[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
government needs the silver we produce. There's a lot of hard feeling, though,
on both sides."
"We hear a lot of talk about it inParis , but nobody I know really knows
anything about it."
"There's too much loose talk over here, too. Actually, it is more a matter of
States' rights than slavery. The importation of slaves has been against the
law since 1820. Of course, there's some smuggling going on, principally
through the bayous nearNew Orleans ."
Clydeturned to Grita. "Sophie told me somebody tried to break into your
flat?"
"He did not try. He did break in. He sprung the lock somehow and went through
everything."
"'Went through'? You mean he searched everything? What was he looking for?"
She shrugged. "I have no idea. He may have thought I have a lot of jewelry.
From the audience some of the junk I wear looks very real."
"Last night and again today?" Manfred was skeptical. "That can't be
coincidence. Somebody thinks you have something."
At the door, they paused. "Maybe," Manfred suggested, "we should come in with
you."
"Please, would you?"
Page 146
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
The lock on the door had been simply sprung by using a lever of some kind, a
jimmy or a screwdriver or a pinchbar. The flat was one of many, hastily built
to handle the rush of people in the 1850s.
They made a quick search of the flat. It was empty.
Manfred paused at the door. "You're not afraid? I know Sophie would come to
stay if you wished, and she's not afraid of anything. I saw her throw a drunk
out of a theater once bodily. I mean she just threw him into the street."
"I'll be all right."
Clydedid not wish to leave. He lingered. "Grita?" he spoke softly so that
none but Manfred could hear. "Do you own any mining stock? In the Solomon, for
instance?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Look at it. Hesketh has control, but Crockett has a lot of stock, too. If
Hesketh can pick up those missing shares he will have control, he will keep
control. If Crockett should buy them first, then Crockett could oust Hesketh
and take over again. It's no small thing, Grita. There's millions involved."
"If anyone believes I have stock in the Solomon," she said flatly, "they are
mistaken. IknowI have no such stock, and let's face it. I have never been out
here before nor have any of my family."
She closed the door and locked it, then checked the windows, one by one. The
one window which was impossible to reach, she left open slightly. The others
she left locked. She went from room to room, carefully looking at everything.
There was no evidence that anyone had been in the flat since she left.
Suddenly, she was angry. Someone had actually invaded and searched her flat,
someone then had awaited her in the theater, had shoved her down and tried to
get away with her purse.
She had no reason at all to suspect Albert Hesketh, except that he had
somehow been involved, or seemed to have been, but she did not suspect him and
she would not. He had simply taken her to the theater, and later had bought
drinks for the company. It was merely coincidence that the thief had been
around on both occasions.
Once more she put the back of the chair under the doorknob.
Whoever the thief had been, the same man would not come tonight, not with
only one hand to use.
Marcus Zetsev looked across his desk at the thin, sallow-faced man. His right
hand was bound in a bloody cloth.
"It was your idea, Mr. Zetsev. I didn't know the man. The way he told it
sounded very simple, and of course, getting into that flat, it was nothing.
"I went through it, believe me, I did! I hunted every place where people
would be apt to hide anything they all use the same places and came up with
nothing.
"At the theater I had her purse and was getting away. Who'd think a woman
like that would have a gun? Or could shoot like that?"
Page 147
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"What were you looking for?"
The slim man glanced at him slyly out of bloodshot eyes. "He made me
promise "
"Don't be a fool! You will never see him again. I am the one you will be
seeing, and I want to know."
"I was hunting for a packet, a long envelope, something like that with some
stock shares. If I found anything else, I could keep it. Hell, there wasn't
anything else! I break in, then I lay for her and knock her down and get
winged, all for nothing!"
Marcus took a twenty-dollar gold piece from his pocket. "There, I wouldn't
want you to lose on the deal. If he ever gets in touch again, let me know."
"Are you crazy? I was fifty feet away and runnin' when she winged me! I want
nothin' to do with her!"
When the thief had gone, Marcus tipped back in his chair. Hesketh had
recently taken control of the Solomon, and the Solomon was worth millions.
Hesketh wanted that stock and he wanted it bad; there had to be a reason.
Within the hour a friend from the exchange told him the reason. Those shares
of stock meant control, and Hesketh had to have control. Just holding the
stock would mean a lot of money, but handled just right
Marcus Zetsev clutched the edge of his desk. Buying stolen goods was a petty
business, after all, but to own a silver mine! And he could do it. His
somewhat protruding eyes watered as he thought of that. Hesketh had failed so
far.Hewould not fail.
Teem, the thief he had sent to Hesketh, was a veteran. Hence, if he had not
found the shares in the flat, they were simply not there.
There had been no chance for Teem to examine the purse, but that was where
they must be. Either in her purse or on her person.
Now she would be aware, she would be on her guard, and she could shoot.
Marcus thought about it, playing solitaire meanwhile. He would have to get
hold of that purse and, if need be, of her. And the place to do that was some
night after the theater or, in a last resort, take her from the stage as she
went toVirginia City . It was common knowledge that her next play dates would
be there.
For two weeks the play had a successful run, but for two weeks there was
absolutely no chance to get close to her. One or more of the actors was always
about, and they were armed. His people were shrewd enough to perceive that.
Marcus had no desire to get anyone shot who might be taken by the police and
forced to talk.
The show closed suddenly, and the newspapers reported that Miss Redaway's
Company would be going toVirginia City , to Washoe.
Hesketh came by to order materials, and Marcus, his eyes guileless, asked if
he needed another thief. "I do not," Hesketh said sharply. "It will not be
necessary."
Page 148
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Grita Redaway met Albert Hesketh for dinner. It was an excellent dinner, and [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl karpacz24.htw.pl
government needs the silver we produce. There's a lot of hard feeling, though,
on both sides."
