The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1940-11-23
Before The Blitzkrieg
by Rupert GraSon
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE


FOR A WHILE Gun was alb.
sorbed by contemplation of the
danger that confronted two great
cities-a danger that. outside OF
the gang who were promoting this
p. ce of villainy. was known alone
to him. He was the only person
who could stop it-prevent the
death or manning of dozens, per-
haps hundreds, Of innocent people.
He realized. suddenly. that
his life was doubly-trebly-pre-
cious now. and with that realiza-
ton came the thought of time
He looked It his watch again,
and saw that he haG already seri-
ously overstayed his time. He had
to get back to the bedroom. restore
the keys, and seem to be asleep
once more before that Internal
alarm went of.
Hastily, but careful that their
arrangements should be precisely
the same. sun replaced the slim
but infinitely significant letter files
in the drawer, relocked 1t, and
then, moving as swiftly as the
need for silence permitted, let him
self out Of the Office. easing the
lock with the key so that there
should be no click a. the door
closed once more.
Then through the kitchen, and
back into the bedroom. Thank
goodness. Trent had not moved,
and his breathing still was on the
same deep. even note.
A glance at the clock dismayed
Gun. Only bare five minutes left
before the alarm went, and those
keys had to be got back without
waking the sleeper. The effect of
the pellet would be wearing OF,
too, by now.
Gun crouched beside the bed.
and got to work. He'll. Trent had
grabbed the covering clothes in
his hand. and was holding them
tightly. close to his face, thus bar
ring the space by which the keys
would have to be replaced in their
Old position.
Somehow Gun managed to I'M
loose the fingers, one by one, using
infinite care and gentleness. Once
Trent groaned. and Guns heart
jumped. The perspiration was
standing out on his forehead as he
worked. but 1t was not his own
life he was worrying about now
1t was the lives Of the innocent
men, women and children which
now depended on his.
The fingers unclasped at last.
Gun did not dare look at the clock
even that would take time. He
laid the keys on the bed by the
pillow with care, so that they
should not Jingle. and then, with
the tip Of his forefinger, slowly
pushed them along under the pill
low. His bent head was close to
that Of the sleeper, and the mans
hot breath impinged on his own
sweating face.
Inch by inch. with his heart |
beating faster every moment, and
the tick-tick of that accursed clock
seemed to measure out the seconds
of doom.
Gun worked the keys around the |
cold muzzle of the automatic, and
then commenced to push that
around to the position In which II
had been when he first interfered
with it.
And then. with a clatter that
seemed to shake the whole uni
verse. the alarm sprung, and the
whole room was filled with a con-
catenation of sound that sounded
IN Guns ears like the world crash
ing to pieces about him.
Across the breakfast table the
man who now called himself Otto
Britton stared sulkily at his COM
panion, who did not seem In the
east disturbed by the regard.
When Prescott had put her
down as an actress he had GER
.ainly not been far wrong. without
my stage or makeup to help her,
me was certainly a superlative
ictress-for no one who had seen
md heard her In the company OF
and Toni would have recognized
Ter as the same girl
1t was not that her appearance
sas any different-in any physi-
al essential. that Is to say. But In
ome way she seemed to exude
Inherent atmosphere. With them
10 one would have taken her for