“Du bist verrücht, mein Kind.�
There was a warning in the simple words. Fay crouched beside a desk and watched Dutch Gus. The German bungler was of two minds. He turned toward his confederates. One of these grasped him by the arm and pointed toward the door.
“Schnell!� he exclaimed. “Ja, das ist Hugo!�
“Yes,� said Fay, tersely. “Yes, the jig is up!�
Dutch Gus snarled as he hurtled toward the desk. Fay dodged him nimbly and glided to a deeper shadow
of the room. More gravel struck the windows. It was insistent!
The action which followed was blurred. Fay held his position and watched the three Germans stagger toward the front door. They dropped tools on the way. Dutch Gus turned as the knob was turned. He stared backward like a baffled boar that scented a trap.
Fay heard shouts outside. There followed a clatter of heavy heels on the steps leading to the street. A jimmy came hurtling through the air and dug a hole in the plaster of the wall. It was Dutch Gus’s parting shot. His burly form squeezed through the opening and was gone with a parting snarl which sounded like “Suchen sie Schutz!�
Acting swiftly now, Fay leaped over the floor of the room, slammed the front door, bolted and locked it, then glided toward the shattered outer doors of the safe.
He had scant time to work in. Already shouts and calls echoed the streets. Wooden sabots clacked over the cobbles. A whistle shrilled the night. An alarm bell started to ring.