Cap Fog and J. G. Reeder by J. T. Edson

Author:J. T. Edson [Edson, J. T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Piccadilly Publishing
Published: 2019-07-01T07:00:00+00:00

Fourteen—All of Which Means You’ve Failed

‘You seem to find that paper interesting, Mr. Rapido Clint,’ Mad John Flack remarked, staring from his place behind the study table to where the small Texan was standing by the window holding a week old copy of the Sporting Chronicle. ‘I saw you looking at it before dinner. Are you so interested in British horse racing?’

Listening to the words, Clint decided they were further proof of something he had discovered earlier. The old man might on occasions behave in a manner which suggested how he had gained the nickname “Mad, but he was also remarkably shrewd and discerning. Although he had not insisted that the Texan be searched, he had asked a number of pertinent questions which indicated that he had no intention of taking the other at face value.

After showing Flack the manner in which he was armed, Clint had explained how he had located Charles Wagon’s training establishment. However he had refused to divulge the sources of his information and his refusal had been handled so tactfully that he had won the old man’s approval. Hearing that a few dishonest jockeys and a number of professional killers were being sent to England, he had decided there was big money involved and had followed in search of employment. He had traveled over on a ship which was commissioned to collect a cargo of alcoholic beverages which were prohibited in the United States under the terms of the ‘Volstead Act’. [51] Another of the passengers, although Clint had ensured that they never met on the voyage, had been Link Gruber.

On arriving in the United Kingdom, Clint had trailed the jockey until losing him at Swindon. Having visited two other areas in Wiltshire where racehorses were trained, the Texan had reached Little Venner and learned the most likely place for Gruber to be hiding. His first attempt to verify this had been thwarted when he was seen by the trainer. Doubting whether he would be allowed to explain and despite being armed he had withdrawn and returned undetected feeling sure that he had reached his destination.

At the end of the explanation, Flack had demonstrated not only his shrewdness but his discernment. That he should have heard of Hogan Turtle, the man Clint had claimed could verify his bona fides, was not surprising. The Turtle family had long been very prominent in the criminal activities of the Lone Star State. [52] However, as Flack had shrewdly pointed out, in spite of employing the jargon of cowhands and gangsters, the newcomer’s accent was that of a well-educated Southron. Admitting that he was the black sheep of a wealthy Texas family, Clint had refused to supply further details. Once again, Flack had accepted his reticence.

Much to the unspoken disapproval of Wagon and the Gambel brothers, Flack had invited the Texan to stay in the house. Having managed to hire a car, the Right Hon. Horatio Benner, M.P. had arrived. Learning that Clint’s luggage was at the room he

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