Genius Jones (The Argosy Library) by Lester Dent

Author:Lester Dent [Dent, Lester]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Action and Adventure
Publisher: Altus Press
Published: 2015-10-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter XVII

A GIRL IN THE ARMS

“MR. WARD,” Jones said firmly, “you can render me a measure of service.” Jones made an effort to sound both friendly and firm—the new man stooping pleasantly to an inferior.

“What? What? Measure of what?”

“You can do something for me.”

“Young man, who do you think you’re talking to? What the devil do you think I am?”

“I haven’t time to take that up in detail,” Jones said. “The point is this: You are going to perform a service for me.”

“I most certainly am not! Except stomp on your sassy face when I catch you. By Satan, I know what I’ll do. I’ll hire detectives to help the police find you!”

Jones cleared his throat. “They might be no more efficient at that than they were at finding your missing daughter, Janice.” Shocked sound came over the wire, followed by silence.

“How—how did you know about that?” Polyphemus Ward asked.

“Everyone knows you had a daughter who left you six months ago because she couldn’t stand your devilishness.”

“That’s a lie!” yelled Polyphemus Ward. “Who said so?”

Jones ignored the question. “About your doing the thing I want done—er, you are going to do it? I will”—Jones glanced at Vix and Funny Pegger—“not mention the reason specifically, because others are present. It is your wish, I believe, that the matter be kept secret.”

Polyphemus Ward gulped. “You mean that hundred-thousand-dollar test and—and—you idiot! You stupid, unwashed refugee from an iceberg! Shut up! Someone might hear us!”

“The newspapers would be glad to hear about it.”

“You—you—”

“So would Wall Street. They would think you had gone mad. The stock of the companies you own would probably drop half. I wonder what that would cost you?”

“You—you—”

Polyphemus Ward got words coming, kept them coming in a barrage, such words as Jones had never heard, because there are no dictionaries of profanity. The volcano finally blew itself dry.

Jones frowned. “Here,” he said, “is what you are going to do for me.”

“What? In a pig’s eye, I will!” The man of money swore some more. “I’m done! The deal is off! Give me back that hundred thousand, or I’ll see you in the penitentiary! The whole thing is off. You hear? Off!”

“You made a bargain,” Jones insisted. “It was no idea of mine. And now you are going through with it, willing or not.”

“I’m cursed if I will! Uh—what do you want done?”

“I wish you to bail Funny Pegger and a girl named Vix out of jail,” Jones said.

Behind Jones, Funny Pegger sprang to his feet and yelped: “Jail? Jail? What’s this?”

Jones waved Pegger back and said into the telephone, “You will bail Mr. Pegger and er—Miss Vix out of confinement, providing they are in need of such aid.”

“I won’t! Let them rot in there!” roared Polyphemus Ward. “Who is this Vix?”

“That is all,” Jones said. “Er—I do not think of anything further. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, dammit! And don’t call me again! Uh—are you all right? Need anything else? Not, by gad, that you’ll get it!”

“No,” Jones said, “but thank you.”

JONES hung up, and the next instant, Funny Pegger grabbed him and shook him.

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