Whispers at Dawn; Or, The Eye

by Roy J. Snell

  CHAPTER II SOMETHING RATHER TERRIBLE

  Johnny Thompson was no weakling. He was a lightweight boxer. He had madehis way over the frozen wastes of Alaska and through the jungles ofCentral America and many other wild places as well. This city held littleterror for him.

  As he faced the two strangers in the semi-darkness of the street, heconsidered tackling the little man.

  "If I tackle low I'll catch him off his guard, bowl him over like atenpin. But the other, the tall one?" Ah, there was the rub! He carried aknife at his belt.

  The boy could run, but at thought of that he seemed to feel a twinge ofpain from a knife in his back.

  As he stood there, nerves all aquiver, oddly enough he thought of themysterious eye blinking out of the wall back there in the hall. Hewondered vaguely what it all meant and how this affair was to end.

  And then quite suddenly the affair of the moment ended. The tall manuttered a low grumble which Johnny did not understand. Next instant thepair faded into the darkness, leaving him free to go his way in peace.

  "Strange business, all of this," he murmured to himself. He felt for theroll of bills that had been paid him for the professor's library. Yes,they were still there.

  "He said, 'Come back tomorrow.' The professor said that," he mumbled ashe hurried away. "Said I would meet dangers. W-e-l-l--"

  He walked three blocks in deep thought. The whole business had thus farbeen very strange. What of the future?

  How little he knew! Tomorrow lay before him, and after that tomorrow andanother tomorrow. The task he had agreed to undertake was strange beyondbelief.

  Yet, for the most part ignorant of all this, he slept well that night andappeared next morning, suitcase in hand, ready for work at the door ofthat mystery house. In the broad light of day the place had lost much ofits air of mystery.

  He was relieved to find Felix Van Loon sitting on the doorstep waitingfor him.

  "Won't have to run the gauntlet of eyes in the wall and submit myskeleton for inspection this time," he whispered to himself.

  "Come on in and have a cup of coffee with me before we get down to work,"the other boy welcomed.

  "Be glad to," Johnny answered.

  "Watch!" Felix said a moment later. He pressed a button, then shot awooden panel to one side, revealing a recess.

  In that dark hole in the wall things began to happen. Two electric coilsbegan to light up. At the same time Johnny noted with a start that twored eyes were gleaming from the darkest corner.

  "Eyes," Felix murmured. "They'll do your work if you let them."

  Felix made no further comment. Johnny did not feel free to ask questionsabout the riddle of the "Eye."

  Dropping into a chair, Felix stared for a full two minutes at a crack inthe floor. Then with a start he sprang to his feet, threw open a secondpanel and proceeded to draw forth a steaming pot of coffee and a plate oftoast. Johnny recalled the professor's remarks regarding the "Eye" butsaid nothing.

  "It's a queer place," he told himself.

  As if reading his thoughts, Felix put down his cup. "Father's what theycall an electrical wizard," he said. "He does things no one dreams of.Enjoys it a lot, he does. So do I. But Father has a deep purpose in itall, thinks electricity may help to save the race; anyway that's what hecalls it."

  Once more he lapsed into silence. Johnny searched the dark corners of theroom for peering eyes, but could find none.

  "Through?" Felix asked quite suddenly. "All right then, let's be on ourway." He strode across the room to catch up a kit of tools.

  A moment more and they were in the street marching south. They had passedone brownstone building and were approaching a second when Felix drewJohnny into a doorway.

  "Ought to tell you, I guess." His voice was low. "Sort of warn you incase anything happens. Bit irregular, the thing we are about to do. If itfrightens you after I've told you, just say so. Every fellow has a right!

  "You see," he got a fresh start, "Father was once in the secret service.He became interested at that time in working out devices for trappingcriminals. And they _should_ be trapped." His voice rose. "Ninety percent of all crimes are committed by men who never work. Professionalcriminals, they make life unsafe for everyone. But Father doesn't trap'em. He just works out the traps. He's too much interested in makingthings to think much about using them himself. See that brick place,second door over?" His voice dropped. "Some queer ones live there--a tallone and a short one."

  "Tall one and a short--! I--"

  "Not much time." Felix held up a hand. "Sleep late, those two, but nottoo late. Got to get in and do some things before they come downstairs.

