The Avenger 35 - The Iron Skull Read Online Free PDF

car. “Follow those guys!”’
    The coupé went rocketing through the gates of the place, bouncing, squealing as it hit the road.
    The black car came to life. It gunned off after the stolen coupé. But before it had even cleared the gate there was a huge explosion on the road.
    “Holy smoke,” said the agent who’d stayed behind. “They tossed a grenade.”
    The government car couldn’t get around the huge crater the explosion had dug.
    The Avenger had meanwhile dropped lightly down from the rafters and helped Nichols to his feet.
    “Thanks,” muttered the professor. “I don’t quite understand . . . how did you get here?”
    Benson said, “I was coming to have a talk with you. I thought I noticed a flash of movement in the garage and went in to investigate. The rest you know.”
    “I know what you did in here, but how’d you get past the agents and these other guys?”
    “If I don’t want to be seen,” said the Avenger, “I’m not seen.”

CHAPTER IX

Bear Trap
    The one-legged man bent and tapped his cork leg with his fingertips. “I’m 4F,” he explained as he straightened up behind his desk, “on account of being one-legged.”
    “Too bad,” said Smitty.
    “I always tell people right off, otherwise they get to wondering why a relatively young fellow such as myself isn’t in the service of his country,” he explained. “Although I’m also holding down an essential job here. Some people don’t understand that, think government offices are a lot of foolishness.”
    Nodding, Smitty glanced around the cluttered little one-man office. “One of the things you do is keep track of electronic components used in all sorts of war industries, right?”
    “Yes, that’s one of the basic functions of my particular office,” replied the one-legged man. “Having one leg doesn’t keep me from being efficient. Why aren’t you in the service, if I might ask?”
    The giant said, “You might say I’m in an essential industry, too.”
    “You’d make a good Marine, husky fellow like you.” He studied again the letter Smitty had given him. “ ‘Mr. Algernon Heathcote Smith is to be given every cooperation. His security clearance is of the highest . . .’ Don’t run into many people named Algernon, any more. People call you Algy?”
    “They better not,” said Smitty. “Now, about that list of stuff?”
    The one-legged man consulted the other sheet of paper the giant had handed him. “Hum . . . hum . . .” he muttered as he read it over. “That’s sort of odd.”
    “What’s odd?”
    “These 2C gudgeon pins,” said the one-legged man. “Only company made them was Zuber Electronics. And they went out of business in 1940. Most people use the 2X made by Haefle Components now. Hum . . . hum . . . couple of these other parts are Zuber, too.”
    “So where would somebody buy ’em nowadays?”
    “Couldn’t,” the one-legged man told him. “Can’t get any Zuber components at all, last of them were sold over two years ago. Besides, even if they could, our office would know about it.”
    “Maybe some wholesaler stockpiled ’em?”
    “No, I’d have that information—wait a sec.” He tugged out a paper-stuffed drawer and began rummaging through its contents. “Never had a chance to check this out . . . overworked as it is.”
    “Check what out?”
    “Got a report in . . . darn, it was over six months ago. Anyway, supposed to be a warehouse over in Westchester County, New York. Yes . . . it’s in a town name of Terryville. Supposed to be this warehouse there where a lot of Zuber components were stored when the company folded. Been meaning to get over there and check . . . but you know how it is.”
    Smitty leaned over to take back his letter and his list. “Give me the address, huh?”
    “Surely, since that letter told me to cooperate.” He scribbled the address on a memo slip and gave it to the giant.

    Smitty parked his car near a grove of bare maples, got out, and trudged across the