"065 (B056) - The Giggling Ghosts (1938-07) - Lester Dent" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robeson Kenneth)

The reporters, on the lookout for the dramatic, made an inquiry. "Would you like to tell Johnny Littlejohn that to his face?" they asked.
"Yes," said A. King Christophe.
The two geologists met and surveyed each other like two strange roosters. Physically, they both came rather close to being freaks, and the news cameramen got busy taking pictures.
"I'll be superamalgamated!" Johnny said grimly.
A. King Christophe looked startled.
"Which?"
William Harper Littlejohn said, "In Doc Savage's headquarters there is a seismograph."
"But—"
"And this seismograph of Doc's did not register an earthquake," Johnny said.
"But three other seismographs did register one!" A. King Christophe shouted.
"I don't care what registered which!" Johnny yelled. "There wasn't any earthquake! I stake my opinion on Doc's machine!"
A. King Christophe stamped away making remarks about long, lean walking dictionaries.
Chapter X. FAKE QUAKE
WILLIAM HARPER LITTLEJOHN did not care for reporters, because of the joy the scribes took in exaggerating the long, lean geologist's characteristics.
As soon as Johnny had given the press his opinion about there having been no earthquake, he retired to the midtown Manhattan skyscraper where Doc Savage made his headquarters.
Johnny was worried about Doc. The bronze man had been missing two days. Johnny had learned of the excitement here in the building two days ago, when someone had tried to prevent a young woman from reaching Doc Savage.
This was the effort Batavia had made to stop Miami Davis, but Johnny had no means of knowing that; he just knew there had been some trouble, following which Doc had disappeared.
Johnny had been at headquarters about an hour when there was a knock on the door. The gaunt geologist and archaeologist hurried over, hoping it was Doc, and opened the door.
"Oh!" he said.
The visitor was a stranger, a tall young man with great shoulders and a body that was impressively muscular. The visitor scowled at Johnny.
"I'm William Henry Hart, an inventor and manufacturer," he said.
Johnny frowned at Hart, whom he had never seen before. "Is replication exigent?" he asked.
"Huh?" said Hart.
Johnny translated, "What do I say to that?"
"You mean I'm William Henry Hart—and so what?"
"Equiparably correct," Johnny said.
William Henry Hart looked puzzled. He put out his jaw. "Look here," he growled, "use little words, if you don't mind."
"What do you want?"
"I've got important bad news," Hart said. "Ah—Doc Savage is missin', isn't he?"
"Doc seems to have disappeared," Johnny admitted.
"He's dead," Hart said.
Johnny took a step back, sank in the chair. His face blanched. His fingers tightened until they bit into the chair arm. His jaw sagged.
BECAUSE Doc Savage led a life of constant danger, Johnny had always feared of disaster befalling the bronze man. As a matter of fact, all Doc's men were in enough danger constantly to make them concerned about each other's safety.
It was several moments before Johnny could speak.
"Who—what—" He still couldn't frame a coherent sentence.
Hart hooked a long leg over the desk corner.
"I could've broke it easier," he said. "But I figured bad news was bad news."
Johnny's hands shook. The shock was tremendous. He could not believe that the bronze man was—was—
He said, "What happened?" hoarsely.
William Henry Hart got off the desk, clasped his muscular fingers behind his back and tramped the length of the office, then back again.
"I don't like women!" he said.
Johnny looked up. "What?"
"Well, a girl was the cause of this. A girl named Miami Davis. She's the one who got me and Doc Savage mixed up in it."
Johnny said, "Please tell a coherent story."
"O. K.," Hart said. "Here it is—plenty coherent. Miami Davis followed a—a gigglin' ghost to a storehouse, or so she said. In the storehouse, she got a gigglin' fit. Then she came to Doc Savage. A man tried to stop her, but failed. The girl took Doc to this storehouse. Then she found her wrist watch; she'd given me the watch to have fixed. The watch was lyin' in the storehouse.
"The girl then came rushin' to the boat where I live. Why, I don't know. Some men grabbed her at the boat. At the same time, the men grabbed Monk and Ham, who were trailin' the girl."
Hart explained how Doc Savage had arrived at the boat, and found the note saying Monk, Ham and Miami Davis had been taken out to Beach Road.
Hart then described the incident on the way.
"This Birmingham Lawn," he said, "kept tightening the knots of the ropes which bound me. He must have pulled the wrong rope end or something, because the ropes got looser all of a sudden. So I got loose and jumped out of the car."
"Strange thing for you to do," Johnny said grimly.