  "We're supposed to be changing some electric light switch boxes, you andI. That is, if we're caught. You're my helper. No breaking in or anythinglike that. Got the key from the owner. But if they come down, that tallone and the short one, they might get a little rough. See? Question is,are you still with me?" he concluded.

  "Hundred per cent!" There was no hesitation in Johnny's tone. For allthat, there was a sense of dizziness in his head. He was seeing again theliving skeletons, one with a knife on its hip, the other with a bladehanging from its bony fingers.

  "All right," said Felix, "let's go!"

  "But why should we change the switch boxes in that place?" Johnny asked.

  "Rule one of our clan is, 'No questions asked'!" Felix chuckled.

  A moment more and a key turned in a lock. They found themselves in anancient parlor. The place was dark and silent, reeking with mystery.

  "Here you are." Felix handed Johnny a large flashlight. "Just focus thaton my hands while I work. Won't try to raise the shades. Might disturbour friends upstairs. Might--Sh! Listen!" The red-haired boy backedagainst the wall.

  Involuntarily Johnny gripped the handle of a hammer with his free hand.The memory of a knife blade protruding from a sleeve was fresh in hismind.

  For a space of seconds the two boys remained motionless.

  "Thought I heard something." Felix moved forward. A moment more and hislong capable fingers, trembling slightly, were busy removing an electricpunch button from the wall.

  "Good!" he whispered. "Hole's large enough."

  Diving into his kit, he brought out a small metal box wrapped about withwires.

  After unwinding these wires, he stood again at attention. Catching nosound, he resumed his work. Pushing the wires through the hole left bythe removal of the punch button, he slid them down between the walls,then prepared to fit the black box into position.

  "Perfect," he sighed. "Couldn't have been better! I--"

  He held up a finger for silence. There had come a faint sound from above.

  "Like a bare foot touching the floor," Johnny thought. Once more hegripped his hammer handle hard. If they were attacked he would do hisbit. But would that be enough? Strange business this! A chill crept uphis spine.

  Felix resumed his work. His fingers flew. "There!" he sighed. "They'dnever know a thing has been changed. And yet--"

  A moment later he disappeared into the depths of a large closet. What hedid there Johnny was not permitted to know. For a full quarter of anhour, alternately chilling and thrilling at every sound that reached hisears, Johnny stood there on guard.

  "Now," the other boy at last whispered in his ear, "we go this way." Theypassed through a door and down a stair into a cellar dark as night.

  "One minute here, and then for the outer air." Felix moved forwardcautiously. For all that, his foot struck some object that gave forth alow, hollow roar. At the same instant there came from above anunmistakable sound of movement.

  "Coming down the stairs," Felix breathed. "Going out to breakfast,perhaps. If they don't, we're trapped like rats!"

  Five long minutes they cowered there in the dark. Then, satisfied thatall was well, Felix tucked some wires through a crack in the wall, andthey were away.

  "You're all right!" A moment later in the broad light of the street theinv
entor's son offered Johnny a slim hand. "I--I just wanted to makesure. You weren't much afraid, were you?"

  "Do you mean--" The muscles in Johnny's face hardened. "Mean to say therereally wasn't any danger back there?"

  "Danger?" Felix stared. "Of course there was danger! Those men werethere, somewhere, no doubt about that. They're bad ones too! Up tosomething rather terrible, I imagine. But then," he added as a sort ofafterthought, "we're not detectives. I only wanted to get some things inthere to try them out. You may have a chance to help at that. There's alot of things to do.

  "But not tomorrow." His brow wrinkled in thought. "Father and I will beaway tomorrow. Tell you what--that'll be all for today. Why don't youcome back day after tomorrow? We'll try something out then, somethingrather thrilling, I'd say."

  It was to be thrilling, that thing they were to try out; but the thrillwas to be of a different sort than that expected by Felix. Fate too wouldstep in and change the date for them. Fate has a way of doing that littlething, as Johnny had long since learned.

  Gripping Felix's hand, Johnny hurried away to catch a bus.

  "Just in time for one more auction," he thought to himself. "That otherauction brought me luck and promise of adventure. Why might not anotherdo the same? Might go to the shack and see if Drew Lane is there," hetold himself. "Do that after the auction is over."

  He was going to the shack right enough, but not in just the manner hewould have chosen.