United States or Kenya ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"What does the '97' at the end mean?" questioned Jane timidly, a little bit frightened at his outburst, yet more than ever realizing the vast importance of his work and hers. "Oh, that's nothing. Probably old Hoff's number. Most spies are known just by numbers." "Yes, of course," said Jane, flushing as she recalled that she herself was now "K-19." Was she a spy? Was Mr. Fleck a chief of spies?
The man who had carried it yesterday, the other "K-19" who had undertaken to shadow those people next door, now lay dead with a bullet through his heart. Was there, she wondered, a similar peril confronting her? Would her life be in danger, too? Was that the reason Mr. Fleck had told her of her predecessor's fate to warn her how desperate were the men against whom she was to match her wits?
A man with a German name in British uniform in wartime can't be up to any good." "Still we have no actual evidence against him. We don't know what he was doing." "I'd arrest him then for murder and get the evidence that he is a spy afterward. It would be easy to fasten the murder of K-19 on him. There's no doubt that he did that."
With a thrill she remembered the scene she had witnessed from her window the night K-19, her predecessor on Chief Fleck's staff, had been murdered. In her relief at discovering that Frederic was no German spy, she had forgotten that for weeks and weeks she had all but believed him guilty of murder. Now, something told her, surely and confidently, that he could explain it all.
Presently Carter rose and stretching himself lazily, as if about to leave, turned to face the Drive, his keen eyes taking in all the passers-by. Apparently satisfied, he sat down abruptly and turned to speak to the girl beside him. "All right, K-19," he said, "it's safe. Now we can talk." "I've got such a lot to tell," cried Jane.
"Who is she?" Jane asked eagerly, turning to Carter. "Just K-22," said the agent, "and all she knows about you is that you are K-19. That's the way we work in the service mostly. The less one operative knows about another the better, for what you don't know you can't talk about." "Doesn't she even know my name?" persisted Jane.
She tried to remember only the expression of murderous hate she had seen on his face the night that her predecessor, the other K-19, had been murdered. She tried to think of him only as a treacherous spy, an enemy of her country forever plotting to destroy Americans, yet she could not.
"The windows overlook the river and the transports, do they not?" "Yes, the windows of Mr. Hoff's bedroom and the room next. Their apartment is a duplicate of ours." Mr. Fleck sprang up and crossed to the big safe. Opening an inner drawer he took out a small metal disk and handed it to her. Jane looked at it curiously. It bore no wording save the inscription "K-19." "That," said Mr.
Seeing herself observed the girl stopped, and at a sign from Carter wheeled her charge up to where they were standing. "K-22," said Carter, "I want to introduce you to K-19." Gravely the two girls, nodding, inspected each other. "She always wears a blue bow at her neck," Carter added, "so you can recognize her by that." The girl smilingly nodded again and wheeled the carriage on up the Drive.
Is she hurt?" asked the chief anxiously. "I don't know. She has vanished." Jane Strong vanished! The chief's figure became suddenly tensed. That it was more than a mere automobile accident he felt certain now. Shadowing the Hoffs was an occupation that seemed unusually perilous. There flashed into his mind the fate of K-19 murdered almost at the Hoffs' door.
Word Of The Day