Poisoned Air Read online

War. Grabwhat apparatus you need and we'll start."

  Dr. Bird pressed a button on his desk. A tall, willowy girl entered,notebook in hand. Carnes glanced with keen appreciation at her slimbeauty.

  "Miss Andrews," said the doctor, "in five minutes Mr. Carnes and Iwill leave here for Aberdeen Proving Ground in the Government carwhich is waiting below. You will see that Mr. Davis is in that car andthat traveling laboratory 'Q' is ready to follow us."

  "Yes, Doctor."

  "You remember that mysterious plague in Belgium last December, do younot?"

  "Yes, Doctor."

  "I was unable to get over to Belgium, but an army surgeon and twoPublic Health Service men went over. You will get copies of allreports they made, including especially any reports of autopsies onbodies of victims. I want all data on file in the Public HealthService or the War Department. You will then obtain a car and followus to Aberdeen. Arrangements will be made for your admittance to theproving ground. The Belgian plague has made its appearance in theUnited States."

  * * * * *

  Swiftly the expression of the girl's face changed. Her dark eyesglowed with an internal fire and the immobility of her face vanishedas if by magic to be replaced by an expression of fierce hatred. Herlips drew back, exposing her strong white teeth and she literally spatout her words.

  "That swine, Saranoff!" she hissed.

  Carnes sprang to his feet.

  "Why, it's Feodrovna Androvitch!" he cried in astonishment.

  In an instant the rage faded from her face and the calm, immobilitywhich had marked it reappeared. Through the silence Dr. Bird's voicecut like a whip.

  "Miss Andrews," he said sternly, "I thought that I had impressed onyou the fact that even a momentary lapse from the character which youhave assumed may easily be fatal to both of us. Unless you can learnto control your emotions, your usefulness to me is at an end."

  Although Carnes watched closely he could not detect the slightestchange of expression in the girl's face as the doctor spoke.

  "I am very sorry, Doctor," she said evenly. "We were alone and Iallowed the mask to slip for an instant. It will not happen again."

  "It _must_ not," said the doctor curtly. "Carry out yourinstructions."

  "Yes, Doctor."

  She turned on her heel and left the office. Carnes looked quickly atDr. Bird.

  "Surely that is Feodrovna Androvitch, Doctor?" he asked.

  "It was. It is now Thelma Andrews, my secretary. She changed her namewith her appearance and politics. I have been training her since lastAugust. This is her first official appearance, so to speak."

  "In view of her past associations, is it safe to trust her?"

  "If I didn't think so, I wouldn't use her. She has ample reason tohate Ivan Saranoff and she knows how much mercy she has to hope forfrom him if he ever gets her in his clutches. We can't play a lonehand against Saranoff forever and I know of no better place to recruitan organization than the enemy's camp. Thelma saved our lives inRussia, you may remember."

  "But even when she was rescuing us from the clutches of Saranoff'sgang, she was an ardent communist, if I remember correctly."

  "Theoretically I believe she still favors the world revolution, butshe hates Saranoff even more than she does the bourgeoisie and Ibelieve she had come to be willing to accept capitalistic institutionsfor the present, at least as far as this country is concerned. At anyrate, I trust her. If you have any doubts, you can have her watchedfor a while."

  * * * * *

  Carnes thought for a moment and then picked up the telephone.

  "I have plenty of confidence in your judgment, Doctor," he saidapologetically, "but if you don't mind, I'll have Haggerty trail herfor a few days. It won't do any harm."

  "Very well; and if any of the Young Labor gang should penetrate herdisguise, he'd be a mighty efficient bodyguard. Do as you see fit."

  Carnes called the number of the secret service and conferred for a fewmoments with Bolton, the chief of the bureau. He turned to Dr. Birdwith a smile of satisfaction.

  "Haggerty will be on the job in a few minutes, Doctor."

  "Good enough. The five minutes I allowed are up. Let's see how wellshe has performed her first task."

