The Ruby Ray Mystery

by John Blaine

  A small lamp was borrowed, the shade removed, and the bulb unscrewed. A male electrical plug was found and screwed into the lamp socket.

  Rick plugged the lamp into an extension cord. Keller plugged his unit into the same cord. Rick then took a 15-meter extension cord, about 45 feet long, plugged one end into the lamp fixture, and cut the female plug off the other end. He stripped the ends of the wires and connected them to the wires attached to the dynamite cap, first making certain the lamp switch was off.

  The lamp was hidden behind Keller’s demonstration case, and the extension cord with the dynamite on the end was carried to the very edge of the cliff. Rick tucked the dynamite into a crevice and pushed dirt over the cord.

  Meanwhile, Kratov and his men had been patrolling the fence. Dr. Keller called to the Soviet agent, “We’re ready.”

  Rick sensed that Schell, the nurse, and the anesthetist had taken up vantage points in the trees at the edge of the clearing through which the fence ran, but it was so dark he couldn’t see clearly. Scotty was invisible a few feet away.

  Kratov raised his voice.“Zaretsky! Can you hear me?”

  “What do you want?” someone bellowed from the other side.

  “A truce.”

  The voice came nearer.“What for?”

  “We don’t wish to kill you,” Kratov said. “We want to show you that you have no chance if you try to go around the fence.”

  “Do you have artillery in there, then?”

  “Something better.We have a death ray.”

  There was a bellow of laughter.

  “Listen, Zaretsky. Have you ever heard of a laser? It is capable of being made into a death ray. The newspapers have reported this.”

  “I have read something about it, but you don’t have one. What is this, Kratov? Another of your dirty Communist tricks?”

  “See for yourself. We want to show you the death ray. You don’t have to show yourself.

  Crawl under the trees to where you can see the cliff at the edge of the fence.”

  “I must see this,” Zaretsky answered.“A real death ray! What nonsense!”

  “Tell meit’s nonsense after you’ve seen it.”

  Something in Kratov’s voice must have convinced the big man. “All right, I will get to where I can see. Give me five minutes. Naturally, I will not say anything further. I know that giving away my position would mean a bullet.”

  “You’re safe enough now. But we’ll give you five minutes.”

  Silence fell. Rick watched the luminous dial of his watch. The five minutes took forever to pass, but Kratov, who had been keeping track of the time, spoke up.

  “All right, Zaretsky. This scientist will show you. First he will point the ray at the sky so you can see it, then he will sweep it down until it touches the edge of the cliff. You can watch what happens.”

  Rick tensed, hand on the lamp switch. He crouched behind Keller and waited.

  Keller held the laser tube in his hand and threw the switch. A ray of brilliant, deep-red light shot into the sky.

  “That is the death ray,” Kratov said in a voice charged with emotion.

  Keller lowered the ruby beam with dramatic slowness until it was horizontal.

  “Watch when it touches something,” Kratov called out.

  The beam moved downward with agonizing slowness as Keller drew the last bit of suspense from the demonstration.

  The ruby ray came within an inch of the silhouetted cliff edge, and Rick threw the switch.

  There was a sharp boom and a blaze of brilliant light that faded, leaving only the ruby beam, now pointing upward again.

  Then Keller switched off the beam, and there was only darkness-and a silence so complete Rick could almost hear Zaretsky’s frightened thoughts!

  CHAPTER XVIII

  The Whirlybird Gambit

  Back in the living room, the group exchanged grins. “There was no further laughter from Zaretsky,” Rick said.“In fact, not a sound!”

  Rick looked at Scotty and saw that his pal was frowning. He asked sharply, “Scotty, what is it?”

  Scotty drew in a deep breath. “The demonstration did the trick for now, but I’ve been putting myself in Zaretsky’s place. If I were convinced that the people here are

  Communists, and they have a death ray- and if I knew that an American and a Soviet scientist were meeting here, what would I think?”

  Rick stared, aghast. His racing mind went ahead of Scotty’s words. “That Keller is here to turn the death ray over to the Soviets!”

  “Yes. And I’d do something about it.”

