but not that strong.”
“Someone may have helped her.”
“Some person?”
“Or some spirit.” The Avenger turned to face the castle. “I think we’d better go in and talk to Miss Fiddler.”
“Yeah, okay, if you think so.” The young director fell in beside Benson. “Makes me feel bad; she’ll think I double-crossed her.”
“It can’t be helped.”
“I guess not, but still—”
Inside the mansion a woman screamed.
CHAPTER XVIII
Secret Ways
Stark had stepped through the wall of the underground room and into a stone-walled tunnel. On a shelf a few feet from the secret door was a flashlight. He felt around in the dark until his blunt fingers closed on it and turned it on.
Nobody knows about this tunnel system but me, he thought as he moved along the damp, earth-smelling corridor.
This network of underground rooms and passageways had been built years ago by Silva and his men when Demon Island was being used as a waystation in the liquor-running operation. Silva, in his last days in the prison hospital, had told Stark all about it.
“If only he’d have told me where he stashed that dough,” he mumbled.
It looked like Stark would have to give up the idea of finding Silva’s hidden loot. With Jepson and Tucker dead and with cops crawling all over the island, he’d have to kiss the money goodbye.
They even knew about the underground rooms. That was probably that fat jerk Morrison’s fault. Well,
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