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.But when Sandy swung into Library Street, heading for the stone building nowonly a block away, Ken suddenly leaned forward."Don't stop!" he said a moment later, just as Sandy turned the wheels towardthe curb to park.Instantly Sandy jerked the wheels back, in response to the urgency in Ken'svoice.When the car was moving straight ahead again, he asked, "Around thenext corner?""That should do it.But don't park until I get a good look back." They hadgone fifty feet around the corner before Ken added, "O.K.Under this bigtree."Sandy slid the car up to the curb and killed the engine.Ken didn't wait for his question."Back there parked in a driveway rightopposite the library," he said, "was our old friend, the blue sedan."CHAPTER VIOUTSMARTED"our friend the blue sedan," Sandy repeated quietly."Those boys get around,don't they? Who do you suppose they are, anyway?"Ken shrugged."Whoever they are, they seem to do a pretty good job of stickingto Fenton.If they're waiting outside the library, I'm willing to admitFenton's probably still inside." He opened the car door."We're not just going to barge right up the front steps, are we?" Sandy asked.Ken shook his head."It's so close to nine o'clock we wouldn't even have timeto get to the microfile room before the place closes.I'll just go as far asthe corner and watch for him to leave.Keep the engine running, will you?"Sandy nodded."This time," he said determinedly, "we're not going to losehim."Ken had barely reached the corner before he turned and ran back again."Oneold Hudson," he said."Coming this way."An instant later an old car rattled around the corner60' OUTSMARTED 61and passed Bert's coupe, its flapping fenders and squeaking body proclaimingmany years of hard service.The single taillight blinked on and off with everyjolt and the exhaust threw out a dense cloud of heavy smoke.Almost immediately behind it followed the blue sedan.Page 25 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlSandy slid cautiously out to make a third in the procession.They saw the Hudson, up ahead, turn left at the corner.The blue sedan turnedtoo.But by the time the boys negotiated the corner the Hudson was no longerin sight, and the blue sedan was swinging right at the far end of the block.Sandy stepped on the accelerator and the coupe leaped forward.At the crossing Ken craned his neck."He's turning into Simmons Street downthere," he announced."Heading back to the tourist court, I'd say."Immediately Sandy gave the car the gun and went straight ahead to the nextcorner, turned there, and raced down toward Simmons.Just short of it theystopped and waited until the Hudson came by at its leisurely rattling pace.Sandy drove straight across Simmons before the blue sedan could reach thecrossing."That's where he's heading, all right the tourist court," Sandy said."I'llbeat him there and park somewhere out of sight."In less than two minutes they had pulled up under a low-branched tree in thequiet street on which the court faced, parking opposite the building and alittle beyond it.Sandy shut off the engine just as the yel-62THE CLUE OF THE COILED COBRAlowed headlights of the Hudson came into view at the end of the block.Itturned into the tourist court driveway and pulled into the garage of roomNumber Six.Fenton was clearly visible by the light over the door to his room as heemerged from the garage.He was carrying nothing in his hands, and was wearingthe same ill-fitting suit they had seen him in that afternoon.He had justunlocked his door and disappeared inside, and the light in his room had justbeen turned on behind a slatted blind, when the blue sedan came into the boys'range of vision.They dropped down so that their heads were not visible, and waited until thecar moved slowly past them and finally parked just beyond the range of thetourist court neon sign.Some four hundred feet separated the sedan fromBert's coupe.Sandy and Ken pulled themselves up again and looked about.All the court'sgarages were occupied now, and all the rooms were lit.It looked peaceful andquiet, as if its occupants were settling down for the night."Do we wait?" Sandy asked."Now that we really have him pinned down "Ken nodded."We can't afford not to.One of us, though, will have to go find aphone and call Richards' office.And I suppose if we find we're stuck here allnight who knows? Maybe Fenton sleeps like anybody else we'll have to call thehouse eventually too, and let them know where we are.""And let Bert know where his car is." Sandy grinned."I hope he doesn't thinkthe night air hurts it.Do you think we should call Richards' office now?"OUTSMARTED 63"Let's wait a little while," Ken suggested."If Fenton's coming right outagain, we want to be ready to take off.If it begins to look as if he'ssettled down for the night, we can try to get word to Richards.Maybe he couldget back here by morning himself then."There was silence for a while, broken only by the occasional hum of a car onthe highway beyond the tourist court.Sandy moved the rear-view mirror so thatthrough it they could both keep an eye on Fenton's doorway and the dimlyvisible blue sedan."If you were Fenton," Ken said finally, "and you had just relieved someone ofone hundred and fifty thousand dollars, what would you do?"Sandy glanced sideways at him."Is that a rhetorical question? Or do youreally want an answer?""Seriously," Ken said, "what would you do?""Put as much distance as I could between myself and the scene of the crime, Isuppose.""So would I," Ken agreed."Which is probably why we'd make unsuccessfulcriminals.We think of the obvious.Fenton was smarter.He planned to hide outPage 26 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlin Kenshoa Park no great distance away, but a pretty unlikely spot for acriminal to choose.The police wouldn't be likely to think of it offhand.""But Fenton was caught," Sandy reminded him."I know.The old unforeseeable accident." Ken whistled softly through histeeth."What I'm wondering is whether he took the most direct route there, orwhether he wandered around on little back roads.""Would it make any difference?" Sandy asked."He probably expected to haveconsiderable start on anybody who was looking for him." He reached over to64 THE CLUE OF THE COILED COBRAopen the glove compartment and began to grope around inside.Ken grinned."This is Bert's car remember? He probably doesn't keep a stock ofemergency rations like ""I wasn't," Sandy told him loftily, "looking for a chocolate bar." He closedthe compartment and held out the folded paper in his hand
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