by John Blaine
“Got it,” Rick said. He restored the unit to his pocket. Since he first conceived the idea of the Mega-buck network as a joke, during the adventure of The Electronic Mind Reader, the little units had come in handy many times, and had even been instrumental in saving their lives. This job would be impossible without the Megabucks, he thought.
Look where they had already led the boys-fromCopenhagen toParis toBerne,Switzerland
.
Rick wondered where the trail would finally lead.
CHAPTER VII
Five Tickets toBerne
Rick followed Scotty’s instructions to the letter. He hurried into the station, keeping to the left, and saw Felt Hat and Keller just leaving a ticket window. Hatless was nowhere to be seen. He caught a brief glimpse of Blue Beret behind a steel pillar, but Pretzels was
not in sight.
He hurried into the departure area and down the left side of the train as Scotty had directed. It was a long train. He ran, since there was no one on his side to wonder at a boy running, but slowed down as he reached the engine. Cautiously moving around the front of the big diesel-electric, he saw that he needn’t worry. A number of passengers were boarding the train, and they would act as a screen between him and Keller. Behind the diesel engine was a baggage car, and then came the first passenger carriage. He climbed aboard. As he stepped up, he looked across the heads of the crowd and saw Felt Hat and Keller walking leisurely in his direction.
Rick went into the carriage and found that it was divided into a series of compartments, with a corridor running the length of the train on one side. He hurried down the corridor, through connecting doors into the second carriage, down the corridor and through more doors, and into a dining car. He went through the dining car and emerged into his own carriage. Scotty was in sight at the far end, looking out a window.
Rick joined him. “How is it going?”
“Fine.Keller and another man just got into their carriage.”
“Man in a felt hat and blue suit?”
“That’s the one.”
“Keep an eye out for a man in a blue beret.”
Scotty looked at him. “Part of Keller’s party?”
“Nope.This is a funny deal, Scotty. You should have seen the parade.” Rick described it.
“Is the pretzel man connected with the blue beret or the Keller group?” Scotty asked.
Rick shrugged. “How can you tell? Pretzels and Blue Beret didn’t seem to be working as a team. They were both on the same side of Keller’s apartment house. A team would have split up and bracketed the place. I think they’re separate, but I can’t be sure.”
Scotty chuckled. “If Pretzels isn’t a rear guard for Keller, that means four separate groups are in the act.Keller’s, Blue Beret’s, Pretzels’, and us.”
“Don’t make it more complicated than it is,” Rick pleaded.
“I’m not making it complicated,” Scotty replied. “It’s just the way things are happening.
Maybe if we really knew what was going on, it wouldn’t seem complicated at all.”
“Do you suppose any of our chums besides Keller and Felt Hat got on the train?” Rick asked.
“Could be.Well probably find out.”
The passengers were all aboard now, and the conductors were showing signs of restlessness. It was about time for the train to leave. The boys waited on the platform between cars until the train actually started to roll, then went to their compartment and took off the knapsacks. Scotty held out the third Megabuck unit. “That coin gag of yours works fine.Gives a good excuse for getting under strange automobiles.”
“Let’s hope we don’t have to use it again,” Rick said.
“Amen to that,” Scotty agreed.
The boys settled back for a long ride. Fortunately, the seats in their compartment had not been sold to other passengers. On a busy weekend, the compartment would have held six people, three to a seat, facing each other. But the train was not crowded; and there were even some empty compartments in their carriage.
Rick elected to ride backwards and got comfortable, watching theParis countryside speed by. The train was out of the city in a surprisingly short time, rolling through farmland dotted here and there with whitewashed farmhouses. He was pleased at the turn of events. Keller’s wanderings enabled them to see something of the countryside.
He was looking forward toSwitzerland .
The conductor came into their compartment and asked for tickets in French. Rick inquired, “Do you speak English?”
“Aleetle , monsieur.What do youweesh ?”
