The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1940-12-13
Before The Blitzkrieg
by Rupert Grayson
NAL, as he glared at the assembled
by Rupert Grayson

/ NAL, as he glared at the assembled
men.
Stein pointed to Gun.
"He did! Captain Trent"
Otto turned his gaze on Gun,
and his expression was far from
pretty.
Trent? That Is not Trent. Trent
was shot by those accused Eng
lishmen. This one Is LARA
traitor-A SPYw
His hand suddenly went to his
side pocket, and Gun found him
self looking at death down the
muzzle of leveled automatic.
Stein shouted:
stop him, someonew
The two men nearest sprang on
otto and gripped him. forcing the
gun hand down. He struggled. and
growled like wild beast, but they
managed to hold him.
Stein was on his feet, staring
from one to the other.
What is all this?"
HE is mad" said Gun, in his
thick, =. irdistinct yoica- Somehow
he has escaped, but it has been too
much for him."
But you said he was shot"
snapped Stein. '"And he Is not even
wounded. How do you account for
that. Trent-if you ARE Trent ?"
Screened by the bandages, Guns
eyes rested for an instant upon the
inner door. He was thinking of
Coral. If he could hang 1t out long
enough, she might yet escape-the
police might arrive before they
thought of her. If he Guild think
Of something to delay matters.
ITS idiotic!" he said impatient
ly. Il am Trent all right-if not,
why am here? ?"
That's all right-but-can you
prove it?" Stein demanded.
An idea came to Gun.
There's only one way" he said,
slowly. I'll take off these band
ages. l warn you, the sight won't
be a pleasant one-but some OF
you will recognize me-"
Stein nodded.
That's fair enough" he ordered,
CURLY.
Otto turned to the men holding
him. His burst of rage seemed to
have passed. He was calm now, but
none the less dangerous.
Let 60 of me. Wen see who he
Is before we kill him."
The men obeyed, and stood back.
Otto remained where he was, star
ing at Gun as the latter, fumbling-
ly, began to remove the bandages.
He was taking as long as possible
about il.
On the wall behind him, and
level with the door, was a mirror.
Gun turned to it to remove the
bandages. Slow as he could be, but
one by one the wrappings peeled
off. But while doing 1t his brain
was working. He had an automatic
in his right-hand side pocket. AS
the last bandage came off he would
whip 1t out quickly and shoot Otto.
The confusion Of that would cause
further delay, and by the time that
was over the police would be there.
He himself would be dead by then
beaten by about three minutes.
That was hard luck, but It couldn't
be helped"
Then, as he looked In the glass,
he saw a queer thing happen. Be-
hind his own reflection was the re-
Fiction Of that inner door. behind
which was Coral. And now he saw
that door very slowly open an inch |
or two. Through the orifice came a
banda small. brown hand. And |
in that hand was a small, pear
shaped metal object.
So Coral HAD overheard, And |
now. a G.13 bomb-she must have
brought 1t from the island. Well.
n that confined space there wasn't
much chance for any Of them.
The hand still was suspended
here In the opening OF the door.
All eyes were fixed on Gun-no. one
noticed II. He fumbled with the
inal strip OF bandage.
The hand moved. and the bomb
vas gently rolled onto the soft car