  “What?” Dr. Schell asked. “You know that if you try to cross the fence, the death ray will be turned on you.”

  “Sure,” Scotty agreed. “So I don’t cross the fence. Instead, no matter how hazardous it is, I’d climb to the ridge above the chalet. And I’d drop dynamite or some other explosive until I was certain the menace was destroyed forever.”

  “But the ridge is a fantastically difficult climb,” Schell pointed out.

  “Is it impossible?” Rick asked.

  “No, not impossible.But extremely difficult, and slow.I doubt that even a very good climber could make it to the top, starting from bottom on the other side, in much less than six or seven hours.”

  “Zaretsky doesn’t care much about hazards,” Scotty said. “Besides, to a dedicated man-which he is-the risk is worth the chance of wiping out such a menace.”

  “Mr. Scott is right,” Keller said flatly.

  All hands got into the discussion, except for Rick, who sat quietly thinking. Scotty had hit the nail on the head. Zaretsky would have to act.

  Rick accepted Scotty’s analysis. It made sense. The question now was what to do about it. He didn’t think much of ACTION’S tactics, even though he sympathized with their anti-Communist views. But he didn’t want Zaretsky and company to be picked off by Kratov and his men, either. Keller had come to operate on Blanovich from purely humanitarian motives. Politics had nothing to do with it. There must, somehow, be a humanitarian solution to this problem, too.

  If only Zaretsky could be persuaded by some ruse that Blanovich and the death ray were gone from the chalet, he’d no longer have reason to drop explosives. But how could it be faked? Zaretsky was guarding the road too closely. Rick’s thoughts went racing on. The only other possibility was using a plane. He reviewed the flight that he and Scotty had

  taken, and the view of the cliff from above. There was no room for a plane to land. But-

  “A helicopter!That’s it! A helicopter could get in!” he exclaimed excitedly.

  The buzz of conversation stopped as the others looked at him.

  “Listen,” he went on excitedly. “Suppose a helicopter lands here in the morning, and carries off someone with a big case. Then we calmly drive up to the gate and collect Keller! Zaretsky would think he’d lost his chance, and drop the bombing idea.”

  “It could work,” Scotty said quickly.

  “I can’t leave my patient,” Dr. Keller objected.

  “It wouldn’t be for long,” Rick pointed out. “Look. Suppose you operate at dawn.

  Shortly after dawn, as soon as it’s full daylight, a helicopter comes and picks up a man and a demonstration case.”

  He paused. Did Zaretsky know anything about the operation? They had to assume he had learned from his Soviet sources that the Soviet scientist was ill.

  “We’ll make it an ambulance copter,” he went on. “One of Kratov’s men will be put in a stretcher and loaded aboard. The laser demonstration case can go in the whirlybird with him. The bird takes off.An hour later Scotty and I come rolling up to the gate and collect Dr. Keller. The gate is left open. Kratov and the remaining men can barricade the house.

  Maybe Dr. Schell leaves, too, in the Mercedes sedan. So far as Zaretsky knows, no one in the house is afraid any more. All the principals have gone.”

  “I’d better be seen leaving instead of Dr. Schell,” Kratov said. “That will convince Zar
etsky more than anything else.”

  Rick knew from the Soviet agent’s comment that his plan had been bought. “We have to assume that Zaretsky and his men will start at earliest light, but it’s safe also to assume he’ll leave someone on guard.

  We can have the helicopter fly across the ridge on the way to the airport. Whoever is on guard is bound to see it.”

  “How long would I be away?” Dr. Keller said anxiously.

  “An hour.Maybe two.It depends on how fast Zaretsky buys the idea and gives up. My guess is it won’t take long, because whoever is on guard has to get word to the

  climbers.”

  “It could work,” Keller agreed finally. “My patient will be in good hands if Dr. Schell stays. But two hours is the maximum. He’ll be coming out of the anesthesia by then, and I must be here.”

  “You will be,” Rick assured him.

  Scotty spoke up. “This is all veryfine , but did it occur to you that it means we must get down the cliff in the darkness? Someone has to arrange for the whirlybird, and we have to get the car.”

