The Mystery of the Rogues' Reunion - Marc Brandel [21]
Pete and Bob spilled out. Gordon Harker turned back to the guard. “Limo for Milton Glass in publicity,” he told him. “I just brought the kids along because they wanted to see the studio.”
The guard nodded. “I don’t think Mr. Glass is in his office —” he began.
“His secretary ordered the limo.” The tall chauffeur cut him off before he could say any more. He closed the back door of the car. Pete was standing beside it.
“Where is he?” Gordon Harker whispered to him.
“Stage Nine,” Pete whispered back. “He’s locked in. He’ll pass you the key under the door.”
The chauffeur slipped behind the wheel again. The guard waved him on. Pete and Bob watched the car disappear down the street of famous buildings.
Jupe was right. Bob thought. There was something mysterious about Gordon Harker.
Jupiter was still lying on the floor of the sound stage, watching the crack of light under the door. He saw it disappear.
“Pete?” Jupe called.
“No, it’s me.” The First Investigator could just hear the man’s voice. “Your chauffeur, Gordon Harker. Pass me the key.”
Jupe hesitated for an instant. After all the work he had done, fixing the phone, cutting away the padding and the wood of the door, he didn’t want to give the key to the wrong person. To someone who might simply walk off and leave him there until Monday. It was even possible, he realized, that Harker had followed him to the studio earlier. That Harker was the one who had locked him in.
He glanced at his watch again. Twelve minutes to two. This was no time for hesitation. He had to take the chance that the chauffeur was on his side. He had to risk it.
He slipped the key though the crack under the door. He stood up. He waited.
The door opened.
Jupe stepped gratefully out into the bright sunlight.
“Thank you, Mr. Harker,” he said.
“Better hurry,” the chauffeur told him. “Your friends are at the gate. We’ll pick them up, and I think we can just make it by two o’clock.”
They did just make it. It was one minute to two when Jupe and the others ran into the big television network building and hurried to the lifts.
The doors of the studio on the seventeenth floor, where the quiz show taping was scheduled to take place, were still open. A uniformed attendant hurried Jupe down the aisle and on to the stage.
He showed the First Investigator to his seat in a long wooden stand like a jury box. While the attendant fastened a mike to his tie, Jupe looked carefully at Footsie, who was sitting next to him. He was watching Footsie’s eyes.
“Hi,” Footsie said. “Close thing.”
He couldn’t be absolutely sure, Jupe decided. You could never be certain about people’s faces and reactions. But he would have staked his reputation as an investigator on it.
Footsie was not in the least surprised to see him there. Jupe looked quickly at the other people on the stage.
Peggy wasn’t surprised either. She seemed relieved he had made it in time. She gave him a friendly, pleased smile.
Bloodhound looked pleased too. So did Milton Glass, who was hosting the quiz show.
The only one who did not meet Jupe’s eyes when he looked at him, who glanced away uneasily, was the young man with the long blond hair down to his shoulders.
Bonehead.
Chapter 8
The First Quiz
THE TELEVISION cameras were rolling. The first Wee Rogues Quiz Show had begun.
After warming up the audience with his flashing smile and a few jokes, Milton Glass explained the rules of the quiz.
The contestants would answer questions in turn. Five points for a right answer, zero for a wrong one. If one of them missed a question, any of the others could hold up their hands and volunteer an answer, gaining five points if they came up with the right one. But if, after volunteering, they gave a wrong answer, they would lose five points.
Glass turned and beamed at the contestants. “So don’t volunteer unless you’re sure.” he warned them. He faced the cameras and the studio audience again. “In some quiz shows,” he continued, “there are several categories. The contestants can choose the one