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

"Your t-time is almost up," he said shakily.





THE other did not respond immediately, and Paine L. Winthrop seemed on the verge of repeating his warning. Then a coarse, angry whisper came over the line.



"Winthrop, you are passing up a chance of becoming one of the richest men alive," said the distant speaker.



"I am passing up a chance of landing in the electric chair," Winthrop snapped.



"Listen, Winthrop," the other said earnestly. "I have explained to you very - "



"There is no object in arguing," said the shipping magnate. "I may be a hard business man, and I may be a skinflint and a slave driver, as some people have called me; but I stay within the law. Early in my youth, I learned that was the best policy."



The distant whispering voice took on a menacing quality.



"You are already too deep in this to back out' Winthrop," it pointed out. "We have used your shipyard."



Winthrop flinched as if he had been seized with an inner chill in the region of his spine, but his forbidding face remained set and determined.



"I was deceived," he grated. "I thought the thing being built in my shipyard was for a foreign government. I think I can convince the authorities of that."



"It seems that I made a mistake in taking you into my confidence," said the whisper.



Winthrop snapped, "You certainly did!"