BLAKE'S JOKE
1
A man in a purple suit paced the gigantic room he used for a home amidst the abandoned companies that dotted Church Hill like eyesores.
"Franco, Franco, Franco," said the man, running his hand through his hair. "I send you to kill someone, and you botched it. That makes me look bad. The next thing you'll tell me is that Nightmare was there helping him out."
"Honest, Boss," said Franco. "Morrigan's hooked up with a heavy hitter somehow. The guy was all over us before we seen him coming."
"Did you at least find out who this hitter is?" said the boss.
"He's some Joe calling himself Blake," said Franco. "Word is that he's some kind of private eye."
"This is what we will do," said the boss. "Botch this and you're out, got me?"
"I got you, Boss," said the gunsel, sweating profusely. He had just skated past death's door and knew it.
Harlequin Napier was volatile, to say the least. Franco would be very glad to get away from there for a while to let the boss calm down.
2
Cully Morrigan and Paul Twitchell walked the streets of a blustery Church Hill silently. They were colleagues but not friends.
Morrigan had been a professional hatchet man and hijacker until a chance encounter with Harley Napier had marked his face with a hideous grin. Napier had taken a bullet and wasn't exactly pleased with the exchange of pleasantries.
Twitchell, a bag of jangling nerves on legs, had been an informant. He was also somewhat of a gambler and pool shark when he could con someone into a game. The pair worked for a mystery man named Adam Blake now.
They had been out of the country for a few days to the South Pacific, and the Church Hill weather was unpleasant to both of them.
"Excuse me," asked a dark-haired lady, standing in front of the pair. "Do you know where I can find this address?"
Morrigan frowned when he saw the address, instantly recognizing it. "Why don't you call a cab, lady?" the hit man asked.
"I don't have that much money," explained the lady.
"Here's a twenty, lady," said Morrigan in an uncharacteristic display of charity. "This is a long walk from here."
"But I don't--"
"Take it, lady," said Morrigan.
The lady took the bill with some hesitation. "Thank you," she said. Then she flagged a passing cab to take her to her destination.
"Call the boss, and tell him company's on the way," Morrigan said.
3
Kathleen Carson stepped out of the cab at the address where it stopped. It was a door in the middle of a block of buildings. A plate gleamed slightly on one side of the door.
The door opened before Kathy could touch the plate. An impassive man in a black suit with metallic green eyes stood in the doorway. A gold pin sparkled briefly on the black lapel of his suit jacket.
"How can I help you?" Adam Blake said in a clear voice.
Kathy paused. She checked the address on the paper again. "Are you Adam Blake?" she asked.
"Yes," said Blake.
"I was expecting someone taller," Kathy said. "Can I come in? I have a problem, and someone said you could help me out."
Blake stepped aside to allow her to enter. Kathy realized, when she stepped past the foyer, that the buildings were connected into one single building. The visitor's sitting room was spartan, but appointed with things that fit whatever niche they filled.
"What is your problem, miss?" Blake asked in his calm way.
Kathy had the thought this man would flinch at nothing by his manner. "My name is Kathy Carson," said the dark-haired beauty. "I'm a stunt rider for the Hill Brothers Circus. Several days ago, our top clown was kidnaped."
"I do not mean to sound uninterested, but this seems like a job for the regular authorities, Miss Carson."
"Mr. Hill is too afraid to call the police. Bobo is a regular draw for the circus. If anything happened, Mr. Hill would lose a lot of money, one way or the other," said Kathy.
"I see," said Blake. "Why come to me, then?"
"The kidnapper said he wants either you or a man named Cully Morrigan to deliver the ransom."
"Myself or Morrigan?" said the mystery man. The only change in his expression was a raised eyebrow.
"Here's the note," Kathy said. She dug into her purse and produced a handwritten note. She handed it over. "It's in Bobo's handwriting."
Blake perused the paper intently. His metallic eyes seemed to glow in the soft light of the overhead lights. "Do you mind if I examine this more closely?"
Blake took the note into his laboratory. He took some dust and sprayed it over the paper methodically. Several whirls presented themselves immediately. He ran a wand connected to the smallest television set Kathy had ever seen over the paper, dust and all.
"What are you doing?" Kathy asked, perplexed.
"A routine check," said Blake. He sat down in front of the TV, and began typing on a typewriter that was also connected to the screen. A box next to the whole set-up whirred slightly as images flashed across the television screen.
"What are you checking?" Kathy asked.
Each whirl had a name and a face placed to a side. Blake blocked Kathy's view by accident as he shifted in his chair. A finger tap cleared the screen instantly.