“What time do we get toBerne ?”
“Afterone o’clock . First you must change, atDijon .”
“Change trains?”
“Yes, monsieur.Eenperhapst’ree hour.”
After the conductor had left, Scotty commented,
“Well have to keep an eye on Keller. He might have bought tickets toBerne just for a cover. Maybe he plans to get off somewhere along the line.”
“We can watch the platform at every stop,” Rick agreed. “If we have our knapsacks on, we can jump off, too, if he leaves.”
“Sure. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going toto catch up on my sleep.”
The kilometers sped by while Scotty napped and Rick read. Now and then he glanced up as someone passed by the compartment. When the conductor passed by, Rick hurried out.
“Are there any stops before we reachDijon ?”
“ Non , monsieur. Zeesees an express.”
Rick settled down again, relieved. There would be no need to jump up every time the train slowed. Scotty could sleep in peace.
A functionary came through the train sounding a gong. Dinner call, Rick guessed. It wassix o’clock . Passengers began to file by, en route to the dining car. Suddenly Rick lifted his book and bent his head. Keller and Felt Hat, without the hat, were going by en route to the dining car.
He shook Scotty. “Our lads are going in to dinner. Do you suppose we should take a look at their compartment?”
Scotty had awakened instantly, as he usually did.“What for?”
“Maybe they left something that would be useful. Like a marked timetable, or doodles on a pad. How do I know?”
“I suppose it’s worth a look,” Scotty agreed. “We can go through the compartment without anyone seeing us. It’s a fully closed kind.”
Rick led the way down the corridor, through the connecting carriage, and to the entrance door to Keller’s carriage. He was about to push the handle that would open the door automatically, when he froze. Coming from the other end of the carriage was Blue Beret.
“Out of sight,” he said urgently.
The boys faded back into the gloom of the vestibule, ready to beat a retreat if Blue Beret was on his way to the dining room. But the man paused in front of a compartment door, looked both ways to be sure he was unobserved, then slid the door back and went in.
“Keller’s compartment,” Scotty breathed.
“Now what do we do?” Rick asked, not expecting an answer.
Scotty replied promptly.“Nothing. Did you notice how his coat bulged when he turned and went in?”
“No. What does that mean?”
“Your chum in the blue beret is either rich and has a fat wallet or he’s packing a roscoe in his hip pocket. I doubt that he’s rich enough for his wallet to make a bulge like that, so it must be a gun.”
Rick said thoughtfully, “Anyway, he’s not one of Keller’sgroup . So that makes five of us on the train, representing three different interests. I wonder what his is.”
“I wonder what Keller’s is,” Scott retorted.
Rick grinned. “Be interesting if a pretzel salesman came down the corridor about now, wouldn’t it?”
Scotty grinned back. “Let’s keep an eye on the compartment until he comes out. Then we can go in -if you still want to.”
“Might as well,” Rick replied. “He probably wouldn’t take anything of interest. He’d just look at it and
take the information. Like us.”
Scotty scratched his chin, a habitual gesture of bewilderment. “This is a funny deal.
Why did they send Keller’s things by car, then have the principal character walk?”
Rick had thought about that. “I think it was to check on a possible tail again. That’s easier on foot than in a car in traffic. Keller had a front guard and a rear guard. They checked, but not thoroughly enough. Actually, it would have taken several people to check completely, and even then they couldn’t have been sure. My guess is that the check was routine. They had no reason to think anyone had trailed Keller
fromCopenhagen . After all, you got taken out inTivoli . Chances are a guard followed
Keller to the airport, a different one than the man who spotted you in the first place.”
“Sounds reasonable,” Scotty agreed. “Unless I had actually been seen tailing Keller, no one would suspect a couple of kids toting knapsacks and looking like student tourists.
The man who grabbed me inTivoli was in no condition to report.”
Two men approached from the direction to the diner and brushed past them.
