Free Tom Swift and the Visitor From Planet X by Victor Appleton II Page A

Tom’s keen eyes spotted a slip of paper tucked among the guns. He pulled it out. His heart gave a leap of excitement as he saw two words scrawled on the paper— contact Anderman!
    Hiding his amazement, Tom read the name aloud and added casually, "What’s this? The make of one of the guns?"
    "Uh, yeah—that’s right," Latty replied. Without comment, Tom climbed out of the subcellar. As he bent down to drop the trap door, Tom flashed the officer a signal. Instantly Hammond swung about and grabbed Latty.
    "H-hey! Why the rough stuff?" the prisoner exclaimed. Then, as he realized the officer was about to handcuff him, the man’s face turned pasty white. He pulled free from the officer’s grasp and bolted toward the stairway. Dashing to the steps, Tom saw Latty’s nephew standing above at the top, as if paralyzed at the sudden turn of events. As Pete, in full scramble, tried to shove Fred aside, the boy braced himself and grabbed his uncle in a two-arm vice.
    "I’m sorry, Uncle Pete," Fred muttered softly. "We gotta get this whole thing over with."
    After Pete Latty had been manacled, Tom leaned near to him and said intensely, "I’m Tom Swift. In case you don’t know it, Al Wullgrath—and Scott Anderman; you can tell us all about that— are working for enemies of this country, people who are endangering a tremendous scientific development that could change human history. As if making earthquakes isn’t bad enough."
    "I don’t know anything about that stuff," Latty muttered. "Informatics changed my life—that’s the only ‘history’ I care about."
    "It may go better with you and the church people if you tell us who’s been giving them orders," stated Hammond. "Who tells them where the next quake’ll be, and what to steal?"
    "How should I know? Speaker Anderman hasn’t had nothin’ to do with me, hardly, after my Confirmation. It was Wullgrath who brought the guns here. I don’t know anything about that slip of paper—it’s Wullgrath’s handwriting. Probably just an old note he wrote to himself."
    "Then tell us what’s in the cabinets, at least," demanded Tom coldly.
    Latty shook his head sullenly. "Go take a look. Maybe you understand ’em. Most of it’s in some foreign language. Wullgrath delivered it all in a big truck one night, while Freddy was out. It took hours t’ handtruck it all down to the subcellar. I just took a little look—the Church told me to leave the papers alone. It was Wullgrath who locked up the cabinets."
    "Do you know who was slipping information out of Enterprises to Anderman?"
    "Nope." The man flashed a sickly, ragged grin. "But I guess they call it Informatics for a reason, right?"
    Officer Hammond had called a Shopton PD patrol cruiser. When it arrived, he led Pete Latty out, young Fred accompanying them. Tom was momentarily alone.
    Those papers down there are going to be carted away as evidence, thought the young inventor restlessly. But if it has something to do with our visitor from Planet X...
    Feeling guilty, Tom resolved to sneak a quick look. He climbed down into the subcellar, stymied for a moment when he found the sturdy metal cabinets all locked and impassive. Did Latty have a key? But if Tom asked him in front of the police, they might prevent his going ahead. Then Tom remembered that Latty’s keyring was still dangling from the trap door padlock!
    The cabinets were set up on a master key, and Tom quickly discerned the most likely choice. He smiled as the key slipped easily into the slot on the first of the cabinets. He twisted the key, noting the welcome click.
    The subcellar erupted in a horrifying blast of fire!
     
CHAPTER 8
AMAZING EXMAN
    LEAVING the Lattys with the officers who had driven out in the cruiser, Jack Hammond dashed frantically back into the house, filling with the haze and stench of smoke. The crack of a loud boom rang in his ears. To his relief he met Tom struggling his way up from the basement, backlit by flame.
    "Tom! What in—"
    "Booby