"Nothing," said Blake. "Do you have a picture of Bobo with you?"
"Right here," said Kathy. She pulled a publicity shot of the clown from her purse and handed it over.
Blake held the photo up. He seemed incapable of anything but calm placidity to the trick rider, but was there a hint of a smile?
"Tell Mr. Hill, he will have Bobo's freedom," said Blake. "I, or my associate Mr. Morrigan, will join you at the circus. Where is your present stop?"
Kathy told him with some relief. There was something in his eye now that Kathy couldn't identify. He looked like a kid preparing to do something mischievous under that plain exterior.
She let herself be led out of the building by an arm. He hailed a cab for her and paid the fare in advance for her trip to the train station. He watched the taxi pull away before stepping back into the converted building.
Kathy arrived at the train station twenty minutes later. She got a ticket and caught the next train south where the circus was located. She didn't notice the two men who boarded behind her. One shook head to toe as if with ague. The other wore a terrible grin like a mask. They took a seat in the public car and tried to blend in to avoid notice by Blake's newest client.
4
Cap Carrington and his friend, Tank Messer, were working on the new version of their beloved Jenny. Their trip to the South Pacific had netted them enough bucks to build a newer plane with a better design. Adam Blake had come up with an engine design that was years ahead of its time to give them more speed for less fuel. They planned to run charter flights with the old Jenny until they could get the new version on line.
"Here comes trouble," said Tank, looking out the window. He was struggling to get the work done at that moment, and hated interruptions more than anything. So here came the biggest interruption Tank knew.
"It's a job to pay for those parts," said Carrington with a grin as he wiped his hands off and headed for the front door. He opened it as Adam Blake reached for the door bell.
"Hello, Mr. Blake," said Carrington. "What can I do for you today?"
"I would like to charter the Jenny to Georgia," said Blake. "I expect it to be a short trip, and will pay for you to wait as usual."
"Go ahead," said Tank as he dug into the guts of the new plane. "All the heavy stuff has been done already. I can wait until you get back for the field tests."
"You had better," said Carrington. "Or there will be trouble."
"I'm shaking," said Tank.
Carrington and Blake went over to the original hangar for Carrington Aviation. In minutes they were heading south.
5
Kathy Carson disembarked from the train south of Augusta. The next leg of the trip would take them through Florida, and then towards the southwest. It was an annual circuit that the troupe knew well.
Two ordinary Joes fell in behind Kathy as she left the depot. Their hard faces spoke volumes.
"What do you know?" asked Twitch as he and his associate trailed the other two men. "Lefty Burkowitz!"
Cully Morrigan grunted. He'd had a run-in with Lefty, so he kept his face down to conceal the rictus he now wore. It was unmistakable, even to people who had been dodging bullets at the time.
"It's what Blake thought," said Twitch quietly.
Cully nodded as he let the two toughs leave the building ahead of him and the former informant.
"At least we know they won't hurt the girl yet," said Cully. "I wonder what the plan is."
"Is there a plan?" asked Twitch.
Cully just looked at his shaky partner.
"Right," Twitch said. "Blake never does anything without a plan."
6
Kathy Carson had just reached the gate of the fairgrounds where the Hill Brothers Circus waited when a disreputable figure burst from a nearby section of woods. She gasped when she realized it was Bobo the clown staggering toward her.
"Bobo, you're all right," said Kathy as she gave the weak clown a shoulder to lean on. She helped him through the gate.
Lefty Burkowitz was visibly startled by the sight of the clown. He said something to his cohort. The other man nodded and the two walked in after their surveillance subjects. Lefty followed Kathy and Bobo while the other man headed for a set of telephone kiosks at the edge of the grounds.
Morrigan and Twitch also split up, and the hit man followed Burkowitz while the stool pigeon followed the other to the phone bank. Twitch got as close as he could to listen to the call without being too obvious.
"Operator, I'd like to make a collect call. The number is King-34223," said Lefty's partner. "Bobo is back on the job. No, I haven't been drinking. Lefty is following right behind him now. Matter of fact, that trick rider is helping him to his trailer. Right. I'll tell Lefty."
The man hung up, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Kathy Carson helped the abused Bobo the clown to his trailer. He looked awful. She got him a bottle of hot soda to sip on.
The door burst in at that moment, and Kathy dropped the Coca-Cola in surprise. She didn't notice the clown catch the glass container and place it on the floor.
"The boss wants to talk to you two," said Lefty Burkowitz. He and his partner stood in the doorway with guns drawn. "He especially wants to see you, Bobo."