“Dinner may be over,” Rick said worriedly. “Why doesn’t Blue Beret get out of there?”
Scotty snapped his fingers. “He’s waiting for them! If inspecting the compartment was his only interest, he’d have been gone long ago. Maybe he’s one of the gang after all.”
“Then why wait until the dinner gong to join them? I can’t buy it.”
Scotty took his arm. “Let’s get out of here.Back to the compartment.”
Rick followed his pal. He realized that Scotty didn’t want Keller and Felt Hat to find them standing in the vestibule, looking with interest at their carriage.
The boys reached their own compartment and pretended interest in reading materials, keeping an eye on the passers-by. Keller and friend passed in due course; then the corridor filled with people as the dinner gong sounded again. The boys ignored the call to dinner. They were not hungry, nor did they want to get involved in a meal when fast action might be needed.
The train sped on towardDijon as night fell. Once Scotty made a brief reconnaissance and reported that Keller’s compartment door was closed and all seemed quiet. The rest of the time they read and dozed.
The train began to slow down, and a moment later the conductor came by, looked in and said, “Dijon, messieurs.”
Time to change.The boys put on their knapsacks as the train lost speed rapidly. It was quite dark outside.
“Let’s get to the vestibule and be ready to leap,” Scotty said. “If we hurry, maybe we can get a look into Keller’s compartment.”
Rick agreed, and the boys hurried to the vestibule nearest Keller’s carriage. Scotty opened the door, and air rushed in, along with the sound of bells, as the train came to a shuddering stop. Scotty looked out.
“We’re at the platform. Let’s go!” He dropped to the concrete and ran, with Rick close behind him.
They reached the platform outside Keller’s compartment in time to see Blue Beret leave. His hand was in his jacket pocket, and the bulge showed clearly that there was a gun in the hand. The boys drew back and watched as passengers dismounted, followed by Keller, Felt Hat, and Blue Beret.
There was no doubt of it-Keller and Felt Hatwere prisoners.But of whom?Of what group?
Rick Brant knew only that Keller was a famous American surgeon whose wife had an unwelcome guest. Apart from that single fact, he had only his feelings to go on. Those feelings said he did not like Blue Beret’s face.
“Can we take Blue Beret out for Keller?” Rick demanded swiftly.
Scotty looked at him in surprise. “Sure. Do we want to?”
“I think so.”
“Okay.” Scotty moved like a shadow, with Rick closely behind. Fortunately, for them, the weather roof above the platform was supported by many pillars. The boys used these for cover, closing the distance between themselves and the three ahead. The connecting train was waiting on the opposite side of the platform, but it soon became clear that Blue Beret and prisoners were not heading for it. The man with the gun was taking Keller and Felt Hat to the stairs leading down to the station.
Scotty got within reach, took a quick look around to be sure no one was watching, and swung a stiff judo chop at the side of Blue Beret’s neck. The man folded like wet cardboard. Scotty and Rick ducked out of sight behind a pillar, then hurried across the platform.
It had happened so fast that neither Keller nor Felt Hat realized their captor had dropped out of the party. As the boys watched from a vestibule on the connecting train, Felt Hat looked back, saw no one, grabbed Keller’s arm and tugged him toward the train forBerne .
A conductor dismounted from the train they had left, saw Blue Beret, and bent over him.
The whistle of the connecting train blew. The conductors waved their lanterns, and wheels began to turn. The boys watched until the platform was out of sight. Several men had gathered and were lifting Blue Beret to his feet.
“Might as well find our compartment on this train,” Scotty said.
Rick agreed. “Uh-uh. Well, here we are.Five tickets toBerne, and only four passengers.
And what’s nice about it is that Keller and company still don’t know we exist!”
CHAPTER VIII
Nighttime inBerne
The express roared through the darkness, interrupted only by a stop at the Swiss border.
The customs and immigration officials stopped at the boys’ compartment, stamped passports, asked the routine question “Anything to declare?” and went on.