  As they emerged from the Bureau of Standards, Carnes glanced rapidlyaround. In the front seat of the secret service car which he had leftsat a young man whom the detective recognized as one of Dr. Bird'sassistants. Behind the car stood a small delivery truck with two ofthe Bureau mechanics on the seat.

  Dr. Bird nodded to the mechanics and followed Carnes into the bigsedan. With a motorcycle policeman clearing a way for them, theyroared across Washington and north along the Baltimore pike. Two hoursand a half of driving brought them to Aberdeen and they turned downthe concrete road leading to the proving ground. Two miles from thetown a huge chain was stretched across the road with armed guardspatrolling behind it. The car stopped and an officer stepped forwardand examined the pass which Carnes presented.

  "You are to go direct to headquarters, gentlemen," he said. "ColonelWesley is waiting for you."

  The commanding officer rose to his feet as Carnes and Dr. Bird enteredhis office.

  "I am at your service, Dr. Bird," he said formally. "The Chief ofOrdnance has given instructions which, as I understand them, put youvirtually in command of this post." There was resentment in thecolonel's tone.

  * * * * *

  Dr. Bird smiled affably and extended his hand. The old colonelstruggled with his chagrin for a moment, but few men could resist Dr.Bird when he deliberately tried to charm them. Colonel Wesley graspedthe proffered hand.

  "What I want most, Colonel, is your cooperation," said the doctorsuavely. "I am not competent to assume command here even if I wishedto. I would like to ask a few favors but if they should prove to becontrary to your established policies, I will gladly withdraw myrequest."

  Colonel Wesley's face cleared as if by magic.

  "You have only to ask for anything we have, Doctor," he saidearnestly, "and it is yours. Frankly, we are at our wit's end."

  "Thank you. I have a truck with some apparatus and three men outside.Will you have them guided to your laboratory and given what aid theyneed in setting their stuff up?"

  "Gladly."

  "My secretary, Miss Andrews, will arrive from Washington later in theday with some information. I would like to have her passed through theguards and brought directly to me wherever I am. You have the placewell guarded, have you not?"

  "As well as I can with my small force. All roads are patrolled bymotorcycles; four launches are on the waterfront, and there are sevenplanes aloft."

  "That is splendid. Now can you tell me just what happened last night?"

  "Captain Murdock, the acting surgeon, can do that better than I can,Doctor. He is at the hospital but I'll have him up here in a fewminutes."

  "With your permission, we'll go to the hospital and talk to him there.I want to examine the patients in any event."

  "Certainly, Doctor. I will remain at my office until I am sure that Ican give you no further assistance."

  * * * * *

  With a word of thanks, Dr. Bird left, and, accompanied by Carnes, madehis way to the hospital. Captain Murdock was frankly relieved to greetthe famous Bureau of Standards scientist and readily gave him theinformation he desired.

  "The first intimation we had of trouble was when Lieutenant Burroughstelephoned from the water impact range where they were doing nightfiring last night at about four A.M. Two ambulances went down andbrought him and his four men back, all of them stricken with what Itake to be an extremely rapidly developing form of lobar pneumonia.All of the men who went down were stricken with the same disease, twoof them as soon as they got back. So far we have had eight deathsamong these men and all of the rest, except Lieutenant Burroughs, areapt to go at any moment.

  "The trouble seemed to come from a cloud of
some dense heavy gas whichrolled in from the marsh. On the advice of Major Martin, every doorand window in the post was kept closed until morning. The gas neverreached the upper part of the post but it reached the stables. Elevenhorses and mules are dead and all of the rest are stricken. The stabledetachment either failed to close their barracks tightly or else thegas went in through cracks for seven out of the nine are here in thehospital, although none of them are very seriously ill. As soon as thesun came up, the gas seemed to disappear."

  "Let me see the men who are sick."

  Captain Murdock led the way into the ward. Dr. Bird went from man toman, examining charts and asking questions of the nurses and medicalcorps