Free The Weapon of Night by Nick Carter

single wall. The second elevator gantry reared alongside it, the cage waiting at floor level. Parry and Weston stationed themselves on either side of it, and waited.
    Nick looked at the cage and did not like it. It was even smaller than the watchtower cage.
    “Tight squeeze,” said Julia quietly. “I don’t know that I care too much for this. Capacity, three people — or one Valentina.”
    “Well, that’s it, ma’am,” said Pauling. “I expect you’d rather use that than make the climb? I’m sure you would.”
    “Rather small,” the president said apologetically. “To save floor space, you understand. But Parry and Weston will operate the control from below while the rest of us walk up and meet you there. Is that satisfactory?”
    “But of course, of course?” said Valentina. “It is not your fault I am large economy size.”
    “One moment, Madam Sichikova,” Nick said crisply. “In fairness both to the company and to yourself, it isn’t wise for you to go up in the cage alone.” His eyes swept the vast work area as he spoke. The other cage, he noted, was back from its skyward jaunt and hovered at mid-height within its gantry. All guards were at their stations on platforms and floor level. Nothing could have looked more secure and serene. But things have been known to happen within elevator shafts, and Valentiana had seen a familiar face among people whom she had never met before.
    “But there is room for only me,” said Valentina reasonably. “And I can promise you, comrade, there is no way of inducing me to climb those stairs. Nor of talking me out of going up in the cage. It is decided, Carter. Positively.”
    Nick knew from experience that she would not give in. So. at all costs, he would have to keep Comrade Valya constantly within sight. But that was going to be difficult, because at ceiling height the elevator would go directly beyond the roof into its own housing. And for that brief period it would be out of sight.
    “Then if you don’t mind,” Nick said quietly, “I’ll send Thunder ahead of us to the roof to wait outside the housing. Miss Baron will stay here below. I’ll start climbing, keeping a little ahead of the cage. And you, sir,” he said to the president, “you might follow along behind me with Mr. Pauling. I know you realize that Madam Sichikova is my responsibility and that I’m expected to stay as close to her as possible. Mr. Parry — I assume that upper door is locked. Perhaps you’ll be good enough to send a guard up there with Thunder to let him out.”
    Parry hesitated. “Well, this is a little irregular, you know. I’m not sure that —”
    “It’s all right, Parry, it’s all right,” said the president. “Mr. Carter’s position is perfectly understandable. Send a guard up with Thunder; that will be in order.”
    “That’s not really necessary,” said Parry. “I have two men on the roof already and I can open the door from down here.” He flicked a switch on a small control panel at the base of the spiral stair. “You can go on up, Thunder. There’s an electric eye on the inner platform that’ll open the door for you. Close it, too, afterwards, but then it’ll open again for the next man to follow. You’ll find yourself on a wide observation deck with my two guards at either end and the elevator cage on your right. The door to that, of course, will only open when the cage reaches the top. Automatically, you understand. Madam will have no difficulty. And the watchtower cage, of course, will follow all our movements.”
    Then let us start at once,” said Valentina. She brushed past Pauling to step majestically into the tiny cage.
    “On your way, Johnny,” said Nick.
    Big Thunder started up the spiral stairway three steps at a time.
    “My, my,” said Pauling admiringly. “Do you suppose he’ll last the distance?”
    “He will,” Nick said shortly. “Julia. At the elevator, please.”
    Her perfume brushed past him like a soft caress.
    The