Who Was That Masked Man, Anyway? Read online

  “For Gabriel”

  CONTENTS

  TITLE PAGE

  DEDICATION

  EPISODE 1

  EPISODE 2

  EPISODE 3

  EPISODE 4

  EPISODE 5

  EPISODE 6

  EPISODE 7

  EPISODE 8

  EPISODE 9

  EPISODE 10

  EPISODE 11

  EPISODE 12

  EPISODE 13

  EPISODE 14

  EPISODE 15

  EPISODE 16

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ALSO BY AVI

  COPYRIGHT

  “And now …

  “Ovaltine — that superdelicious drink that builds bright minds and strong bodies eight ways — presents …

  “ ‘The Radio Aventure Hour’!

  “You are about to hear a series of strange, exciting, and perilous adventures that will lead us to all parts of the world.

  “But first, we take you to France. The war has reached a moment of crisis. The Allied army is close to terrible destruction.

  “In a small, bombproof dugout the light of a candle flame flickers across the strained face of a general of the Allied army. Outside, the night is dark and cold. Suddenly, we hear —”

  “Major Steel?”

  “Sir, everything is prepared.”

  “You’ve found the man?”

  “I have.”

  “What’s his name? No! It’s better that I don’t know.”

  “I agree with you, sir.”

  “There are only two people in the world who know the mission to which he has been assigned. You and our leader in Washington.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Major, do you think he has a chance?”

  “I’m afraid the odds against him are about one hundred to one.”

  “If he fails, it will be terrible for us all. It will — But enough of that. Bring him in.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Wait! I don’t want to see his face. Blow out the candle.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Now bring him in.”

  “Yes, sir. Will you come in, Captain? The man is before you, sir.”

  “You have your instructions?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Then I want you to be sure you understand the risks you are facing.”

  “I do.”

  “If you fail tonight, it will be the end for all of us. If you are successful, our country will be saved from defeat. Do you understand?”

  “I do.”

  “Also, if you succeed tonight, you will have started a long and perilous task that, if you live, may require your lifetime to complete. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, General. Very clear.”

  “Above all, you understand that the ultimate purpose is the extermination of the most rascally and menacing criminal in the world! A traitor to the United States! A fiend who has cost the lives of thousands of your countrymen! I am speaking of the one known as … Ivan Carr.”

  “I understand.”

  “You are ready to go?”

  “My plane stands outside the door.”

  “Good. How long do you think it will be before we know the outcome of this night’s venture?”

  “Sir, if I’ve not returned by midnight, you will know I’ve failed.”

  “You are a brave man, Captain. Now, Godspeed.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “And so, into the night roars a plane piloted by a lone man upon whose shoulders rests the fate of his country.

  “Hours later —”

  “AW, MA! Turn the radio back on! The show’s almost over!”

  “Frankie, you’re supposed to be doing homework, not listening to garbage!”

  “Ma, it’s not garbage. It’s ‘Captain Midnight.’ Please! Can’t I just listen to the end of the program?”

  “That’s all you’re interested in — radio. Now get up to your room. Scat! Go on!”

  “I’m going.”

  “All this racket…. Your father will be home tired and upset.”

  “He’s always tired and upset.”

  “Young man, in case you didn’t know it, there’s a world war going on. There’s a service star in our window.”

  “Just means family’s in the war.”

  “Frankie! Your brother got wounded fighting for your freedom.”

  “What about the freedom to listen to the radio?”

  “Franklin Delano Wattleson, do you want me to destroy that radio?”

  “No!”

  “Then go up to your room immediately and do your homework for once!”

  “Do you know when Tom’s coming home?”

  “When he’s well enough. Now go!”

  “I’m going.”

  “And be quiet. Mr. Swerdlow is studying.”

  “He went out.”

  “I don’t care where he went.”

  “HEY, MARIO! Psst! Mario! Open your window! I have to talk to you.”

  “I’m doing my homework.”

  “You’re always doing your homework.”

  “Yeah, well, we’re supposed to.”

  “Oh, boy, you’re so lucky to have a radio in your room. Wish I could.”

  “What do you want?”

  “Did you hear ‘Captain Midnight’? It was about how he began.”

  “I was doing my long divisions.”

  “That mean you finished your math?”

  “Sure.”

  “I was going to. But ‘Sky King’ came on and he was being chased by giants. Then ‘Captain Midnight.’ It was so great I forgot about my math.”

  “Frankie, I gotta go. My mother wants me to have my schoolwork done by the time she gets home.”

  “Mario! Wait!”

  “What?”

  “What about geography? You get the principal products of Australia?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Hand them over.”

  “You know, one of these days when I pass my homework to you, it’s going to drop between the buildings.”

  “I’d go down and get it.”

  “What if it were night and it was dark?”

  “Streetlamp shines through.”

  “Or your glasses broke.”

  “I’d feel my way.”

  “Anyway, how come I’m the one that always does the homework?”

  “ ’Cause you’re the one that gets the As.”

  “So?”

  “I don’t get them in anything.”

  “Miss Gomez says you’re a daydreamer. And Billy says you’re setting a world record for being kept in after school. Thirty-eight times.”

