The Mystery of the Rogues' Reunion - Marc Brandel [40]
“Jupiter Jones,” he said. “And your two young friends. I’ve been expecting you. I guess you’ve come about that reward I promised you for solving the mystery of those silver cups. Come in.”
The Three Investigators stepped inside and the elderly director closed the door after them. They were in a vast, dim hallway. It looked even bigger to Jupe because there was almost no furniture in it — just a couple of canvas chairs and a battered desk.
Jupiter’s glance moved to the walls. They were covered with framed photographs of handsome young men and beautiful women. Jupe recognized some of them from old movies on television. They were the great stars of ten, twenty, thirty years ago.
Lomax saw him looking at them. He straightened. For a moment he looked strong and successful, like the faces in the photographs.
“My old friends,” he said. “Before the studio insulted my genius by putting me on those ridiculous Wee Rogues comedies, 1 directed some of those stars’ greatest pictures. I wouldn’t be boasting if I told you that many of them owed their stardom to me.” His voice rose, echoing around the walls. He clasped his hands together. “I taught them everything. I moulded and fashioned them. I created them.”
Bob shivered. In spite of the patched broken windows, it wasn’t cold in the huge, empty hallway. It was just so creepy, he thought. It was like a tomb, haunted by the ghosts of the past.
“About that reward,” Lomax went on in his normal voice. “I don’t happen to have
much cash on me at the moment, but I’m sure the publicity department —”
“We didn’t come about the reward,” Jupe interrupted him, and Bob could see that his friend felt as shivery and creepy as he did. “We came to take Peggy home.”
“Peggy? You mean Pretty Peggy?” The director unclasped his hands and slipped them into the pockets of his worn jacket. “But what on earth makes you think she’s here?”
“We saw you pick her up on Hollywood Boulevard last night,” Pete told him. “Peggy and Bonehead got into your car and —”
“But that’s ridiculous.” Lomax was trying to smile. “I don’t even have a car at the moment. My Rolls is being repaired and my —”
“That car outside,” Jupe explained. “I guess it belongs to Milton Glass or maybe to the movie studio. But they must have been letting you use it while you were directing the quiz shows. You drove it up here just now. And you were driving it last night when you picked up Peggy and Bonehead.”
Lomax was no longer even trying to smile. He made his way to one of the canvas chairs and sat down.
“They wouldn’t even give me a limousine,” he said in a tired, plaintive voice. “They were paying me the absolute minimum for directing those quiz shows, and they wouldn’t even send a limousine for me. I had to beg Milton to lend me one of his cars. I had to practically threaten him that it wouldn’t look very good for the studio or the network if one of their greatest and most famous directors had to try to hitch a ride —”
His voice broke off. He was staring down at his knees. He picked absently at his threadbare trousers. “But I didn’t kidnap Peggy,” he said. “You’re all wrong about that.”
“Please, Mr. Lomax,” Jupe pleaded softly. “We don’t want to make a lot of trouble for you. But we know that Peggy didn’t write that note to Milton Glass. We know she didn’t drop out of the quiz show of her own freewill. And if you won’t let us see her and take her home, we’re going to have to call the police so they can search the whole —”
“Of course she’s here.” The director raised his head. That authority was back in his face again. “Peggy is staying in my home as my guest. I’m going to make a great star out of her. I’m going to make her rich and famous.” He stood up and indicated the framed photographs on the walls. “Like all those others, who owe everything to me. I’m going to direct Peggy in a great motion picture —”
“Cut it out, you old has-been.”
The curt, hard voice had come from the doorway. The Three Investigators turned instantly to face the speaker. The blond young man in the leather jacket took a threatening