The Mystery of the Scar-faced Beggar - M. V. Carey [38]
A tall, rangy man in khaki work clothes got out and started towards the pier.
“Stay by the phone,” said Bob. “I’ll keep in touch with you.”
Bob hung up and stepped out of the phone booth. There were campers and vans and cars parked along the highway, and Bob kept these between himself and the pier as he walked back towards Denicola’s.
The newcomer from the pickup truck had joined Ernie and his friends on the dock beside the Maria-III.
Bob paused and watched Ernie talk to the man. Ernie’s expression was angry, and he gestured with great animation.
Bob edged around a parked van and stepped down from the shoulder of the road to the beach. The men did not notice as he crossed the sand, and in a few minutes he was under the pier. Ignoring his bicycle, which was padlocked to a piling, he headed down to the waterline.
Whe
h n Bob
o
b reache
h d th
t e
h edge
e
of
o
f the
h wat
a er,
, he
h st
s o
t p
o p
p e
p d and
d
li
l s
i t
s ened.
.
He cou
o ld
l
d
he
h ar the
h
voi
o c
i es
s of
o
f th
t e
h fo
f u
o r me
m n,
, bu
b t
t he
h
cou
o ld
l not
o make ou
o t wha
h t the
h y
y
were sa
s yin
i g
n .
. The
h y were st
s il
i l
l
l too
o
o
fa
f r away,
, and the
h no
n i
o s
i e
s of
o the
h
br
b eakin
i g su
s r
u f
f was
s too
o
o near.
Bob
o
b fr
f ow
o ned.
. Prob
o a
b bl
b y
l he
h
cou
o ld
l mak
a e no
o se
s n
e se
s of
o
f the
h
con
o versa
s tio
i n
o even
e if
i
f he
h cou
o ld
l
d
he
h ar it
i .
.
The
h y were pr
p ob
o a
b bl
b y
sp
s e
p akin
i g in
i
n Spa
p nis
i h
s .
h
But the
h n
e th
t e
h re were fo
f o
o t
o st
s eps
p
s
on
o the
h pi
p e
i r.
. The
h men were com
o ing clo
l s
o e
s r.
. The
h y walk
l ed,
, the
h n st
s op
o p
p e
p d to
o talk
l fo
f r
o a
mom
o ent,
, arguin
i g abo
b u
o t so
s m
o ethi
h n
i g,
, and the
h n walk
l ed
e again
i .
. The
h y came nea
e rer,
, and
nearer,
, an
a d
d the
h n
n the
h y
y were dir
i ectl
t y
l ov
o er Bob
o ’s
s he
h ad an
a d he
h
e was
s mov
o in
i g wit
i h
t
h the
h m,
,
lo
l o
o k
o in
i g up,
p li
l s
i t
s enin
i g,
, hi
h s
i
s fe
f et noi
o s
i e
s l
e e
l ss
s
s on
o the
h s
a
s nd.
“Okay,
, Stra
r uss
s .
s ” Tha
h t was
s Er
E nie
i sp
s e
p akin
i g.
. He st
s op
o p
p e
p d
d wa
w l
a k
l i
k n
i g
n ,
g
, an
a d
n
d so
s
o di
d d
i
d th
t e
h
e
ot
o he
h rs.
s
. “I can unde
d rst
s a
t nd tha
h t you
o don
o ’t want to
o mov
o e until
i
l you
o se
s e so
s m
o e money,
, bu
b t
we nee
e d t
o
o s
e
s e the
h me
m rc
r ha
h ndis
i e
s .
. It
t ha
h d be
b t
e ter
r b
e
b goo
o d
o ,
, too
o !
o ”
“It’s good,” sa
s id
i a se
s c
e on
o d voi
o c
i e.
. It ha
h d to
o be
b Strauss
s ,
s
, si
s n
i ce he
h sp
s o
p k
o e wit
i ho
h u
o t an
a
accent
n .
. His
i
s ton
o e was
s br
b is
i k
s and bu
b si
s n
i ess
s l
s i
l k
i e.
. “But you
o guys
s don
o ’t
t lo
l o
o k
o
k as
a
s if
i
f yo
y u
o ’re
goo
o d
o fo
f r
o it
i . Why
h am I talk
l in
i g to
o you
o at all
l ?
l I want to
o se
s e
e Ale
l jandro.
o
. He’s the one who
o
se
s t up
p t
he
h d
e
d al.
l ”
“I sp
s e
p ak fo
f r
o Ale
l jand
n ro,
o ” sa
s id
i Er
E nie
i .
. “If
f you
o in
i si
s s
i t
s ,
, we can
a arran
a ge fo
f r
o an advance.”
“I in
i si
s s
i t
s ,” sa
s id
i Stra
r uss
s .
s
“One qu
q arte
t r of
o
f the
h tot
o al,
l ” sa
s id
i Er
E nie
i .
. “The
h ba
b la
l nce we
w
e ho
h l
o d
l ready,
y
, so
s
o you
o get it
i
aft
f er we
e take
k deli
l v
i ery — if
i
f the
h t
hi
h n
i gs
s are a
s
s pr
p om
o is
i e
s d.”
“On
O e
n
e ha
h l
a f
l
f in
i
n ad
a v
d a
v n
a c
n e
c ,
e ” said
St
S r
t a
r u
a s
u s
s .
s
. Hi