The Avenger 29 - The Nightwitch Devil by Kenneth Robeson Read Free Book Online Page B

went charging up through the pines and maples.
    “All clear,” said Cole, emerging into view from behind a tree.
    “What’s up?”
    “A couple of them were sneaking up on me, as you may have noticed,” explained Cole. “Believing as I do that turnabout is fairplay, I decided to sneak up on them. I succeeded and, having the element of surprise on my side, got a shot at both of them. But instead of sticking around to do combat, they both took off.” He pointed to the right. “They are, as Josh so aptly puts it, long gone.”
    “That’s okay,” said the big man. “I got us two more down there.”
    The black cloud was thinning some, but it still masked the two fallen gunmen.
    “Let us gather them up, then,” suggested Cole.
    He and the giant made their way to the mound of rocks.
    “You take the little one,” said Smitty when they were inside the black pall.
    “Which one is that?”
    “Well, I got hold of the big one. So whoever you find lying around, you take.”
    Cole came out of the blackness first. “As soon as this lad comes to his senses, we can ask him what—”
    “Holy mackerel!” said Smitty, dropping Patsy beside Nat.
    Both men were dead. Each had had his throat cut.
    Scanning the area, Smitty said, “Who did it?”
    “One of the ones who was still alive, obviously.”
    “Yeah, but I was only up here with you a few minutes.”
    “They may have had an extra man backing them up.”
    “Why kill these birds, though?”
    “They probably would have preferred to do us in, Smitty. But we looked too formidable,” said Cole. “So they did the next best thing, and silenced these poor chaps.”
    “This is more than witchcraft,” said Smitty. “They wanted these guys quiet for some other reason.”
    “Never underestimate the power of the Devil,” said Cole.
    A car door slammed down the road. A young man got out and waved. “Say, would one of you be Wilson?”
    “Indeed one of us would,” Cole called back.
    “I’m Gil Lunden,” he said. “I got worried and came looking for you.”
    “I was worried there for a while myself.” Cole went over to the muddy road to him.

CHAPTER XIII

Dr. Winters On The Case
    The auto was impressive—long and low, glistening black, so highly polished that the rain beaded on its bright surface. It appeared before the Colonial Inn late in the afternoon.
    One of Nightwitch’s elder citizens was standing under the awning, watching the rain splash in the puddles on the sidewalk. He’d been trying to whittle an alder branch, but he was a little shaky as a result of sampling some bad applejack last night. He watched the handsome car, noticing it was driven by a young woman—a right pretty young girl, with blond hair.
    The rear door of the auto opened, and a young man in a tweed suit, with a rumpled raincoat over his shoulders, hopped out. He was carrying a fat briefcase and several thick books. He hurried up the steps of the inn, then halted and looked back. “Ah, Miss Spaulding, I neglected to wait for you. Forgive me, I was thinking of . . . something else.”
    The diminutive blonde smiled pleasantly as she climbed out through the rain to join him. “Think nothing of it, Dr. Winters.” She, too, was loaded down with a briefcase and a stack of old books.
    They went inside. The old man returned to watching the rain fall.
    The small clerk was resting in one of the big chairs in the lobby. He got to his feet as the Avenger and Nellie Gray arrived. “Yes?”
    “I’m . . .” began Benson, pausing to stroke his chin. “Ah, yes, I’m Dr. Montague Winters. Perhaps you’ve heard of me?”
    Moving behind his desk, the clerk said, “Well, sir, I know your secretary phoned in a reservation early this morning. Miss Spaulding, isn’t it?”
    Nellie smiled at him. “Yes, you have a very good memory.”
    “You more or less have to, in this business.” He tugged out a drawer, fingered through a pile of papers and cards. “Yes, here’s the reservation. A room for