Now Playing: Save the Girl!
Episode Fifteen concluded with:
The detective decided he had waited long enough.
There was no sense in even trying to speculate as to how long Maria would take
to fall asleep. The kid thought tomorrow would make her a star. Any sleep that
might come to Maria Martino would be restless. Dehner felt his back pocket to
make sure the cloth he planned to use as a gag was there.
He walked across the dark street and into the
hotel. It was time to kidnap Maria Martino.
Episode Sixteen:
The
Alcott Hotel contained no restaurant or bar. The one light in the lobby came
from the front desk where a clerk had his head on a newspaper that lay beside
the register. He was sleeping. Dehner approached the desk quietly: a needless
precaution. The clerk didn’t stir. As he drew near, Dehner noticed that the paper
was a week old edition of the Dallas
Herald. Peeking out beside the
clerk’s gray head was a drawing of Rutherford B. Hayes. President Hayes was
obviously doing nothing that interested the clerk.
What
was in the register did interest the detective. Princess Maria signed in for
room 204. Dehner stepped behind the desk to where the hotel kept its second
room keys on a wide board. He took the key for 204 and left his own room key on
the desk. He wouldn’t be spending the night after all. The detective then
headed up the stairway. As he did, the clerk began an airy snore.
The
second floor was in total darkness. Dehner stood still for a moment, allowing
his eyes to adjust, and then made his way down an uncarpeted hallway to room
204.He unlocked the door and stepped inside. He had to pause again in order to
locate the outline of a bed in the cave-like darkness of the room. The
detective stepped quietly but quickly toward the bed and put an arm around the
head of the occupant, cupping a hand over her mouth.
“I’m
not going to hurt you,” Dehner whispered anxiously. “Don’t be scared--”
He
heard a step behind him but didn’t have time to react. An explosion went off
inside his head and he dropped to the floor, fighting to maintain
consciousness. Dehner could hear the strike of a match and then a yellow blur
floated above him. Partially illuminated in the kerosene light was the face of
Philip Richardson.
“Is
this the gentleman who caused you all the trouble?” Even given the
circumstances, Richardson maintained his phony British accent.
Another
vaguely familiar face came into the yellow glare of the light. At first, Dehner
didn’t recognize it.
“Yeah,
that’s him. The tough guy. Don’t look so tough any more, does he?”
Dehner
felt the sharp toe of a boot slam into his side, directly under the ribs. He
was glad for small mercies. His attacker’s anger had caused him to miss the
mark.
“You’re
not as smart as you think you are, detective,” the attacker said. “Those men
you had laughin’ at me back in Dallas, one of them recognized you. Mr. Rance
Dehner, a snoop for the Lowrie Detective Agency. I thought Mr. Richardson would
be interested in knowin’ a detective was lookin’ into his affairs. Took off
quick for Alcott. Got here a little before you did. Guess I should thank you,
detective. I’m making more money workin’ for Mr. Richardson than I made lookin’
after that lousy dump.”
Dehner
now recognized the theater manager he had questioned in Dallas. “Making your
way up the ladder of success! You’re right out of a Horatio Alger novel, Harry.”
“Huh?”
Harry replied.
Philip
Richardson chuckled as he looked down at his prisoner. “The man has a wonderful
sense of humor! I’m sure that we are in store for a delightful few hours with
Mr. Dehner. Delightful indeed!” He turned his head. “Jerri Mae, please hold the
light while we secure Mr. Dehner’s hands and feet.”
The
woman took the kerosene lamp and bent over Dehner as the two men retrieved the
ropes. “I’m sorry.” Her voice was both a whisper and a sob. “You’ve got to
understand. Philip Richardson owns this town. He told me to be on the look out
for you, and to set up this trap…I’m sorry.”
Dehner
tried to think of something funny to say in order to buttress his standing as a
wit. He was working on it when the yellow light vanished and darkness
overwhelmed him.
Monday: Episode
Seventeen of Save the Girl!
