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.It was addressed to the Chief, and it wassigned by Cleve Friend.It said he was mixed up in some deal with you and hewas trying to get out of it because he'd got cold feet.And he was afraid youPage 51 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlwouldn't let him get out.You'd threatened to kill him unless he played along.The letter said he was leaving it with a friend, to be mailed if he-died."The Saint kept his eyes straight ahead."Did you check the signature?""It was Friend's signature, all right.A little shaky, but it compared.""Shaky?" Simon pondered."And I'll bet the letter itself was typewritten.""It was.""It would be.Either Friend signed under the influence of scopolamin-which isa hypnotic-or else he was tortured into signing it,""You can explain anything, can't you?" Kearney gibed."Somebody's trying toframe you, of course.""Of course," Simon agreed coolly."That- should be obvious, even to apoliceman.""Yeah? And how did they make this Varing dame disappear?""Probably through a secret passage."His voice trailed away as the thought hit him like a splash of cold waterbetween the eyes."My God," he said softly."Secret passage.Of course.What a feeble-mindedflop I am!""Hey!" Kearney squawked suddenly."Where d'you think you're going? This ain'tthe way to Headquarters.""It's the way I'm taking," said the Saint."Come in, Hoppy."Mr.Uniatz rose from behind the front seat and applied the muzzle of hisBetsy to the nape of Kearney's neck."Okay, copper," he said."Take it easy."The detective's face went white, then red."You can't get away with this," he said desperately."We can try," said the Saint."I've just had an inspiration, and I'm going tobe much too busy to horse around with any footling rap about disturbing thepeace."He sped the car west on Roosevelt, and presently turned up Central Avenue toColumbus Park, where he stopped."Okay, Hoppy," he said."De woiks, boss?""Just let him take a nap," Simon said hastily.Mr.Uniatz raised his gun and brought it down with professional precision;Page 52 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmland the detective napped.Simon found Kearney's keys, unlocked the handcuffs, and transferred them tothe detective's wrists.He took Kearney's badge and identification, figuringthat a handcuffed man without credentials would be more than ordinarilydelayed in starting a hue and cry.Then they took Kearney out of the car andlaid him under a tree with his hat over his face, and drove quickly away.The Saint's brain flogged itself pitilessly under the impassive mask of hisface."Secret passages," he repeated, as he opened up the headlights on the road toWheaton."Hoppy, I ought to have my head examined.""What for, boss?""Maggots.What the hell's the first thing you'd expect to find in a hide-outthat used to belong to Al Capone? And don't you remember Sammy said he had asafe place to hide Junior?""Sure.""Well, it was safe.So safe that Kearney couldn't find it.But we'll find itthis time, if we have to blast for it.And then we'll know whether Sammy andhis friend Fingers double-crossed us, or if the King caught up with them."He reconnoitered the house carefully, but there were no signs of a policeguard, and a ground-floor window succumbed in short order to the Saint'sexpert manipulation.It was after that that the problems began to multiply,and it took two hours of methodical labor to work them out.They finally found the "safe place" by tortuously tracing a ventilating pipethat seemed to have an outlet but no inlet.Even then the field was merelynarrowed down to the cellar, and it took an inch-by-inch investigation tosettle on the probable entrance.Hoppy's reminiscences of bootlegging dayswere helpful and diverting, if sometimes gruesome; but in the end they had touse crowbars to break down the brick wall.There was a steel plate beneaththat; but once its locking mechanism was revealed it surrendered to a piece ofbaling wire.It let them into a small, comfortably furnished room with a ventilating platein the ceiling, where Sammy the Leg, trussed like an unsinged chicken, layphilosophically on a cot, and looked at them."Chees, pal," Hoppy said, as he worked on Sammy's ropes with a jackknife."Wet'ought ya'd been bumped or sump'n.""Not me," Sammy grunted.He tested his limbs experimentally."Thanks, Saint.I figured I was gonna cash in for sure.Those lousy bastards just meant me tolie here and starve.""Didn't you hear us?" Simon asked."You could have saved us some time ifyou'd yelled.""It wouldn't have done no good.This room's soundproofed.I heard you justnow, sure, but you couldn't of heard me.Besides, how did I know who it was? Icould tell somebody was busting in, so I let 'em bust.Not that I could ofstopped you." Sammy walked stiffly back and forth like a shaggy bear, pausingat the door."Had to break in, didn't you? It'll cost dough to fix that." Hegrimaced."Hell.C'mon upstairs.I'm starving."Page 53 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlBut the first thing Sammy the Leg did was to extract a beer bottle from hisrefrigerator, uncap it, and guzzle the contents.He wiped his mouth with ahairy hand, sighed, and eyed the Saint malevolently."Lousy double-crosser," he said."Nope, not you.I mean Fingers.Go on, sitdown.Have a beer.Wait a sec."He went back to the refrigerator and brought out a plate of pig's knuckles."How did it happen?" Simon asked."Fingers Schultz," Sammy said, gnawing a knuckle."Just goes to show.Nevertrust nobody.That little bastard's been with me for three years.Thought Icould depend on him.Sure I could-till he started figuring I was a has-beenand somebody else could pay off better, and protect him.""Like the King of the Beggars?" Simon prompted."I wouldn't know about that.Fingers brought Frankie Weiss here.They stuckme up.Fingers knew about that room downstairs and how to get into it.Theytook that guy you left here away with them, and left me like you found me
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