The Saint And The Fiction Makers (40) by Leslie Charteris

Author:Leslie Charteris
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2015-12-16T05:00:00+00:00

2

It was as uncomplicated as Simon predicted. The descent was accomplished with a minimum of noise, and even Amity managed to creep through the shrubbery without attracting the keen ears of the watchdogs. From the corner of the house she and Simon could see both the garage and the front gate. A guard without a canine companion stood by the gate. Simon’s eyes followed the paved drive which led from the gate to the garage, where he had seen Frug washing the limousine that afternoon.

‘You’re sure that guard has no way to shut down the electricity in the fence or to unlock the gate?’ he asked Amity.

‘I’m sure—if Warlock followed my books,’ she answered. ‘Only Warlock can do that, from inside the house.’

‘Let’s just hope he was as thorough when he designed that limousine. If I understand you, the auxiliary ignition switch is recessed under the steering column.’

‘Right. Warlock almost got captured once when he lost the keys to the car, so he had the second switch installed. Only he is supposed to know about it.’

‘Well, then, here goes. Flatten yourself against the garage door as soon as we get to it.’

The distance between house and garage was only a few paces. The guard at the gate did not notice the shadowy figures darting from the shelter of one wall to another.

‘Now, something I just thought of,’ Simon said. ‘Won’t these garage doors be wired into the alarm system?’

‘Yes, but there’s a switch you can throw by pushing one of the bricks down here next to the ground.’ Amity knelt down and felt the lower bricks beside the articulated metal door. ‘Yes. Here. This one moved when I pressed it. It gives me the most uncanny feeling. He’s thought of everything.’

‘Including the extra ignition switch, I hope! Now, the guard may hear the door going again, so get ready for some fast action. I’ll see what I can do with this lock.’

‘Maybe it’s not locked,’ suggested Amity.

‘It must be.’

But when Simon tried turning the handle his hand met no resistance. He and Amity each took one of the doors and swung them quietly outwards. In the deeper darkness of the garage’s interior glinted the black limousine, its nose towards the door.

‘Too easy,’ Simon whispered as they ran to either side of the big car. ‘Don’t tell me Mr. Warlock was good enough to leave the car open too.’

The limousine’s windows were up, but the doors were not locked.

‘Don’t look gift horses in the mouth,’ Amity said.

‘Where’s that ignition switch?’

Their hands groped beneath the steering wheel. Suddenly light flared through the front window of the car.

‘It’s the guard!’ Amity cried, no longer bothering to hold her voice to a whisper. ‘He’s coming this way!’

Simon’s fingers found the small metal button beneath the steering column. The engine rumbled. Simon engaged the automatic shift and jammed the gas pedal to the floor. The wheels whined on the cement floor of the garage, propelling the giant limousine out along the drive like a shell from a cannon.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.