The Red Gem of Mercury Read Free

cuffs. Apparently Zaravin had not lied. The Stone from the Stars gave its possessor strange powers. And that meant—
    Suddenly Vane thought of Pasqual. Big Mike Pasqual, ruthless, all-powerful lord of Kentonville’s underworld. Too smart for the law. Too strong for his enemies. All-powerful—
    Like hell!
    Vane’s smile was not good to see. He was visualizing Pasqual, frozen motionless as the guards had been, screaming for help, facing the death he had arranged for so many others.
    The lawyer turned to Hanley. His young face, with lines of bitterness months of prison had engraved upon it, was hard.
    â€œUnlock my handcuffs, one of you,” he said quietly.
    â€œYeah?” Hanley’s voice was strained but mocking. “I don’t know what you’ve done to me, but I’m not going to take those cuffs off. I won’t—I won’t—”
    His voice rose into a scream. Because all the time he was talking, Hanley was reaching into his pocket, taking out a key-ring, selecting a small key, walking forward and reaching toward Vane’s extended wrists …
    â€œThanks,” Vane said as the lock clicked. He shook the cuffs off and gingerly massaged his wrists. “Now—let’s see. These prison clothes. They won’t do. But a guard’s uniform—” He shook his head, pondering.
    â€œAnd I can’t leave you here. You’d freeze in no time. I don’t know why the devil I care about that, but—I’ve got it. Listen, the three of you. In ten minutes you’ll be perfectly normal again. You’ll go directly back to the prison. You won’t remember anything that happened after you came into this valley. Tony Apollo and I are dead. You saw us fall into the gorge. We’re dead. Do you understand?”
    â€œWe understand,” the three chorused. Jaeckel’s voice was muffled as he lay face down in the snow.
    Vane grinned suddenly. “Okay, boys,” he said, turning. “Good luck!” And he hurried up the slope toward the ridge and freedom….
    His mind was furiously active. What now? First of all, he had to get rid of these betraying clothes and find more suitable garments.
    What about the guards? For a second Vane felt an unreasoning premonition, but dismissed it casually. After all, he owned the magic gem that gave its owner incredible powers. And—so far—it seemed to work.
    It worked on a tourist Vane stopped, too. The man was about his build, he noticed, and was driving a sedan slowly along the highway that twisted through the mountains nearby. Vane simply stood beside the road and commanded—inaudibly—“Slow down and stop. Be careful.” He did not wish to see the man kill himself by plunging over the precipice that gaped across the highway.
    The sedan stopped. The man got out. He stared at Vane and gasped, “You’re the escaped con! Don’t shoot—”
    â€œTake off your clothes,” Vane said.
    â€œI will not!” the man said in a shocked voice, shucking his overcoat. He removed his necktie. “Undress in the open-air? I’ve never done such a thing in my life!” He pulled off his pants. “I won’t undress and that’s flat!”
    â€œKeep your underwear,” Vane smiled, as the man continued to strip. “Swell. Now get in back and cover yourself up with that afghan I saw there.”
    â€œI won’t,” the man said, crawling into the back seat and pulling the afghan over him. “I won’t.”
    â€œNow keep quiet.”
    There was no answer. Vane donned the garments and got in the front seat. He found a comb in an inner pocket and adjusted his hair till a lock of it fell over the jewel that flamed on his forehead. Still he was not satisfied. He picked up the black Homburg that lay on the seat beside him, turned down the brim, and pulled it over his eyes. Peering into the rear-view mirror, he nodded, satisfied. It