  Rick suppressed a shudder. “We’d better have Jacques with us. He can arrange for the bird.” He forced a grin. “Anyway, it’s easier going down than coming up.”

  Scotty knew Rick better than Rick suspected. The ex-Marine said quietly, “We drove in plenty of pi-tons. We can rappel most of the way down. It won’t be hard, Rick.”

  “I guess not,” Rick agreed. Tohimself , he added, “Maybe it will be easier when I can’t see the depths below.”

  CHAPTER XIX

  Exit ACTION

  The Mercedes was bathed in a low-lying mist that clung to the lower third of the car.

  Rick watched the mist swirl around them, and was glad it was there. It helped to shield the car against any watchers.

  He was still limp from the descent, but, as Scotty had promised, it had been easier than the climb-in one way. With Jacques helping to steady the lines, they had used the technique known as rappelling- descending by means of a double rope belayed around a piton, then passed under one thigh, diagonally across the body and over the opposite shoulder, enabling the climber to lower himself quickly and safely to the next stopping point. Fortunately, the night was crystal clear.

  They had reached the bottom, found the Mercedes, and had driven at breakneck speed forZurich . When certain that they had not been followed, the boys delivered Jacques to the airport where he had routed out a guard, obtained the home number of the charter-service manager, and had, by bullying and promise of great rewards, arranged for an

  ambulance helicopter shortly after dawn. The boys had left him there, found a gas station open in the city,then made the long circuit again to approach the cliff by the

  “back road.”

  The Mercedes engine was still hot from the trip. Rick hoped the timing was right.

  “We must be here ahead of the whirlybird,” he said, his voice hoarse with weariness. “It isn’t light enough for a safe landing. The sun will have to get a little higher.”

  Scotty stretched behind the wheel. “We made it,” he agreed. “But there were a few times when I wondered.”

  Rick suddenly sat upright. “Hear that?” There was a drone far away, and almost certainly it was the helicopter.

  “Sounds like it,” Scotty said excitedly. They listened as the sound grew louder. In a few moments it was very loud, and it had the characteristic beat of a helicopter rotor. The whirlybird crossed over the ridge from the direction ofZurich , swung wide into the valley, then turned and approached the chalet. The helicopter slowed, hovered, then slid downward at an angle and disappeared behind the screen of trees on the mountain shelf.

  The motor sound slowed and dropped in volume and pitch, but didn’t stop entirely. The boys waited, straining to see, for perhaps ten minutes. Then the sound increased again and the helicopter lifted into view, swung away from the cliff, climbed for altitude, crossed over the ridge, and was gone.

  “Let’s hope Zaretsky fell for it,” Rick said with his fingers crossed.

  “Let’s hope,” Scotty echoed.

  Scotty followed the road, which led downward, drove past the place where they had climbed the cliff, then turned onto the shelf road. He drove cautiously, aware that cars might be coming down, but they met no one. Finally, the sleek roadster reached the summit and moved across the end of the paving to the dirt road. Rick caught a glimpse of Zaretsky’s Packard in the trees.

  “There’s our boy!” he exclaimed. “Either it’s Zaretsky, or someone who has the car he was driving.”

  “We’ll find out,” Scotty responded. “Did you see anyone?”

  “No.Just a glimpse of the car.”

  They entered the dirt road and moved through the winding lane between the trees. The gate was open.

  Rick found himself holding his breath. Was everything all right at the chalet? He wasn’t worried about Kratov or his men, but he was concerned about Keller, Blanovich, Schell, and the other two medical personnel.

  Kratov and Keller, holding his overnight bag, were waiting on the porch of the chalet.

  “How is he?” Rick asked as the Mercedes stopped rolling.

  “Fine.”Keller seemed tired. “Everything went perfectly. He’s still under anesthetic, of course.”

  “Better get going,” Kratov said briskly. “I’ll follow in the sedan in a few minutes.”

  Scotty snapped his fingers. “That reminds me.” He got out of the roadster and hurried to the sedan.

  “What does he want?” Kratov demanded.