  “None of his beeswax.”

  “Miss Gomez knows you copy my work.”

  “How come?”

  “She asked me.”

  “Gee whillikers, you told?”

  “Well, she wanted to know why we always have the same answers. So I said we live in these houses with rooms and windows opposite, so we work together. Then I said your father works two jobs. That your brother got wounded in the Pacific and will be home soon. That your mother takes in a boarder whose name is Mr. Swerdlow, who’s studying to be a doctor.”

  “Why’d you tell her all that?”

  “She asked me.”

  “Nosey Parker…. Hey, Mario!”

  “What?”

  “You like the way Miss Gomez looks?”

  “Hubba-hubba.”

  “She could have been a movie star. Good as Veronica Lake. But — guess what?”

  “What?”

  “I saw her cry.”

  “Veronica Lake?”

  “No. Miss Gomez.”

  “When?”

  “Last week.”
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br />   “What happened?”

  “Her boyfriend got wounded in Europe.”

  “Oh. My mother says anyone who fights in the war is a hero.”

  “Your father was.”

  “I told you, Frankie … I don’t like talking about him.”

  “Sorry…. Hey, you know what? Miss Gomez’s boyfriend’s name is Mitch.”

  “How’d you find out?”

  “Four Wheaties box tops plus two bits.”

  “What’s that got to do with it?”

  “I got the Jack Armstrong Detective Instruction Booklet. So last time when Miss Gomez kept me in after school, I saw a letter on her desk.”

  “And you looked?”

  “Sure. When she went out of the room, I read it.”

  “That’s snooping.”

  “No, it’s not, dumbbell. It’s what the booklet says to do.”

  “You know how bad your brother got wounded yet?”

  “Just that he was on this secret mission. Got parachuted down into the Japanese High Command airport.”

  “That true?”

  “Told you, it’s a secret. But I know what his general said to him.”

  “What?”

  “Said, ‘You are a brave man, Tom.’ ”

  “He’ll get a Purple Heart for being wounded.”

  “Your dad got one, didn’t he?”

  “Yeah….”

  “Wish I could see it.”

  “My mother keeps it with her. Hey, Frankie.”

  “What?”

  “Maybe with Miss Gomez’s boyfriend being wounded, he’ll be so different she won’t like him anymore and she’ll want a new boyfriend.”

  “She could get one, easy.”

  “Maybe your brother.”

  “Naw. Tom’d rather be a hero. Or a spy. Or a cowboy. They can like girls. Just can’t marry ’em.”

  “Why?”

  “Too busy. Wait a minute!”

  “What?”

  “ ‘The Shadow’ is coming on!”

  “Frankie —”

  “Hurry! Turn it on loud.”

  “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?”

  “The Shadow knows! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

  “Your neighborhood Blue Coal dealer brings you the thrilling adventures of the Shadow, the hard and relentless fight of one man against the forces of evil. These dramatizations are designed to demonstrate forcefully to old and young alike that crime does not pay.

  “Government forecasts indicate that homeowners may face another shortage of all types of fuel for home heating. You’re fortunate if you heat with coal because you’re able to store fuel. Call your Blue Coal dealer tomorrow and place your order so he can schedule early delivery. Make sure that you order the right size for your furnace. And, if you are not sure what it should be, ask your Blue Coal dealer. He’ll be glad to inspect your heating plant and may be able to make other recommendations too that will help you get more heat and burn less fuel. Tomorrow, first thing, call the nearest Blue Coal dealer. And ask him to schedule your supply of blue coal for early delivery.

  “The Shadow, who aids the forces of law and order, is in reality Lamont Cranston, wealthy young man-about-town. Years ago, in the Orient, Cranston learned a strange and mysterious secret, the hypnotic power to cloud men’s minds so they cannot see him. Cranston’s friend and companion, the lovely Margo Lane, is the only person who knows to whom the voice of the invisible Shadow belongs.

  “Today’s drama: Curse of the Gypsies.”

  “HEY! Why’d you turn it off?”

  “That makes me too nervous. My mother doesn’t want me getting that way.”

  “Mario, you’re only listening.”

  “She says doing starts with listening.”

  “You going to give me the math?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “If you do, I’ll let you see the skeleton.”

  “Mr. Swerdlow’s?”

  “His room is empty. Tonight’s his night class. You can come over now.”

  “Promise I’ll see it?”

  “Cross my heart and hope to die. I’ll put the board across.”

  “Someday that board is going to break and one of us is going to fall.”

  “Captain Midnight goes out windows all the time.”

  “I’m not Captain Midnight.”

  “Here it comes. Okay. I’m set here. Your end right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Come on, then.”

  “I mean it, Frankie. It’s an old board.”

  “See, it didn’t break. If you weren’t so nervous all the time —”

  “Aw, cheese it.”

  “Ready?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay. Here goes. Ta-da! Chet Barker, Master Spy!”

  “Da-dum, dum-da!”

  “Shredded Corn Crunch brings you another thrilling adventure of Chet Barker, Master Spy! Chet Barker, ruthless, clear-eyed, brave, and smartly dressed! Chet Barker, thundering out of the dim past in a constant search for his true identity! Chet Barker, fighting hand to hand for what’s right. On the land!”

