The Mystery of the Vanished Victim by Ellery Queen Jr

Author:Ellery Queen Jr. [Queen, Ellery]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781504004022
Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
Published: 1962-09-05T04:00:00+00:00

11. NIGHT WATCH

LIGHTNING crisscrossed the sky, its momentary flash reflecting from the pistol.

“Quick, Balbir!” Gully rushed toward the other side of the roof.

“Who is there?” the foreign-accented voice rang out above the rumbling thunder.

“Down the back fire escape, Balbir! Fast!” Gully cried, racing for the top of the iron ladder.

The two boys swung over the roof edge and started down the iron steps. On the roof above, they heard the thump of landing feet.

“He is after us, Gully,” Balbir gasped.

“Don’t look back! Keep heading down,” Gully said as they hurried along the wet open stairway. Suddenly, a beam of light from above stabbed down on the fire escape.

“He’s got a flashlight, Balbir! Get back against the wall.”

The two boys flattened themselves against the rough wet bricks of the fourth floor. Above, the mustached man peered over the roofs rampart, a flashlight gripped tightly in one hand. The narrow beam of light cut back and forth across the fire escape, searching for the boys. With an angry grunt, the man rolled over the rampart and started down the fire escape after them. Balbir nudged Gully urgently as they heard the man’s feet clang on the metal steps above them.

“Start down again, Balbir,” Gully whispered. “And hope for thunder to cover any noise we make.”

The two boys, scarcely daring to breathe, edged from the wall and moved stealthily down the steps to the next floor. Clinging to the rain-slicked railing, they raced down another landing as peals of thunder exploded. Suddenly Gully grabbed Balbir’s arm and yanked him into the slight protection offered by a window frame. The flashlight’s beam swept by. Again the boys watched with racing hearts as the finger of light poked about the fire escape, barely missing them.

“He’s turned it off. Come on!”

Balbir needed no prompting. They swung around the slippery landing and hurried down the next flight of steps. Above them they could hear the pursuing feet of the mustached man. Reaching the bottom ladder, the boys gripped it tightly. It slid down just short of the ground. They jumped down onto the soggy mud of a small enclosed backyard. A flash of lightning lit the scene. In that split-second both boys took in the grim situation. The backyard was surrounded by a solid wooden fence, six feet high.

“We are trapped, Gully!” Balbir’s voice was edged with panic.

Just then, they heard the fire escape’s bottom section sliding down again. The mustached man was closing in.

“I’ll give you a boost! Then help me over, Balbir!”

Swiftly, the boys raced to the fence. Gully’s hands cupped Balbir’s shoe, and Balbir pulled himself up. Lying with one leg supported on a cross piece near the top of the fence, Balbir offered Gully his hand.

“Stop where you are!” the harsh voice commanded.

The sound of that menacing order sent Gully hurtling over the fence. The two scared boys looked breathlessly around. Once more, a high solid wooden fence enclosed the small backyard. As they searched for a way out, a beam of light struck Balbir’s turban.

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