Rick looked at Scotty, sound asleep on the seat opposite, and grinned affectionately.
Scotty was the gentlest soul in the world, always considerate of others. But when the time came, as it had atDijon , the ex-Marine could move surely and swiftly, and when he hit anyone, they stayed hit.
Scotty, feeling Rick’s gaze, opened his eyes and was instantly awake. He gave Rick a grin. “I feel better. Why don’t you take a nap? I’ll sit up and keep alert, just in case.”
Rick felt a little droopy. “Okay. Call me if anything happens.” He closed his eyes and let his head rest on the high seat back. The rhythmic click of the wheels was soothing.
He awoke at the touch of Scotty’s hand on his arm.“Coming intoBerne, Rick. I’ll go to the front of the train and get off first. You pick up Keller and friend and follow them out.
Okay?”
Rick blinked sleepily. “Okay.Megabuck unit in place?”
“Sure. See you outside.”
Scotty slid back the compartment door, looked briefly up and down the corridor, then started through the train to the front carriage.
Rick yawned deeply. He left the compartment long enough to get a drink and to splash
cold water on his face; then he ran a comb through his hair and checked his knapsack. It seemed odd that no change of clothes had yet been necessary. Had they really leftCopenhagen only that morning? Actually, the flight toParis had taken off only two hours after Keller finished his lecture. They had arrived inParis aboutfour p.m. , and departed by train atseven fifteen . He wasn’t sure whether they had passed through a time zone or not. Anyway, it really didn’t matter. He knew only that he was tired and that it was early morning, sometime between one and two A.M.
The train was slowing rapidly now. He waited until it came to a full stop, then followed the handful of passengers in his carriage to the vestibule, staying a little distance behind them. They went down the train steps to the platform, but he lingered in the gloom of the vestibule, watching the faces passing by. Keller and Felt Hat went past. Rick waited a moment before going down the train steps far enough so he could look out. Keller and his companion paused to let people go by until the crowd had thinned out. Then the two followed the other passengers to stairs that led down into the station.
Rick watched Keller and Felt Hat go down the stairs, and moved the moment their heads disappeared below his
level of vision. He ran to the top of the stairs and looked down in time to see them turn a corner into a vast, whitewashed tunnel. He went down the stairs swiftly and silently, and peered around the corner they had turned.
They were in a sort of huge arcade, dotted with pillars, occasional doors, and a newsstand. It was easy to keep the pillars between him and them.
A short, heavy-set man wearing a black Homburg and carrying a walking stick stepped out of a doorway and joined them. Keller and his friend paused long enough to shake hands, then the three moved off together, toward a rise in the tunnel.
Rick could see that the tunnel led under the tracks and up into the station proper. There was little traffic now, and he stepped out from behind the pillar where he had paused, but quickly drew back in again. A man Rick had never seen before had emerged from the shadow of the newsstand. He was obviously interested in Keller and company.
The new man was dressed like a workman, in denim pants, a collarless cotton jacket, and a leather cap. He moved to the shadow of a pillar, then made his way through the tunnel keeping pillars between him and the Keller group, as Rick was doing.
Rick remembered the parade inParis . Did this man in the leather cap match up with Blue Beret, or with Pretzels? Was there still another watcher somewhere in the station?
He stepped into a convenient doorway and waited.
Two trainmen in light-blue overalls came by, but they seemed interested only in the
heated conversation they were carrying on in German-Swiss. Rick decided he probably was the last one in this present parade and moved swiftly after Leather Cap.
The tunnel opened into abarnlike structure that was obviously the main part of the station. Keller and company were halfway across the floor. Rick saw Walking Stick detach himself from the group and hurry toward doors that apparently led to the ticket counters. Leather Cap walked along the left side of the big room, showing an interest in travel posters on the walls. Most of them advertised the merits of vacation spots inItaly .