  “On the sea!”

  “And in the air! Ta-dum! With his faithful but brilliant sidekick, Skipper O’Malley, Chet Barker believes in the American way!”

  “Da-dum!”

  “And now for today’s adventure, The Secret of the Skeleton.

  “As we find our young heroes, they’ve just landed outside the headquarters of the German High Command, having parachuted down from a B-17 that was painted invisible. So no one saw us.”

  “Are we invisible?”

  “Wouldn’t be fair. Now we open the secret back door to the headquarters. It creaks. Then I say, ‘Keep low, Skipper.’ You say, ‘I read you, Chet.’ ”

  “I read you, Chet.”

  “I say, ‘You have your instructions?’ You say, ‘I do.’ ”

  “I do.”

  “If we fail tonight, it will be the end for all of us. If we’re successful, our country will be saved from defeat. Do you understand? You say, ‘You bet.’ ”

  “You bet.”

  “Then we crawl along the highway, making sure no one hears or sees us. I say, ‘Hold it, Skipper.’ You say, ‘What’s up?’ ”

  “What’s up?”

  “Guard coming. You say, ‘I’ll take care of him.’ ”

  “I’ll take care of him.”

  “You do.”

  “Bang! Blam! I did.”

  “Okay. Up the steps. Hold it. Another guard. No! Great Scott! Three of them. We fight. Sock! Pow! Wham!”

  “Biff!”

  “Got ’em. You say, ‘Phew! That was a close call, Chet.’ ”

  “Phew! That was a close call, Chet.”

  “ ’Tweren’t nothing, Skip. Look! The main dungeon!”

  “Mr. Swerdlow’s door?”

  “Right.”

  “You really sure he’s not there?”

  “I told you — he went to class. Come on. Say, ‘I see it.’ ”

  “I see it.”

  “Our two heroes crawl forward, barely daring to draw breath. Chet says, ‘Made it! Wasn’t sure we would.’ Skipper says, ‘I didn’t know either.’ ”

  “That’s dumb, Frankie.”

  “Mario, that’s what sidekicks say!”

  “Okay. I didn’t know either.”

  “Now, you carry me the rest of the way.”

  “Why?”

  “I got wounded.”

  “When?”

  “Before.”

  “You never said.”

  “I can’t say everything.”

  “Why is it me that’s always carrying you?”

  “Mario, don’t you know anything about sidekicks? That’s what they do. Besides, you’re too fat for me to carry.”

  “I’m not fat. I’m husky.”

  “Mario, do you want to see Mr. Swerdlow’s skeleton or not?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, just pretend you carried me.”

 
“Okay. I just did.”

  “I say, ‘Thanks for saving my life, pardner. I can scramble on my own now.’ You say, ‘ ’Tweren’t nothing.’ ”

  “ ’Tweren’t nothing.”

  “I say, ‘The coast is clear.’ I reach up and try the trapdoor. It opens slowly. Eerie organ music. Echo of feet on stone floor. Sound of water dripping. You look around with big eyes and say, ‘Mighty creepy in here, Chet.’ ”

  “Mighty creepy in here, Chet.”

  “I say, ‘What’s the matter, Skip? Getting nervous?’ ”

  “Frankie, can’t we just go in?”

  “Come on, Mario. We have to do it right! You say, ‘Chet, I can’t help it. I just keep thinking of my loved ones back home.’ ”

  “You mean my mother?”

  “Well, sure. You love her, don’t you?”

  “You making fun of my mother?”

  “No, I’m just saying she’s home, right?”

  “Most of the time she works.”

  “Mario, you know what I mean! Just say it.”

  “Okay. I can’t help it. I just keep thinking of my loved ones back home.”

  “Don’t worry, Skipper. It’s for a good cause. The best cause there is. The freedom of every red-blooded man, woman, and child in the free world. That’s why we do it. It’s not the glory.”

  “Or the money.”

  “I’m supposed to say that.”

  “Frankie! Just open the door!”

  “Okay. Here we are. I twist the triple lock. Find the secret switch. Click! Ping! Wocket! Okay. I open the vault. Sound of rusty hinges. Wind. Thunder. Lightning. Rain. The music swells. I say, ‘Great Scott! There it is — Dr. Swerdlow’s secret skeleton!’ ”

  “Hey, Frankie, you know what? Doctors must be strange.”

  “Why?”

  “Look. One suit. Three shirts. Two pairs of shoes. And a skeleton. All hanging in the closet.”

  “Student doctors have to learn the parts.”

  “What do you think happened to the head?”

  “Not allowed to take the skull.”

  “How come?”

  “Skulls are always cursed. Only evil people keep skulls.”

  “Is Mr. Swerdlow evil?”

  “Beginning to think so.”

  “How come?”

  “Most of the time he’s so quiet, you know, like his mind was clouded by something strange and mysterious.”

  “Frankie, who do you think — you know — before — who do you think the skeleton was?”

  “Someone famous.”

  “How can you tell?”

  “You wouldn’t want to save just any bunch of bones, would you?”