"I wonder why?" said Bobo, getting to his feet and holding up his hands. "I would appreciate it if you left Miss Carson out of this."
That didn't sound like the Bobo Kathy knew. She couldn't remember the last time Bobo called her Miss Carson.
"Okay," said Burkowitz. He jerked the hand holding his pistol. "Start walking. Tie her up, Slim, and then catch up at the car."
Slim nodded as he produced a length of rope from a nearby trunk. "Hold out your hands," he ordered Kathy brusquely. "I want to get this over as fast as possible."
Kathy held out her hands to be tied. Slim wrapped the rope around her wrists and knotted it tight. He pushed her on the cot that served as a bed for Bobo.
"Too bad I don't have time for some fun," he said as he placed a pillow over her face.
BLAM!
"I always hated that guy," said Cully Morrigan, smoke rolling up from the barrel of a .45.
"Blowing his brains out tends to demonstrate that," said the shaky Twitch.
"Do you mind?" asked the shaken Kathy Carson from under her pillow muffler.
"Do you think the jig is up?" Twitch asked his partner as he knocked the pillow.
"Getting rid of witnesses is standard stuff," said Morrigan, holstering his weapon. "Must have figured Bobo would go along quietly as long as he thought the chick was alive."
"I am not a 'chick'," said Kathy. She worked her wrists for a second and slid her hands from the clumsily tied rope.
Men began to flock to the door of the trailer. Morrigan grinned at them evenly as he thought of their next move.
7
"Burkowitz is long gone with Bobo," said Cully Morrigan as he pushed past the roustabouts.
Paul Twitchell followed right behind, using his partner's shark grin to clear the way for him. "I still have that phone number," he said.
"I know you two," Kathy said from behind them. "You gave me the twenty for a cab in Church Hill."
"I'm sure you're mistaken," said Cully.
"You must be joking," said Kathy. "No one is going to forget that grin."
"What do you want, lady?" asked Twitch, cutting through the exchange that was bound to follow smoothly.
"I want an explanation," Kathy said irritably. "Who are you guys, for one thing?"
"I'm Twitch Twitchell and this is Cully Morrigan, and we're looking into this clown snatching with our chief."
"Are you here to pay the ransom?" asked Kathy.
"No," said the hit man evenly.
The three of them had been walking, and Kathy found herself at the front gate. The odd pair climbed into a car and drove away, leaving the motorcyclist to stare at the back of the rented sedan.
"Oh..." said Kathy as she ran for where her motorcycle was stored between shows. Those buffoons weren't leaving her out of this without a reason.
Kathy Carson pulled her bike out of its storage rack. She kick-started it and roared off after the black sedan. She watched them pull into a diner, and took the time to top the tank off while she waited. She was uncomfortably aware that she was wearing a dress and heels, which were not a good choice for riding. Nothing she could do about it now that she was following those two around, though. At least she had presence of mind to bring her purse along this time so she could pay for gas.
Finally, Blake's aides came out of the diner. The sun had nearly gone down as they drove into Augusta. They headed for one house in particular on the edge of the city.
Kathy was right behind, thinking that she had time to secure riding clothes, but hadn't because those two goofs could have given her the slip while she was shopping. She pulled the bike behind a tree when she saw the sedan slide to a halt.
The two men got out of the car and jogged to the dark house. Twitchell tried the front door and found it unlocked. He walked inside, stumbling at the last second. A silenced bullet passed through where his head would have been if he hadn't stumbled to one side.
Cully Morrigan leaned in the doorway and blazed away with both hands. Kathy winced in her hiding spot when she heard the loud roar of the cannons. The trick rider ran up to the house as Morrigan entered the place.
I thought Blake was a top-notch investigator, she told herself as she ran.
Kathy paused at the door of the house. Cully Morrigan had the barrel of one of the pistols pointed at the door when she looked inside of the place.
"Don't do that again," the hit man said as he lowered the weapon. "You almost got ventilated."
"Looks like Lefty told them we were on the case," said Twitch, looking down at the four bodies on the floor.
"He didn't tell them it was us," said Morrigan as he examined a chair off to one side. "That's Joey Wexxon, and he wouldn't try to ambush me if he knew it was me coming."
"Point taken," said Twitch. "What you got there?"
"I think it's a clue," Cully said. He passed the chair over to his partner.
Kathy peered over the slim man's shoulder.
"C.C. Aero. black box in case 12," said the message.
"What does it mean?" Kathy asked.
"It means you need to butt out," said Cully. "Go back to the circus and we'll get back to you."
