"020 (B026) - Death in Silver (1934-10) - Lester Dent" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robeson Kenneth)

"What about the armored truck?" Doc asked. "Armored trucks are not extremely common on New York streets."



"This one was a steel pay-roll truck," the policeman replied. "It was stolen, we learned, from a company which makes a business of delivering pay rolls. It was taken only a few minutes before the raid here."



"You assemble information very quickly," Doc told the officer. "Good work. Was the truck followed?"



The policeman grimaced. "I'm sorry to say that it got away completely. Of course, every radio patrol car in the city is now looking for it. We expect a report at any minute. it cannot escape."





DOC Savage did not rush off on any wild chase of his own in search of the armored truck. He knew the efficiency of the metropolitan police; he had, in fact, served in a consulting capacity when the present radio car system was inaugurated. A vehicle as prominent as the armored truck would not get far before it was discovered.



The bronze man's first move was to examine the semi-molten silver mass which Monk and Ham had found in the basement fire box. A small bag was brought from Doc's roadster. With chemicals taken from the bag, Doc tested the silver.



"Coin silver," he announced.



"Eh?" The police lieutenant was puzzled.



"The cloth is interwoven with fine wire made from molten silver dollars," Doc explained.



"Does that prove anything?" the officer queried.



"Only that the criminals must be making the garments themselves, which indicates that some of them are highly skilled metalsmiths," said the bronze man. "If the disguises had been purchased, it is almost certain that a different grade of silver would have been used."



The policeman nodded, not greatly surprised, for he knew the amazing detective ability possessed by Doc Savage. He was slightly abashed, however, when Doc went upstairs to the explosion scene and almost at once turned up the cause of the blast.