  Rick knew perfectly well what Scotty wanted. He was after the Megabuck unit. “He’s probably taking down the license number,” Rick replied.Kratov, who had been about to follow Scotty, turned and asked, “What for?”

  “If you exceed the speed limit, we can turn the number over to the police,” Rick explained.

  “You talk nonsense,” Kratov rapped out. He hurried after Scotty. Rick got out, too, and ran after Kratov. He drew even with the agent just as he reached the car. Scotty was already dusting off his clothes.

  “What were you doing?” Kratov demanded.

  “Just checking to make sure you still had a transmission,” Scotty said innocently.

  Kratov’s face grew black. “Don’t joke with me. You took something from the car. I want it.”

  Scotty smiled sweetly. “Come and take it.”

  Kratov took a step toward Scotty, and Rick grabbed his arm. “Wait a minute. Do you want to give the whole play away?”

  “I intend to have whatever he took from the car,” Kratov said in grating tones.

  “Better remember your agent inCopenhagen ,” Rick reminded him. “You won’t get it without a fight. And Blanovich is helpless in the chalet.”

  Kratov shrugged loose from Rick’s grip. “Later,” he said. “We will settle this later.”

  “What I took from the car was ours,” Scotty said. “You’d better just forget it.”

  Kratov scowled. “I begin to see. A beacon of some kind, was it?Something that enabled you to follow me without being spotted?”

  “Ask us after the Cold War is over,” Rick replied. “Come on, Scotty. We’ve got to get going. Dr. Keller is waiting.”

  The Mercedes was built for two, but Rick squeezed into the middle, leaving enough room for Scotty to handle the car. There was room for Dr. Keller’s bag behind the seat.

  The tall surgeon put it in place, then got in.

  “Better give us five minutes,” Scotty said to Kratov. “Don’t crowd me.”

  The Soviet agent snapped, “I have more sense than to follow too soon.”

  The Mercedes moved smoothly forward as Scotty let out the clutch. Both boys kept a sharp eye peeled for signs of anyone from ACTION. They still didn’t know whether the gambit had worked.

  Rick saw the old Packard again. This time there was someone in it, but he couldn’t make out details through the pine branches. They started down the mountain.

  Scotty swung wide in order to see
better around a curve ahead, and in that moment the big Packard drew even with them-on the inside!

  Rick divined the tactic in an instant. “He’s trying to force us out, over the cliff!”

  Scotty responded instantly. He shifted into a lower gear and jammed the accelerator to the floor. The Packard swerved, its long hood driving for the side of the Mercedes. The big fender scraped the side where Keller was sitting, and Rick felt the Mercedes begin to tip!

  Scotty swung away, toward the cliff, moved to the very edge, then jammed the accelerator down again. The Mercedes jumped ahead, and Scotty spun the wheel. Rick felt the crash and heard the scream of tortured metal.

  The Packard had the advantage of weight, but the Mercedes had ample power and the advantage of position now that Scotty had moved ahead. The boy gripped the wheel tightly and forced the big Packard into the side of the cliff.

  The Packard scraped along thecliffside , smashed into a jutting rock, and ground to a stop. Scotty instantly swung away, freeing the battered Mercedes. He pulled ahead of the Packard and stopped.

  “He may have a gun,” Rick gasped.

  “We’ll find out,” Scotty said grimly. He opened the door and jumped out, crouching to keep the car between him and the Packard. Then he stood upright. “Come on. He’s helpless.”

  Zaretsky was the driver. The Packard had no safety belts, and the big man had put out a hand to keep from smashing forward when the car had stopped against the rock. His hand had been driven right through the safety glass. A spurting stream of red indicated he had cut an artery in his wrist.

  Rick and Dr. Keller hurried to the car. Zaretsky was conscious. “Have you any tools?”

  Scotty asked.

  “In the trunk,” Zaretsky gasped. “It’s unlocked.”

  Scotty hurried back and opened the trunk while Keller leaned in the open window and used his handkerchief as a tourniquet around Zaretsky’s upper arm. Rick joined Scotty and they rummaged for tools.

  Rick took a pair of heavy pliers, and Scotty a tire iron. They hurried to the front of the car.