Chapter 12
Blood was now running from his mouth. His eyes were beginning to glaze.
"It's getting dark in here," he whispered. "I can hardly see you. But I've got a lot to tell you. You've got to get that diary out of here."
"I will," I promised.
"First of all, about Johnny Blake. He was their courier. We've had our eye on him for a long time, but we left him alone until we were ready to close in. He was one of their key men. So when he was killed, all hell broke loose around here."
"Do you believe Fatso's story about Millie Padgett killing Johnny?" I asked.
"Yes. That's what happened. I was there when Sammy put it all down."
"But couldn't they have threatened him so he wouldn't go to the cops?"
"They couldn't take that chance. After you were grabbed, they dreamed up how they could use you. So they didn't want you to get off the hook."
"But why did Millie Padgett kill herself?"
"Nobody will ever know. But Sammy was part of the organization. Millie must have known it. Sammy said that after the party Saturday afternoon he and Millie were going to get together. That's all I know. But I suspect Millie was afraid Sammy was going to bring her here. Because Sammy had orders to do that. They weren't about to let Millie get away with killing Johnny Blake."
"But why would Sammy tell them Millie did it?"
"That's the way you go up with this gang. Sammy was an eager beaver."
"I doubt if I can get my hands on that confession Sammy wrote."
"You won't have to. It's all in my diary. That will clear you."
"Thanks," I said. "But how am I going to get out of here?"
"I've got some sketches in my diary. They show the layout of the house. Down the hall you'll find a door on the right. Follow the sketches. You'll get into a tunnel and get out of here."
"What kind of an outfit is this? Commies?"
"Worse than that. It's an international ring of spies and killers. They hire out to the highest bidder. We've been watching this place for a long time. But couldn't nail them. That's why we put out the phony story about the secret work being done with the recreation camp as a front. Sure enough, they called in their top men. That's why Johnny Blake kept shuttling in and out of here. I was just about to blow the whistle on them. Then this had to happen."
"And all because of me," I said.
He reached out and squeezed my hand. "Don't worry. Just get that diary...."
His head flopped over. His grasp loosened on my hand.
I stood up. I wondered what to do next. Perhaps I should take his gun and try to get back to Fatso's office.
There would be plenty of stuff there.
But then I decided not to play hero. The important thing was to get that diary out of there.
I picked up the revolver and the diary. I headed toward the other end of the room. I flipped the switch on the right. The platform came down and I climbed on it.
I slowly opened the door to the hall and stuck my head out. Two lanky characters were walking by.
"Well," the older one said, "look who's here."
I pulled back and slammed the door. I tried to lock it. But they lunged against it and shoved me back. They rushed in and one of them grabbed the revolver and the diary. The other one pinned my arms back and marched me into the hall.
The guy with the diary riffled through it. He looked up and grinned at the other one. "Wait till Igor gets a load of this."
"What is it?"
"Eddie was a fink and a Fed. It's all here." He looked at me. "Where is he?"
"He's dead."
"And you wtlf be, too."
I was shoved down the hall and into a room on the left. There was a desk and three chairs in it.
The older goon went to the desk and picked up the phone. "Put Ignor on."
He dug a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. He stood there scowling and spewing smoke.
"Igor? Swartz. We've got the gal down here. Yeah, we're next to the courtroom. Okay ... Okay...."
He hung up and looked at me. "Where's Rocco?"
"Who?" I asked.
"Rocco. Eddie took you to his office. We found Ploski on the floor near the stairs. But the three of you had disappeared."
If they didn't know where Rocco was, I wasn't about to tell them.
"As we reached the bottom of the stairs," I said, "he suddenly started firing at the three of us. Eddie fired back. Eddie and Rocco were hit. Eddie and I ran. I don't know what happened to Rocco."
"Then he's probably around here somewhere," the younger gorilla said.
The door opened. A tall man with a hawk face under a thatch of gray hair came in. He stared at me.
"Look at this," the older goon said, handing over the diary. "Eddie was a Fed. She says he's dead."
Igor looked at me. "Where's his body?"
"Down the hall," I told him. "Why?"
"Because we want to make sure he's dead. So what were you going to do, take this to the Feds?"
I said nothing. I just glared at him.
"You had your chance," Igor told me. "Rocco made you a fair offer. But, say, where is Rocco?"