"You're crazy," said Kathy. "You wouldn't even be involved if it weren't for me, so you can just stuff it in your ear."
Twitch shook uncontrollably, hand over his mouth.
"Laugh it up," said Morrigan testily.
"Let's go," said Twitch. "I don't want to be answering questions from the locals when they get here."
"Where are we going?" Kathy asked.
Cully glared at the cyclist.
"Come on," said Twitch. "We can argue about this later. Bobo need us."
Blake's associates walked out to their sedan and pulled away. Kathy jumped on her recovered cycle and followed.
8
Kathy Carson rode behind the automobile on her motorcycle to the local airport. The sedan rolled around to a rental hangar just off the landing strip. She rolled to a stop just outside the door.
The two men were greeted by a blond man sitting on the entrance ladder of the hangared plane. The stranger smiled when he saw the trick rider.
"Hello," he said with a smile.
"Did Blake leave anything here with you, Cap?" asked Morrigan.
"Sure," said Cap. "One of those equipment cases he lugs around."
"Good," said Morrigan, boarding the plane. He already knew there would be a black box in that case. He made sure to disarm the security measures on the locks before opening the case and pulling out the desired object.
A simple finger push turned the screen on. A red arrow pointed with a numerical range finder spinning upwards in one corner.
How did Blake get this stuff? Morrigan thought as he ran down the ladder.
"Time to go," he told his erstwhile companions.
"Not you, sweetheart," he said to Kathy. "You're staying."
"No way," said the cyclist. "Bobo is my friend, and I hired you to help him. So I'm going."
"No," said Morrigan, and disabled her bike with two spaced shots. "You stay."
The men got in the car and drove away, leaving Kathy fuming with anger.
9
Kathleen Carson was not to be balked from her goal by some lackeys, she fumed. She climbed the ladder into the Jenny and went to the back looking for something to help repair her cycle. She saw that the equipment case was open and decided to look inside.
There were numerous gadgets, but none that looked useful to her, except a can labeled sealant. She took the can and went out to her injured motorcycle.
When I get my hands on him, she thought as sprayed the can's contents on the holes from the bullets that had been fired through the bike's wheels. She smiled at the results as the foam hardened into a rough patch over the ruptures. She would be able to ride in a matter of minutes.
Kathy went back inside the plane and dumped the contents of her purse out next to the equipment case. She took everything small and mobile and packed it into her bag. She placed a box similar to the one Morrigan had been holding on top. She smiled when a finger push showed her the way to go.
A coverall attracted her attention. She quickly pulled it on over her dress before she left the airport. Now she didn't have to worry about her skirt flapping in the breeze.
Kathy mounted the repaired bike and started after Blake's associates. She would show them not to push her around when it was her show. They wouldn't even be horning in if it wasn't for her.
The repaired tires gave Kathy a bumpy ride, but she was riding behind the black sedan as it rolled towards its goal. She guessed that Bobo had some kind of homing beacon on his person, and that's what the black box indicated. She had not seen anything like it before, but knew it was leading her towards her goal. Where had Blake gotten such a device?
She thought about that television back at his headquarters in Church Hill. No one she knew had a device like that, unless it was a thinking machine of some kind, but it would be years before they could be miniaturized like that.
Maybe someone like the government, or the retired Guardians, would have something like that, but surely not a common adventurer.
Kathy found the trail led to a small hotel. The car drove right on past before pulling into a roadside diner. The cyclist did the same thing, but pulled into a gas station on the other side of the street. She asked the attendant for some new tires to replace the patched old ones. He told her he would have to call around to find a set. She smiled and said, "Thank you," as she waited for Blake's men to do something.
Night came, and the injured tires had been replaced before the three men crossed the street and walked into the hotel. Kathy kickstarted the motorcycle and rode it down to the hotel. She pulled up next to the building. The black box told her that her quarry was inside the compact structure. Killing the engine, she dismounted and climbed a drain pipe to the roof. She entered the building through a roof access.
Kathy walked the carpeted halls until she suddenly saw Morrigan and the others. She ducked back out of sight. As the men prepared to break down one of the doors, others along the hall opened and men poured out with weapons drawn. Blake's men held their hands up in surrender. The trio were disarmed and pushed into the indicated room without fanfare.
She leaned against the wall quietly as she thought about what she was going to do. Evidently, Bobo had been used to trap any rescuers, and it was up to her to save the day.
Kathy ran down the hall to where a window led to the face of the building. She opened it, and judged hand and foot holds with a practiced eye. An easy swing out and she was making her way around the outside of the hotel. She paused when she found the room where Blake's men had been herded.
