The Avenger 36 - Demon Island Read Online Free PDF Page A

“The call was from his director friend, Terence O’Malley. Cole went out with them to an island where they’re going to do some filming. That was yesterday. Last evening there was an unusual incident and Cole went out to investigate. He never came back.”
    “Golly,” said Nellie, biting a thumb knuckle. “Do they think he . . . drowned or something?”
    The Avenger said, “Right now there’s no trace of Cole, no indication of what happened. He’s been missing for over a dozen hours.”
    “What was this incident?” asked black Josh.
    “One of the actresses left her room at about midnight,” answered Benson. “When it was noticed she was gone, Cole went out to hunt for her.”
    “Was it that one he got chummy with last time?” asked little blonde Nellie. “That Heather Brail?”
    The Avenger shook is head. “The girl bears the name of Fanny Fiddler,” he said.
    “Oh, sure,” said Josh. “She was in Belle of Old San Bernardino.”
    “The girl was spotted early this morning,” continued the Avenger. “She’d apparently been out in the wilds all night. She had no idea why she’d gone out, exiting her room by way of the window, by the way. And she didn’t see Cole at all.”
    “ ’Tis a somewhat unusual situation,” observed Mac.
    “Oh, actresses are always up to something,” said little Nellie. “It might even be a publicity stunt.”
    “It might be,” said Benson, “but Cole would never lend himself to anything like that.”
    “That island,” said the giant Smitty. “It’s got some kind of goofy reputation, ain’t it?”
    “Sure, it’s supposed to be haunted,” said Josh. “The place is named San Obito but everybody calls it Demon Island. That’s why Cole’s buddy wanted to make part of his new movie there.”
    “Hout,” said Mac, “I dinna believe the spooks have got hold of Cole.”
    “Yeah,” said Smitty, “but an island . . . that’s not like Manhattan Island. I mean, it’s a little dump. How good a job did these movie ginks do of looking for Cole?”
    “Most of the island was gone over,” answered the Avenger. “A great deal of it is overgrown, so the search was only a superficial one.”
    “That island was used by rumrunners back in the late twenties,” said Josh. “Could be there are places on Demon Island that nobody knows about. You know, some kind of secret hideout.”
    “There are several possibilities to look into,” said Dick Benson. “I think we’d better fly out to California and take a look.”
    “I thought,” said Josh, “you wanted a couple of us to nose into that strange business down in Florida?”
    “Yes, I’d like you and Mac to handle that,” said the Avenger. “Smitty, Nellie, and I will take one of our planes out to the coast.”
    “I knew Cole couldn’t go on a vacation without getting into a jam,” said Smitty.
    Nellie said, “Let’s hope we can get him out of it.”

CHAPTER VIII

Adventures Underground
    “No, I mean that sincerely,” said Cole Wilson. “It’s very cozy here.”
    “Shut up,” Stark told him.
    “Far be it from me to criticize your demeanor, old boy,” said Cole, who was tied very securely to a wooden chair. “However, I do think you’re far from being the perfect host.”
    “We ought to sink this bird in the drink,” said Stark.
    “There’ll be none of that,” said Morrison. “We will have no murders or crimes of violence associated with this venture.”
    “What exactly is this venture, if I may be so bold as to—”
    Smack!
    Stark had risen up off his stool and slapped Cole across the face. “When I tell you to shut up, I mean it.”
    “Here now,” said Morrison, “that’s enough. I won’t have him mistreated.”
    “Don’t bellyache to me. I didn’t drag him down here.”
    Tucker was leaning against the stone wall of the underground room. “What else could I do? He was heading right for one of our concealed entrances. I barely had time to run the cord across—”
    “The reason