Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1940-10-16
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

GUN SAT by the window Of the
bedroom that chad been set aside
for him at the Nest and gazed over
the melancholy landscape, while he
listened 10 the faint sound of peo-
pie arriving for the meeting below.
1t was almost eleven at night,
and there would have been bright
moonlight outside had it not been
dffused by the curtain of smoky
clouds that hung overhead. 1t had
been raining. too. and there was a
faint mist coming up from the
marshes. while through the open
window came the drip-drip of
moisture from the trees.
The faint light that percolated
through the clouds showed a wild
and desolate landscape--flat and
uninviting. with only a stunted
tree or a ramshackle hut here and
there to break the monotony be-
fore it faded into a sort of vague
miaSma. The air that came through
the window was dank and chill,
and apart from the dripping of the
moisture, the silence outside was
rnbrOken except for the occa-
SiOnal dreary, raucOuj cry of a
lonely Screech owl.
Gun thought it all looked very
much like 4 sort of half-World-
the kind of place that some spirit
ual.Sts imagined as the locale of
discarnate souls that had just
passed over" And as he felt there
was some likelihood of his under
going that rather discomposing
process in the very near future
watson, for instance, would be
present at the meeting, and Wat
son knew him WelD he refused to
contemplate it any longer, and
turned back into the room, hum
ming as he did so: Waiting, wait
ing. waiting. always bloody we'll
waiting" an. old army doggerel
that had a very apt application to
the present in his case. He seemed
to have been waiting almost ever
since ne had embarked on this con-
founded job.
He glanced at his watch. Five
to eleven. The meeting was due to
begin at eleven, and the police, al
ready mobtrusively surrounding
the place, were due to close in at
eleven-twenty. What a bag!
But that was when the trouble
would Start-When the police came.
And that little fool Coral would be
there.
But at that thought Gun smiled
he had something unexpected for
Coral
y tap at the door, and voice:
They're all downstairs, and
waiting for you, Captain"
Good! I'll be down right now"
At the head of the stairs Coral
was waiting. She was looking even
more than usually charming. AS
they went down together, she
whispered:
"All set?"
$50 far as I know. I hope so, al
any rate. But you should know
more about it than Latter all,
you took the necessary informa-
ton up to London"
She nodded, and then said in the
same tone:
But these people haven't brok-
ea the law yct--no crime has been
committed. So what can be done,
even when they're arrested?"
Guns expression was grim as he
answered.:
You've forgotten one thing.
They pirated a plane--and they
made the mistake of killing the
crew of three! That's where we
get 'em, I think"
"Ah, see"
The room was the dining ROOM
a long, low-ceilinged apartment,
with door at either end.
There were fifteen men present
as they entered, looking very much
like a city board meeting, as they
sat around the long table--eHcept
for a certain diversity in dress,
some being in evening attire, and
others variously dressed.
Gun looked around. AMI sized
them up. Stein, the millionaire,
was at the head # the table. as