THE SPEAKING STONE by J.R.A

Author:J.R.A. [J.R.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2011-04-26T23:21:50+00:00

LONG TOM was handling the plane well enough. The excitement, or maybe it was the exercise, had cured him of his earlier physical inability. Doc Savage broke out the concentrated rations, gave Long Tom some and took some himself. The ordinarily tasteless stuff was as good as filet mignon and French fries. They had not eaten since leaving Jinx Island in the South Pacific.

Satisfied that Long Tom was handling the plane all right, Doc went back to Terrence Wire. Wire watched him come with steady eyes.

“You do not have it,” Doc said.

Wire gave considerable thought to whether or not to answer. Then he said, “The stratosphere sickness? No, I do not have it.”

“Why not?”

Wire smiled without humor. “The answer is as obvious as simple. I have not been to Arriba.”

Doc Savage gave him a look that made the young man's mouth lose color.

“Give me a sensible answer,” the bronze man said.

“I have not been to Arriba.”

“That is not what I meant by a sensible answer.”

Wire looked at the old lady, then away from her quickly. “Will I be believed?”

“Probably not at once. Eventually, you may be, if it is the truth.”

Wire grimaced. “All right, here it is. Anyway, here is enough to explain my part and still not break my word to her.” He jerked his jaw at the old lady. “I made a promise to her. I keep my promises. Don't think I don't. Maybe I'm not virtue in white britches, but I keep my promises.”

Doc said, “Do not try to build your character with words. Deeds will do it—the ones from now on.”

Wire shrugged again.

“All right. The old lady, the girl and little Jones come from Arriba. They came first to hire El Gorrion to dispose of something for them. Don't ask me what the something is, because I'm not saying. But they came. I worked for El Gorrion, and I was just beginning to smell him as the skunk he is. Gorrion decided to double-cross these people. I did not go for it. I quit him. It was all right. We had an agreement. We bumped heads some over it; but we got together, and I walked out.”

Doc Savage put a look of skepticism on his face as Wire stopped speaking and looked at him.

Wire said hastily, “I know I was a prisoner when you got here today. I'll come to that. What I've just told you is the first part of the thing. The part that happened about a month and a half ago.”

“A month and a half ago?”

“Sure. It's been going on for sometime. Like the Irishman's green snake, it started small and grew.”

Doc Savage said, “You had better describe that growth.”

“Sure. El Gorrion pulled his double cross. Only he did not have his usual rare good luck. He got about half outsmarted. He didn't get what he was after. He got a regular mess of trouble stirred up instead. But he still thought he could catch the rabbit.”

Terrence Wire paused to stare ahead of the plane.

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