Big Tom could scarcely move. He could not believe his senses. Then he realized that whether the order came from Wheels or the mayor, it was one and the same. Wheels Bryant bossed Big Tom Bagshawe. Rufus Cruikshank bossed Seaview City.
“Get to the door!” thundered Big Tom. “Stop whoever tries to get up! That goes for everybody!”
The order was none too soon. As attendants started to obey, pulling revolvers from beneath their uniforms, the first of the invading policemen burst into view.
WHEELS BRYANT snarled. He fired a shot at the invader. The policeman fell. Big Tom Bagshawe needed no further word. He knew now that Wheels Bryant and Rufus Cruikshank were one and the same. Urged by Cruikshank, he unlocked the door of the little office.
The two crooks were inside the room, the door closed behind them. Big Tom threw the lock. He stood, with revolver in hand. Wheels Bryant was at the safe. He had it open. Seizing a bag in the corner, he began to pile money into it.
“Fooled you, eh?” he questioned. “You never figured that Wheels Bryant was Rufus Cruikshank, did you? Well, the racket’s ended, now — just as I was going to pull the biggest game of my life!”
The staccato barks of revolvers were sounding outside. Big Tom’s men — hardened gangsters under their attendants’ uniforms — had opened the fight.
“Going to kidnap Rufus Cruikshank,” continued Wheels. “Great idea, eh? None of the boys would have been wise until they saw Rufus himself, stepping on the boat. That would have knocked Hooks Borglund cold!”
“Hooks?” asked Big Tom breathlessly. “Where is he?”
“Dead,” informed Wheels Bryant, packing more money away. “That’s the trouble. He got bumped. That started the trouble up my way. Say” — Wheels suddenly changed the subject — “I guess those gorillas can’t hold out much longer.”