“Hello there, Mr. Davis! Glad to see you.” He waved a bandaged hand, as the car drew up and stopped.
134
Mr. Davis got out and walked up the steps. He was no longer the rather rough looking figure of the morning, but was now immaculate in gray flannels1 and a spick and span panama.
“Glad to see you, Bolton,” he smiled pleasantly, and Bill was again impressed by the keen intelligence in this gray-haired man’s eyes. “This is a rather unexpected pleasure. I really did not expect to be in New Canaan this afternoon.”
Bill pointed2 to chairs and they sat down. “I’ve been trying to read, but it’s a nuisance turning the pages with these hands!”
“How are they coming along?”
“Nicely, thanks. Our local medico had a look at them when we got back from Heartfield’s this morning. He says that the salve you used must be wonderful stuff—he’d never seen anything heal so quickly.”
135
Mr. Davis smiled, and pulling out his briar pipe, filled and lighted it. “By tomorrow you’ll be able to discard the bandages,” he observed. “Although you will have to go easy on the hands themselves for a couple of days. I came across that salve in the Near East some years ago. Some day, when I can snaffle a few weeks off the job, I’ll put the ointment3 on the market, and let it make my everlasting4 fortune.” Bill looked surprised.
“But I thought—”
“That old Davis was taking a cheap vacation, rent free! That is the story I pass out just now, Mr. Secret Service Operative Bolton! But—and I’m rather sorry to confess it—the story, though plausible5, is untrue.”
“And what,” Bill spoke6 quietly, watching his visitor through half-shut lids, “gives you the impression that I am a secret service operative, Mr. Davis?”
“Perhaps you’d like to look at this.” Mr. Davis took a small leather case from his breast pocket and snapped back the flap, disclosing a green card. He held it so Bill could read it.
“Suffering cats! So you’re Ashton Sanborn—head of—”
136
“Quite so. But to you and everyone else while we are on this case of the winged cartwheels, just plain ‘Mr. Davis’, if you please.” He laughed quietly at the look of genuine amazement7 on Bill’s face. “You see, one is never sure who may be listening, and I am fairly certain that the gentry8 we are dealing9 with have not got onto Mr. Davis yet!”
A telegraph messenger pedalled up the drive, sprang off his bicycle and ran up the steps to Bill.
“Wire for you, Mr. Bolton,” he said, handing him a yellow envelope. “The manager says he wrote out the message just as it came in, but he can’t make head nor tail of it—he—”
Bill ripped open the flap with his finger tips, drew forth10 the telegraph form and saw typewritten below his address a single line of words in an unknown language.
137
“Tell the manager,” he replied, “that the message is really for Chief Osceola and that it is written in the Seminole language. Anything to pay?”
“No, sir.”
“Well, stick your fist into this pocket of my coat and help yourself to a quarter.”
“Thanks, Mr. Bolton.” The boy grinned delightedly as he transferred the money to his own pocket. Then he ran down the steps, jumped on his wheel, and sped down the drive.
Bill looked at the secret service man and smiled. “No need to tell the manager all we know, Mister—er—Davis,” he said. “And especially when I really don’t know anything. Of course, the message is in code and although it was sent from New York City, I have a sneaking11 idea that it originated in Washington, D. C.”
138
The secret service man nodded. “You’re a good guesser, Bolton. Washington is taking no chances either. The code is a double interchange of letters. Simple enough when you know it and easy to remember. Hand it over. I’ll explain as I translate.” He laid the paper on his knee and took out a pencil.
“So you see,” he continued, after deciphering the code, “it reads: ‘Take your orders from Ashton Sanborn V8LR.’”
“V8 being my own number in the service,” said Bill, “and the initials those of the big boss. I want to add that I’m tickled12 to death to be working under you, Mr. Davis. All the world knows the big things you’ve put over. And just to think that when you were piloting Osceola and me up to Kolinski’s shack13 this morning, you probably knew a lot more than we did about the winged cartwheels!”
Mr. Davis made a gesture of dissent14. “That’s where you’re wrong, Bolton. Until you told the story to Captain Simmonds and me in the car, I’d never heard of the emblems15 nor of the organization they represent.”
139
“But surely you—I mean, it is rather cheeky of me to ask questions, but if you knew nothing about the cartwheel gang, how did you happen to be in that out-of-the-way place?”
“It’s simple enough, Bill—I’m going to call you Bill. I’m old enough to be your father, and we’ll probably get pretty well acquainted before this case goes into the files completed.”
“Bill is what I like my friends to call me, Mr. Davis.”
140
“Thanks. Well, the truth of the matter is that I was in Heartfield’s to keep an eye on Kolinski. For some time, a big gang with headquarters in New York City has been doing a land-office business smuggling16 cocaine17 and other drugs into this country from Europe. The police came to a dead end on the case and that brought me into it. Kolinski, who is known to have been a dope pedlar in a small way, suddenly blossomed out with a big car and plenty of money. I had enough on that Pole before he took the house at Heartfield’s to put him behind bars for the remainder of his life. Instead, I followed him up there, because, after considering a number of things—I’ll tell you about them sometime—I had the hunch18 that he’d become a member of this big dope running gang.”
