Falco
The man shook her again. Judy stared at him, recognizing him as Falco,
the gangster who had warned her to keep away from the estate he and his
thieving friends seemed to have taken over. Fortunately, he did not
recognize her in her torn slacks and soggy sweater. Her clinging, wet
hair probably didn’t look the same color as it had the day before.
“Did you say ... I turned off the water in the house?” she questioned
dazedly.
“Yes, and everywhere else! Now beat it before you do any more damage.
Wait! What did you want, anyway?” he asked menacingly.
“I’ve been in the water, as you can see,” Judy replied. “Weren’t you
pretty sure there was somebody down underneath the fountain when you
turned it on? Or weren’t you the one who turned it on?”
“Me?” He seemed surprised. “Why would I do a thing like that?”
“I’m asking you. Why would you?” Judy retorted. “You might have drowned
me. Or were you _trying_ to drown someone?”
“I’m surprised,” he said, smiling slyly, “that you could think such a
thing. If anyone gets drowned down there it will be a most unfortunate
accident. Of course,” he added, “we have been bothered by prowlers
lately. People get curious about a place like this. It’s not always
healthy for them. But I guess you found out that much.”
“I didn’t find out nearly as much as I’d like to,” declared Judy, the
heat of her anger warming her a little. “Were you trying to drown
somebody? We were down under it when the water was turned on. I thought
we were trapped at first, but I managed to get through the cascade and
turn all these valves. I didn’t mean to shut off the water at the
house,” she hurried on to explain. “I only meant to turn off the
fountain.”
“You turned it off all right,” he told her, “but you wasted your time.
We like it on!”
With that he began turning one of the valves, but Judy caught his hand
and bent it behind him, crying hysterically as she held it in a tight
grip, “No! No! You mustn’t turn it on! You did it before, but I won’t
let you do it again. I’ll hold both your hands and yell if you try it!”
“No, you won’t! I’ll do the yelling. Edith!” he shouted as he tried
unsuccessfully to shake Judy off and turn the valve. The same
determination that had carried her through the water was giving her
almost savage strength.
“Get her away!” Falco shouted to a dark-haired woman who now came
running through the half-open door and stopped abruptly, an amused
expression coming over her face. “What’s the matter with you?” he
cried. “Edith! Don’t just stand there. Grab her!”
“Oh-oh, so it’s you again,” the newcomer said, staring at Judy.
“Mister,” she added, sneering at Falco, “I think you’re in trouble. Way
in!”
“What do you mean I’m in trouble?”
The valve forgotten, Falco whirled on the dark woman and demanded an
explanation. Judy had to release his hands, but she still kept close
watch to make sure he did not turn on the fountain. Now she knew which
valve was the right one. Whatever it cost her, she intended to make
sure it was not turned. Falco was paying little attention to her now.
His anger was directed elsewhere.
“This little hobo wouldn’t have jumped me if I’d had my gun,” he said
furiously to the woman called Edith.
“What happened to it?” she asked. “Did the big bad G-man take it away
from you?”
_Peter did it!_ This thought cheered Judy in spite of her predicament.
If Peter suspected the Brandt estate was being used as a gang hideout,
he’d be back.
Falco’s voice rose angrily. “Think I need a gun to take care of her?
I’ll stop her—”
“Unless she stops you first,” the woman informed him. “She and her
brother came to the house this morning. Said they wanted to interview
someone. I didn’t see them, but I heard them talking to Stanley. She
wanted to meet someone of importance. Well, she’s met the great Falco.
He’s someone of importance. Anyway, _he_ thinks so.”
“None of your cracks,” the gang leader warned. “Is this true?” he
demanded, turning to Judy. “Were you and your brother at the house this
morning?”
“We were,” she replied fearlessly, “and so were the police.”
“They had a search warrant,” the woman put in. “I told them to go ahead
and search the house. Naturally, they didn’t find anything. We’re
friends of the Brandts, living in their house while they’re on
vacation. It was as simple as that.”
“What about the fountain?” Falco demanded.
“They didn’t go near it. They only searched the tower. I showed them
around myself when I saw them heading for it. And while I was there
with them I turned on the fountain.”
“You turned it on?” cried Judy, unable to control her feelings any
longer. “Then _you’re_ to blame for what happened!”
“What did happen?” asked Falco.
“Nothing,” replied the woman, who, Judy realized, must be Mrs.
Cubberling. “They thanked me and drove away.”
“Then why do you say I’m in trouble?”
“Because of her!” Mrs. Cubberling pointed a finger at Judy.
“I can take care of her—easy. But first I want to hear her side of the
story. She hasn’t told me why she came here.”
“Today or yesterday?” asked Judy, trying to confuse him.
“Were you here yesterday, too?” Falco demanded. “But of course you
were! I warned you not to come back. Can’t you read? There’s a sign
down the road warning trespassers away. My men tell me a car drove
right past it yesterday. There were two girls in it. Were you one of
them?”
“What if I was?” asked Judy, glad that he had not noticed Lorraine when
she ducked. Suddenly Judy became aware of the seriousness of her
situation.
“Speak up!” the gang leader barked. “Why did you come here? And I do
mean today. I want the truth.”
“You’ll get it,” Judy said quietly, her hand still on the valve to keep
him from turning it. “It’s exactly the way she told you. I came with my
brother to get a story. He has a weekly column in the _Farringdon Daily
Herald_. It’s called ‘Meet Your Neighbor,’ and we decided that you were
a neighbor the public might like to meet. We wanted an interview. That
was all. We were going to ask about your business, your hobbies—things
like that.”
“Go ahead, Falco! Tell her your hobbies.” Edith Cubberling laughed
mockingly. “You have a lot of them.”
“I haven’t time to listen,” Judy said hurriedly, not liking the ugly
tone of voice the woman was using. “I have to go back to the fountain—”
“Oh, no, you don’t!” said Mrs. Cubberling, her stocky frame blocking
the doorway.
“She has to go back!” Falco tipped back his head and laughed. “Did you
hear that, Edith? She’s half drowned and shivering with cold, but she
has to go back to the fountain!”
Judy was still guarding the valve when the woman sprang forward with
the ferocity of a tiger and pushed her away from it.
“This will teach you not to go poking around where you’re not wanted,”
she snarled as she struck Judy sharply across the cheek.
[Illustration: “This will teach you not to go poking around where
you’re not wanted!”]
The blow was so unexpected that it knocked Judy off her feet and sent
her spinning into a corner where she lay helpless.
“That’ll hold you for a while,” the gang leader told her. “Come on,
Edith! We have to take care of her brother if the water hasn’t already
done it.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------