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

informed him.
    “I figured as much,” said Monk. “Where the heck are we?”
    “Investigating a vessel about to sail.” Doc Savage produced the note that had been written by the missing Davey Lee. “The men you discovered were holding Miss Lee at another location. We went there, but they had decamped. I found this message, apparently from Miss Lee.”
    Monk read the message eagerly, and said, “We gotta head out to Shreveport!”
    “Hold your horses,” said Doc. “That note is not what it seems to be.”
    Monk frowned. “It reads plain as day. The girl’s father said she grabbed Davey and put her on a train.”
    “I strongly doubt Miss Lee is on any train,” said Doc. “Read the letter again, and pay particular attention to the underlined words.”
    Dropping his gaze, Monk read again, moving his lips, and muttered, “ ‘Northern’ and ‘start’ are underlined.”
    “Actually,” corrected Doc, “only the first four letters of the word ‘start’ are underlined. The stressed words actually read Northern Star .”
    “I don’t get it,” admitted Monk.
    “Try harder,” suggested Ham.
    Doc Savage said calmly, “Monk, did you not think it peculiar that a young woman waylaid you with the promise of a Louisiana vacation a day before you were to ship out to England to do important war work?”
    “Well, I kinda figgered it was a coincidence,” said Monk, scratching his head.
    “Convenient coincidence,” sniffed Ham.
    Doc Savage continued, “What was the name of the ship on which you planned to take passage?”
    Monk’s head was pounding, and he didn’t feel at all well. So he had to think about that a moment.
    “ Northern Star! ” he burst out. “Blazes! She’s sayin’ something about the Northern Star .”
    Doc Savage nodded, “That is the name of the vessel we are presently investigating.”
    Ham Brooks took the note, read it with avid eyes, and his high forehead puckered.
    “I am not so certain about this,” he mused. “Those are perfectly normal words to have underlined under the circumstances.”
    Ham’s inveterate habit of disagreeing with the hairy chemist may have had more than a little to do with his sudden change of heart.
    “A plant,” asserted Doc. “This note is a ruse to lure us to Shreveport—all of us. The initial plan was to get Monk to forego taking his sea voyage. But now that we are all involved, this Diamond fellow is attempting to shanghai us to Louisiana. But Miss Lee, having been forced to pen the decoy letter, wrote it in such a way that by underlining two words she was pointing us in the correct direction.”
    Monk did not appear to be convinced. For that matter, Ham Brooks maintained a skeptical air.
    “Why would Miss Lee agree to lure Monk out of town and then turn on Diamond?”
    Doc Savage suggested, “She may have gotten cold feet, and was prepared to reveal the truth to Monk. Realizing this, Diamond had no choice but to abduct her.”
    Ham frowned. “Perhaps we should split up?” he ventured. “Some of us go to Shreveport, and others to look into the question of this boat.”
    “Not practical,” decided Doc. “The ship sails in twenty minutes.”
    Monk barked, “Then we’d better work fast, so we can get goin’ south.”
    “We are not going south,” said Doc Savage. “For there is nothing there to interest us. The mystery of all these shenanigans seems to center on Monk’s presence on board this boat. Now that we are here, we will follow this through to its conclusion, whatever that may be.”
    Astonished, Monk blurted out, “Doc, do you mean that we’re takin’ passage on this ship?”
    Doc nodded firmly. “It has all been arranged. The ship is a Merchant Marine vessel, carrying passengers as well as industrial metals destined for British industry. These are important for the war effort, and it suggests that there will be an attempt to seize the cargo.”
    “What the heck does that have to do with me—for that matter with Davey