“Have you found out much about it?”
Mr. Davis tamped19 the glowing tobacco in his pipe with the flat end of a pencil. “Mighty little—nothing important, anyway. Kolinski has no flies on him, he’s a slick article. Even though he made one or two slips in the past, he seems to have been walking the straight and narrow since he joined this racket; only of course I’m certain he’s been doing nothing of the kind!”
“Then you think this silver cartwheel business is nothing more than a dope smuggling ring?”
141
“I’m not so sure. However, our Department has been advised from France that large quantities of cocaine are being shipped to the United States. The French tracked down and located two of these shipments before they left Europe. The stuff was in small packets and had been placed in boxes containing truffles.”
“But surely,” argued Bill, “those truffles were addressed to someone in this country.”
“Right, they were. But those addresses led us nowhere. Upon investigation20 they proved to be two untenanted houses in New York City. The owners are perfectly21 respectable people. In both cases, the houses had been rented through agents and rent paid in advance for six months.”
“But how about the people who rented them?”
142
“They have never been seen. The business with the real estate firms was carried on entirely22 by correspondence. Inasmuch as postal23 orders covering the rent were sent by mail, references were not required. You must understand that because of the two shipments held up and confiscated24 by the French government, we naturally suppose that more of the stuff is being sent over. But we have no actual proof. On the other hand, when we find that several men like Kolinski, who are known to be small fry in this dope racket, suddenly desert their old haunts and become affluent25 without any visible means of support, we put two and two together. However, we have not been able to trace the source of supply further than I have already told you, nor have we been able to discover their method of distribution.”
“Has it occurred to you that it may be only a sideline of some much bigger racket?” Bill suggested diffidently. “It just doesn’t seem reasonable that that old geezer with the cracked voice would have got so stirred up if we’d merely horned in on a dope ring. The man talked like a lunatic, and as if we were spoiling some very definite object he had in view.”
143
“That, Bill, is exactly what I decided26 when I heard your story. Of course I had already disclosed my real identity to Captain Simmonds, and as soon as you left for New Canaan, we had a chat and I got Washington on the wire. I had known for a week or so that you’d been taken on by the Department, and so I requested your services on the job. The people down there thought it a good idea. They’ve given us free rein27 to handle this matter as we may see fit—and so here I am!”
“And I,” said Bill, “am very much honored that you should want me to help you.”
Mr. Davis smiled. “I think the regard is mutual28, Bill, and I’m sure we’ll get on splendidly together. By the way, I suppose your Seminole friend is over at the Dixons’? I phoned their physician before leaving Heartfield’s and he said Miss Lightfoot was conscious now, but could not be spoken to until about eight.”
“Yes, I know. Osceola is with her, of course, and until you drove up here I’d nothing to do except think—and watch the shadows on the lawn. He’ll be coming back here for chow soon. We dine at seven. You’ll stop with us, of course?”
“Thanks very much, I’ll be glad to. And you will be interested to hear that I’ve been authorized29 to secure Chief Osceola’s services on this case. I’ve an idea he’ll prove a valuable man.”
“He sure will!” Bill replied enthusiastically, “—and after what these cartwheel fellows have done to Deborah, there’d be no keeping him out of it anyway.”
Mr. Davis looked grave. “That young lady holds the most important clue we have.”
“Yes,” said Bill. “Gosh, I can hardly wait till eight o’clock!”
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
flannels
|
|
| 法兰绒男裤； 法兰绒( flannel的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
ointment
|
|
| n.药膏，油膏，软膏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
everlasting
|
|
| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
plausible
|
|
| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
spoke
|
|
| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
amazement
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
gentry
|
|
| n.绅士阶级，上层阶级 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
dealing
|
|
| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
sneaking
|
|
| a.秘密的，不公开的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
tickled
|
|
| （使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
shack
|
|
| adj.简陋的小屋，窝棚 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
dissent
|
|
| n./v.不同意，持异议 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
emblems
|
|
| n.象征，标记( emblem的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
smuggling
|
|
| n.走私 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
cocaine
|
|
| n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
hunch
|
|
| n.预感，直觉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
tamped
|
|
| v.捣固( tamp的过去式和过去分词 )；填充；（用炮泥）封炮眼口；夯实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
investigation
|
|
| n.调查，调查研究 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
entirely
|
|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
postal
|
|
| adj.邮政的，邮局的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
confiscated
|
|
| 没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
affluent
|
|
| adj.富裕的，富有的，丰富的，富饶的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
rein
|
|
| n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
mutual
|
|
| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
authorized
|
|
| a.委任的，许可的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |