Free Doc Savage: The Secret of Satan's Spine (The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage Book 15) by Kenneth Robeson, Lester Dent, Will Murray

sic the police on them if you wanted to track the gang down yourself?”
    Doc explained, “Time appeared to be of the essence, from what I have learned, and sending the police off on a wild chase was preferable to standing around answering their questions.”
    “I see,” mused Ham, who did not exactly see at all. His high brow furrowed. Examining the remnants of his sword cane, he seemed disgusted with the trend of events thus far.
    Parking around the corner from the cream-colored clapboard home, they hunkered down in their seats and Doc Savage once again brought out his handy pocket periscope and surveyed the dwelling after transforming it into a slim telescope.
    Minutes passed, and the traffic moving along the street did not stop or even pause near the house under their surveillance.
    “Why did you not rescue the girl if you knew she was here?” asked Ham at one point in the stakeout.
    “Her role in this affair is unclear. And since the gang seems to be hiding in two separate dwellings, I thought it prudent to collect as much data as possible before making a move.”
    “Something big is up?”
    Doc nodded. “If not big, exceedingly mysterious. I have been eavesdropping on both portions of the gang while secreting myself in their respective basements. The fragmentary talk I overheard tonight leads me to believe that they are prepared to sail on an ocean vessel in just a few hours.”
    “For what purpose?” asked Ham.
    “The only thing I overheard was a cryptic phrase.”
    “Yes?”
    “They were talking about something they called ‘Satan’s Spine.’ ”
    “Sounds devilish,” remarked Ham.
    Doc Savage declined to reply to that. He continued to scrutinize the cream house. In the back seat, Monk Mayfair began snoring like a water buffalo. Ham Brooks took a silk handkerchief out of his breast pocket, and used it to squeeze Monk’s nose shut, closing off the awful snoring cacophony.
    “He is going to have quite the headache when he awakens,” commented Ham.
    After another twenty minutes dragged on by, Doc Savage opened his car door, and cautiously approached the house. Ham followed along, searching the immediate environment for any sign of lurking gunmen.
    They were not challenged in any way, nor were they sniped at from the windows.
    Then Doc Savage walked up to the front door, took a slim steel probe out of his vest pocket and, by jiggering it in the lock, defeated the mechanism.
    The name on the mailbox was Kilroy. It meant nothing to either of them.
    They entered cautiously, Ham Brooks jutting his machine pistol forward, Doc Savage ready for anything, but showing no weapon. He did not believe in them.
    They made an efficient sweep of the house, but discovered no evidence.
    “Dratted dead end,” fumed Ham.
    Doc told him, “It is not beyond the realm of possibility that Diamond and his gang might yet show up. While we are waiting, a search of the place for clues is in order.”
    Separating, they got to work on that.
    The place had a bare minimum of furnishing, and not much in the way of personal items. They did find a bedroom that had a feminine touch to it, and Ham realized that this was where Davey Lee must have been kept in confinement.
    Stripping the bed, Doc Savage discovered under the pillow a woman’s purse. The material was alligator skin, and when he opened the purse, Doc found that it was virtually empty except for a piece of paper crumpled up and stuffed into a side pocket.
    “Women do not normally leave their purses behind,” observed Ham.
    Removing the wad of paper, the bronze man unfolded it and saw that there was writing inscribed in pencil.
    The note said:
I am being taken back to Louisiana by these horrid men. I pray that you find this note, and come to rescue me, for I fear for my life. Go to the northern part of Louisiana and look for the Sugar Hill Plantation, east of Shreveport. Start now. Or all may be lost.
    “Jove!” exploded Ham. “That girl is in danger. We must start out