"We hear a lot of talk about it inParis , but nobody I know really knows
anything about it."
"There's too much loose talk over here, too. Actually, it is more a matter of
States' rights than slavery. The importation of slaves has been against the
law since 1820. Of course, there's some smuggling going on, principally
through the bayous nearNew Orleans ."
Clydeturned to Grita. "Sophie told me somebody tried to break into your
flat?"
"He did not try. He did break in. He sprung the lock somehow and went through
everything."
"'Went through'? You mean he searched everything? What was he looking for?"
She shrugged. "I have no idea. He may have thought I have a lot of jewelry.
From the audience some of the junk I wear looks very real."
"Last night and again today?" Manfred was skeptical. "That can't be
coincidence. Somebody thinks you have something."
At the door, they paused. "Maybe," Manfred suggested, "we should come in with
you."
"Please, would you?"
Page 146
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
The lock on the door had been simply sprung by using a lever of some kind, a
jimmy or a screwdriver or a pinchbar. The flat was one of many, hastily built
to handle the rush of people in the 1850s.
They made a quick search of the flat. It was empty.
Manfred paused at the door. "You're not afraid? I know Sophie would come to
stay if you wished, and she's not afraid of anything. I saw her throw a drunk
out of a theater once bodily. I mean she just threw him into the street."
"I'll be all right."
Clydedid not wish to leave. He lingered. "Grita?" he spoke softly so that
none but Manfred could hear. "Do you own any mining stock? In the Solomon, for
instance?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Look at it. Hesketh has control, but Crockett has a lot of stock, too. If
Hesketh can pick up those missing shares he will have control, he will keep
control. If Crockett should buy them first, then Crockett could oust Hesketh
and take over again. It's no small thing, Grita. There's millions involved."
"If anyone believes I have stock in the Solomon," she said flatly, "they are
mistaken. IknowI have no such stock, and let's face it. I have never been out
here before nor have any of my family."
She closed the door and locked it, then checked the windows, one by one. The
one window which was impossible to reach, she left open slightly. The others
she left locked. She went from room to room, carefully looking at everything.
There was no evidence that anyone had been in the flat since she left.
Suddenly, she was angry. Someone had actually invaded and searched her flat,
someone then had awaited her in the theater, had shoved her down and tried to
get away with her purse.
She had no reason at all to suspect Albert Hesketh, except that he had
somehow been involved, or seemed to have been, but she did not suspect him and
she would not. He had simply taken her to the theater, and later had bought
drinks for the company. It was merely coincidence that the thief had been
around on both occasions.
Once more she put the back of the chair under the doorknob.
Whoever the thief had been, the same man would not come tonight, not with
only one hand to use.
Marcus Zetsev looked across his desk at the thin, sallow-faced man. His right
hand was bound in a bloody cloth.
"It was your idea, Mr. Zetsev. I didn't know the man. The way he told it
sounded very simple, and of course, getting into that flat, it was nothing.
"I went through it, believe me, I did! I hunted every place where people
would be apt to hide anything they all use the same places and came up with
nothing.
"At the theater I had her purse and was getting away. Who'd think a woman
like that would have a gun? Or could shoot like that?"
Page 147
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"What were you looking for?"
The slim man glanced at him slyly out of bloodshot eyes. "He made me
promise "
"Don't be a fool! You will never see him again. I am the one you will be
seeing, and I want to know."
"I was hunting for a packet, a long envelope, something like that with some
stock shares. If I found anything else, I could keep it. Hell, there wasn't
anything else! I break in, then I lay for her and knock her down and get
winged, all for nothing!"
Marcus took a twenty-dollar gold piece from his pocket. "There, I wouldn't
want you to lose on the deal. If he ever gets in touch again, let me know."
"Are you crazy? I was fifty feet away and runnin' when she winged me! I want
nothin' to do with her!"
When the thief had gone, Marcus tipped back in his chair. Hesketh had
recently taken control of the Solomon, and the Solomon was worth millions.
Hesketh wanted that stock and he wanted it bad; there had to be a reason.
Within the hour a friend from the exchange told him the reason. Those shares
of stock meant control, and Hesketh had to have control. Just holding the
stock would mean a lot of money, but handled just right
Marcus Zetsev clutched the edge of his desk. Buying stolen goods was a petty
business, after all, but to own a silver mine! And he could do it. His
somewhat protruding eyes watered as he thought of that. Hesketh had failed so
far.Hewould not fail.
Teem, the thief he had sent to Hesketh, was a veteran. Hence, if he had not
found the shares in the flat, they were simply not there.
There had been no chance for Teem to examine the purse, but that was where
they must be. Either in her purse or on her person.
Now she would be aware, she would be on her guard, and she could shoot.
Marcus thought about it, playing solitaire meanwhile. He would have to get
hold of that purse and, if need be, of her. And the place to do that was some
night after the theater or, in a last resort, take her from the stage as she
went toVirginia City . It was common knowledge that her next play dates would
be there.
For two weeks the play had a successful run, but for two weeks there was
absolutely no chance to get close to her. One or more of the actors was always
about, and they were armed. His people were shrewd enough to perceive that.
Marcus had no desire to get anyone shot who might be taken by the police and
forced to talk.
The show closed suddenly, and the newspapers reported that Miss Redaway's
Company would be going toVirginia City , to Washoe.
Hesketh came by to order materials, and Marcus, his eyes guileless, asked if
he needed another thief. "I do not," Hesketh said sharply. "It will not be
necessary."
Page 148
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Grita Redaway met Albert Hesketh for dinner. It was an excellent dinner, and [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]