The kidnappers seemed to be waiting on something. The three had been tied next to a fourth man, whom she recognized as Bobo from his slumped profile.
Kathy checked the room next door and found it empty. She knew any one could see her if they just happened to look up at her perch so she slid into the hotel room to wait like the others.
Whatever was going to happen was going to happen soon. There was no doubt about that. That had to be the only reason that the men had been kept alive.
She had recognized one from a newspaper. He had been linked to Harley Napier, and she thought he was behind the snatching.
They must be waiting for him to arrive, she reasoned.
10
About an hour later, Kathy heard footsteps in the hall. She went to the door and listened. A small group of men were coming down the hall, talking in whispers. She ran to the window and wished she knew enough about the equipment she had stolen from the plane to use it properly.
She swung out to look in the window of the neighboring room. Kathy gasped when she saw the leader of the newcomers. It was Bobo, still wearing his clown make-up, in a purple suit and a dark coat. The supposed victim raised a hand to his face. A few wipes, and the grinning face of Harlequin Napier was revealed.
He walked over and punched Cully Morrigan in the jaw hard enough to rock his head back. "I owe you a lot more for that bullet," he said with hate dripping in his voice.
"@#$#@ you," the hit man said with equal venom.
Napier half-turned away, then brought his hand back in a swing for the bleachers. Morrigan was thrown on his back as the chair tipped over.
"Who have we here?" Napier said as he raised the other Bobo's head to look him in the face.
The false Bobo smiled. Then with a single heave of his arms, he snapped his bonds. One hand ripped a false face away to reveal a scarred face, and white hair.
"Nightmare!" said Napier and Kathy together.
The sudden appearance of the underworld's nemesis had thrown the crowd in a confusion. Kathy slipped into the room unnoticed and began freeing Blake's men as Nightmare fell upon the gathered thugs with powerful blows.
Twitch Twitchell stood up, rope falling away from him. He ran over to where Cully was struggling on the floor, and a simple swipe of his pocket knife freed the hit man. Morrigan jumped to his feet and threw himself on his old enemy with the ferocity of a wildcat and twice the noise.
Kathy, Cap Carrington, and Twitch joined the fray as men flew through the air from the open-handed slaps Nightmare delivered. The Joker's men tried to retreat, but several powerful hands grabbed the unwary and weaker punches and their kicks soon settled the contest.
Only two men still struggled in the room. Cully Morrigan had Napier by the neck and was throttling him like a cook preparing a chicken for dinner.
NIghtmare put his hand on Cully's shoulder. "That is enough," he said quietly but sternly.
The hit man looked at the white-haired man in anger, then slowly calmed visibly. "You're right," he said as he dropped his longtime enemy to the floor.
Napier went for something under his coat as he rubbed at his neck. A kick banged his head against the floor, putting him to sleep as effectively as knockout gas.
Epilogue
Nightmare waited in the other room while Harley Napier and his minions were hauled away by the authorities. Hopefully the locals could hold him until he was extradited back to Church Hill. When the room was clear, the midnight crusader returned to talk to Kathy and the agents.
"You're not Nightmare," Kathy stated with a smile.
"You are correct, Mrs. Carson," said the scar-faced man. He pulled another mask and wig away to reveal the placid features and metallic green eyes of Adam Blake. "A small joke on my part, I am afraid."
"I wish Napier was here now," said Twitch, with a huge grin. "He about went in his pants when he saw that face."
"Mrs. Carson?" said Cully.
"You knew Napier was Bobo, didn't you?" asked Kathy. "That's why you had the two masks prepared."
"Mrs. Kathleen Marie Carson, the owner of the Hill Bros. Circus," said Blake. "This is Cap Carrington, Cully Morrigan, and Paul Twitchell. No, Mrs. Carson. I did not know it. I am afraid several fingerprints on the ransom note matched those of Napier and his associate Franco. The rest was a matter of conjecture that was proven true."
"Unbelievable," said Kathy. "I have to admit I was surprised as he was to see Nightmare's face under Bobo's face. Thank you for your help."
"A bill will be in the mail," said Blake. "Please return the contents of the equipment case."
"Wait a minute," said Cully. "I flattened both of your tires. How did you get here in the first place?"
Blake led the way out of the room as Kathy told Morrigan what she thought of him for that. His immobile face almost drew up in a small smile as he headed down the hall. Laughter followed as Carrington and Twitch listened to the berating their colleague was receiving. He gave them a dirty look, but said nothing to halt the flow of words.