He looked at the two apes. The older one said, "She claims that Ploski started shooting at the three of them as they came down the stairs to the basement. Eddie fired back. Eddie and Rocco were hit. Ploski wound up dead. So Rocco must be around here somewhere."
Igor nodded. "Okay, give her to Zubu."
The two goons grabbed me and dragged me to a closed door. They threw it back and snapped on a switch.
It smelled like a zoo in there. It should.
Because along one wall was a cage from floor to ceiling with thick steel bars. And it looked like King Kong in there.
They dragged me over to a door. I screamed and fought and kicked. But I didn't have a chance.
They opened a barred door and shoved me inside. I was in a smaller cage. And Zubu came lumbering over to stare at me.
They went over to the wall and pushed a button. One side of my cage slowly lifted.
Zubu came bounding around to that end. I jumped and grabbed the gate and rode up with it. I looked down. Zubu was standing below me and glaring up at me. If he ever got his hands on me....
Zubu turned and grabbed the bars on the side. He started climbing. I watched him, waiting for the right moment. Then I dropped and my feet were running as soon as they hit the floor.
Zubu let out a roar. But I didn't look back. I was running pell-mell toward the other end of the cage.
It was only a question of time until Zubu would get me. But I was faster than he. So as long as I had any strength, I was going to stay away from him.
There was an iron ladder at the far end of the cage. It went straight up to a wide shelf. I glanced over my shoulder. Zubu was loping after me.
I hit the ladder and kept right on going. I climbed onto the shelf and looked down. Zubu was starting up.
And then I realized why the ladder and the shelf. There was a trapeze hanging about ten feet away. The bar was just above the level of the shelf.
I looked at the trapeze and down the ladder. I could take my choice-Zubu or jumping for the trapeze. Because if I could get on the trapeze, I could climb a rope to the overhead beam. Perhaps he couldn't get up there.
I squatted down and tried to judge my distance. I leaped. My hands caught the bar and then slid off. I quickly grabbed with one hand and hung on. Then I clamped with the other hand.
Zubu was roaring from the shelf. He would be jumping any second.
I must have been charged with adrenalin. I pulled myself up and managed to get a leg over the bar. I grabbed the robes and pulled myself up again. I was standing on the bar.
I glanced over my shoulder. Zubu was ready to jump.
I went up one rope hand over hand. Just as I got hold of the beam, Zubu landed on the bar below. I pulled myself up and lay on the beam. He glared up at me as I lay there panting. He grabbed a rope and started climbing.
I looked down at the floor far below. My insides did flip-flops. I shut my eyes for a moment and opened them again. But I didn't look down a second time.
I inched myself toward the end of the beam. I wondered if Zubu would be able to follow me.
I reached the end and glanced over my shoulder. Here came Zubu down the beam.
I grabbed a bar of the cage and slid down it. It burned my hands. As soon as my feet hit the floor I was running.
I was exhausted. My lungs were screaming. I was puffing and panting and fighting for breath.
I looked over my shoulder. There was Zubu just above me, hanging onto the bars of the cage. He dropped. He slammed me to the floor.
I was half-out. I felt him rolling me on my back. My legs were yanked up and spread wide apart.
I opened my eyes. And there he was hovering above me, glaring down at me. I screamed. But it was no use. I tried to break free. But he clamped all the tighter on my legs.
He let out a roar and tried to ram me. My hips reared up. He didn't get the job done.
That made him mad. He let go of my legs and jumped on me. I was buried under his stinking fur. And then his hands found my throat.
Once more I was being raped and choked. And once more I felt myself slipping away.
From far away I heard firecrackers going off. As I drifted away, I wondered why they were celebrating the Fourth of July so early.
Suddenly I realized that Zubu was no longer crushing me. I could breathe once more. I opened my eyes.
Adolph and Sharon stood there, gripping rifles.
Sharon squatted down beside me. "I thought you were a goner."
"Me, too," I rasped. "I thought you were one of the gang."
She shook her head. "I hope you'll forgive me. Eddie needed help. I couldn't come in. So I sent you."
"Thanks a lot," I whispered. "I knew Eddie would take care of you," she told me. "The diary...." I said. "It's safe. Everybody's dead or rounded up."
"And so is Eddie," I said.
She nodded. "That's what I figured. But I was scared to death when Adolph called me and told me he had you in the basement and that Eddie was coming in."
"Why?"
She laughed and patted my arm. "Let's just say that you'll live longer if you stick to being a barber instead of trying to play Mata Hari."