The Mystery of the Scar-faced Beggar - M. V. Carey [56]
n ow
o and
n le
l an
a e
n d fo
f r
o ward
d t
o
o li
l s
i t
s en.
And su
s d
u den
e ly
l Jupe
p he
h ard so
s m
o eth
t i
h n
i g be
b hi
h n
i d hi
h m
i tha
h t
t was
s not
o ju
j st
s a pa
p rt of
o
f the
h
win
i d an
a d
d th
t e
h rain
i .
. Som
o eon
o e was
s b
e
b hi
h n
i d hi
h m
i .
Jupe
p tu
t rned
e hi
h s
i
s he
h ad.
“Be still!” said Shelby Tuckerman. He was holding his gun. “Don’t make a move.”
Then Shelby shouted.
The door of the motel room opened. Light streamed out. In the doorway stood one of Ernie’s room-mates — the one who had been missing all afternoon. He also had a gun.
“In there, you two!” ordered Shelby.
Jupe and Pete went into a room that was rank with cigarette smoke. Eileen Denicola sat there on a small straight chair, her wrists tied to its arms. She looked furious. Her mother-in-law was tied to an armchair near the bed.
Shelby came dripping into the room, and Ernie’s room-mate shut the door.
“Hi!” said a very familiar voice.
There in the corner behind the door, also tied to a chair, was Bob Andrews!
Chapte
t r 19
The Nightmare Comes True
“THAT
T CONV
N ERSATI
T ON
N YOU
O ha
h d wit
i h
h Walt
l er abo
b u
o t
t the
h po
p l
o i
l c
i e,” said Shelby
Tuckerman.
n
. “It was
s a
tr
t ic
i k,
, wasn
s ’t
t it
i ? You
o
u st
s ag
a ed it
i .”
“And you
o
u le
l d us
s he
h re,” said
Jupi
p t
i er.
He and
d Pet
e e were se
s a
e t
a ed now
o .
.
Ernie’s
s room-mate,
, who
h
o was
s call
l ed
d
Lu
L is
i ,
s
, ha
h d pu
p t away hi
h s
i
s gun and
n
br
b ou
o ght
h tw
t o
o mor
o e cha
h ir
i s
s fr
f o
r m
o
anot
o he
h r mot
o el
l roo
o m
o .
. He was
s tyin
i g
Jupe
p and Pe
P te to
o the
h m
e wit
i h
h st
s rip
i s
p
tor
o n fr
f om
o sh
s e
h ets,
s
, whi
h l
i e
l She
h lby
b
y
cov
o ered t
he
h m
e wit
i h
h hi
h s
i
s p
i
p s
i t
s ol
o .
l
“Much
h goo
o d
o may it
i do
o you
o ,”
sa
s id
i She
h lb
l y
b .
. “Whe
h re is
i
s Walt
l er?
Wait
i in
i g fo
f r
o you
o dow
o n on
o the
hi
h g
i hw
h ay?”
Jupe
p did
i n’t
t answ
s er.
. Sh
S e
h lb
l y
b sm
s il
i e
l d angril
i y
l .
. “We’ll
l
l se
s e
e
e th
t a
h t
a
t he
h
e do
d e
o s
e n
s ’t wait too
long,” he said. “I wou
o l
u d
l n’t wan
a t
t h
i
h m
i to
o get n
ervou
o s.
s ”
Lu
L is
i
s fi
f n
i is
i h
s e
h d tyin
i g
g the
h b
o
b y
o s.
s
. She
h lb
l y pu
p t a
way h
i
h s
i
s gun,
, too
o ,
o
, the
h n he
h sp
s o
p k
o e to
o Lu
L is
i
s in
i
rapi
p d
i Spa
p nis
i h
s .
h
. As he
h spok
o e the
h re were two
o qu
q ic
i k raps
p
s at the
h doo
o r
o , the
h n two
o raps
p
s again
i .
Er
E nie
i op
o e
p ned the
h doo
o r
o and came
e in
i .
. He st
s opp
p e
p d in
i su
s rpr
p is
i e
s whe
h n he
h sa
s w Pete and
Jupe.
“Wha
h t are the
h se
s ot
o he
h r kid
i s
s doi
o n
i g he
h re?” he
h de
d manded
e an
a gril
i y
l of
o
f She
h lb
l y
b .
. “One was
ba
b d enou
o gh
g .
h
. Oh,
h
, never min
i d. Yo
Y u
o take ca
c re
r of
o
f the
h m.
. I came to
o ge
g t Lu
L is
i .
s
. The
h bo
b a
o t is
i
s
alm
l os
o t
s lo
l a
o ded.
. Strau
a ss
s
s i
s
i
s pu
p ll
l i
l n
i g ou
o t n
ow
o ,
, and
n Rafi
f
i is
i
s fi
f n
i i
n s
i h
s i
h n
i g up.
p ”
Bob
o
b muttere
r d to
o Jupe
p ,
, who
h
o sa
s t next to
o hi
h m
i , “St
S r
t a
r u
a s
u s
s
s is
i
s a
a gu
g y
u
y wh
w o
h
o ru
r n
u s
n
s a
a mo
m v
o i
v n
i g
n
g
com
o pa
p ny in
i Oxnard.
. I watche
h d hi
h m
i lo
l a
o d up
p a truck this
i
s af
a t
f e
t r
e n
r o
n o
o n
o .
n
. On
O e
n
e of
o
f th
t e
h
e cr
c a
r t
a e
t s
e
s
br
b ok
o e op
o e
p n.
. The
h re were
r bu
b ll
l e
l ts
s in
i
n i
t
i