CHAPTER FOUR
The handless man, and Tibett quickly entered what appeared to be a broom closet, making sure that no one saw them.
"Pull that mop over there, Tibett." The man commanded.
"Sure thing Mr."
"Don't mention my name. You don't know who can hear us."
"Sorry. I forgot. BOSS."
Tibett pulled the indicated mop, and the back wall of the broom closet sprung open to reveal a set of gray stone steps going down into blackness. A torch hung on the wall. Tibett, and the man walked through the opening. Tibett took the torch out of the holder on the wall, and the back of the wall began to slowly close.
CHAPTER FIVE
The handless man and Tibett were seated at a small beat-up wooden table in a dark stone room. The only light came from a torch in a holder on the wall, and a small candle on the table.
"Can anyone hear us in hear, boss?" Tibett asked
"Not a soul, my friend." The handless man answered.
"Well then, Mr. Big. What do you have in mind for our friend Steed? And who is Mrs. Peel? What happened to his old partner?"
"Well," Mr. Big began, "his old partner, Cathy Gale left to pursue other interests. Mrs. Peel is her replacement."
"So why did we contact her? We could've just asked Steed to meet us here." Tibett said, bewilderment showing on his face.
"Steed's weak point is Mrs. Peel. Should anything even threaten her, Steed would do anything to save her." Mr. Big said. "I should think that this would be clear to anyone. Even a buffle-brained moron such as yourself."
"Oh." Tibett said, understanding clearly now. "So what do we do?"
"Well," Mr. Big looked around, bent close to Tibett's ear, whispering the instructions.
"Uh huh. Uh huh. Wow! That's a great plan boss!" Tibett said enthusiastically.
CHAPTER SIX
Mrs. Peel had changed into low cut lavender dress, which accentuated her body perfectly. Pined onto the dress was the same amethyst lilac pin she had been wearing earlier that day.
"Steed," Mrs. Peel began, "I'm seated in the hotel lounge. It's exactly 11:59, and 50 seconds. The man should be showing up any minute now."
"Roger, Mrs. Peel." Steed replied. Is that the man, to your right, seated, reading a newspaper?"
"Steed, how do you know that there's a man seated to my right, reading a newspaper?" Mrs. Peel inquired.
"I have great instinct." Steed said laughingly.
The man seated to the right of Mrs. Peel stood up, and walked towards her.
"Mrs. Peel, I presume?"
Mrs. Peel nodded. "And who are you? You've kept me waiting for nearly three hours. Not the nicest thing to do to a woman who could have slept in on a Saturday."
"I'm sorry, but it's really very important. Could you spare a moment, and walk around the gardens with me?"
"Couldn't we stay in here? It's much warmer." Mrs. Peel replied, clearly thinking that she didn't want to go anywhere with this strange man.
"No. If we stay in here, someone might overhear us, and I can practically guarantee that we'll be the only people in the garden. Besides, I don't bite, you know."
Mrs. Peel laughed. "All right then, I'll walk around the garden with you," speaking clearly so that Steed could hear her, "but, I must be back by one."
"All right then," the man answered cheerfully.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Mrs. Peel and the man were walking around the bare winter gardens of the hotel. Everything was dead, no flowers were blooming, and the fountains were shut off until spring.
"Now, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Mrs. Peel asked.
"Well, I," the man began. He looked around nervously. Suddenly he reached out, and with a handkerchief covered Mrs. Peel's mouth and nose. Recognizing the smell of chloroform, Mrs. Peel tried to fight, but the smell was too powerful, and she collapsed. The man stamped on the walkway, and a trap door sprung out of it, Tibett at the opening.
"All right. Here she is, now where's my money?" The man demanded.
"Right here." Tibett answered. He pulled out a revolver, and shot the man, than quickly dragged Mrs. Peel into the trapdoor, before anyone came to investigate the shots.
CHAPTER EIGHT
"Mrs. Peel? Mrs. Peel?" Steed was worried. It had been more than fifteen minutes since he had last heard from Mrs. Peel. She had gone out into the garden with the strange man, but then what? He decided that he should go investigate. Quickly Steed rushed outside and into the gardens, racing around, trying to find Mrs. Peel and the man she had last been seen with. Rounding a corner, Steed saw a group of people gathered around a man who was lying on the ground. Steed inched closer. No the man wasn't just lying on the floor. He was dead. Steed instinctively felt that something was going wrong. No one should be dead.
The handless man, and Tibett quickly entered what appeared to be a broom closet, making sure that no one saw them.
"Pull that mop over there, Tibett." The man commanded.
"Sure thing Mr."
"Don't mention my name. You don't know who can hear us."
"Sorry. I forgot. BOSS."
Tibett pulled the indicated mop, and the back wall of the broom closet sprung open to reveal a set of gray stone steps going down into blackness. A torch hung on the wall. Tibett, and the man walked through the opening. Tibett took the torch out of the holder on the wall, and the back of the wall began to slowly close.
CHAPTER FIVE
The handless man and Tibett were seated at a small beat-up wooden table in a dark stone room. The only light came from a torch in a holder on the wall, and a small candle on the table.
"Can anyone hear us in hear, boss?" Tibett asked
"Not a soul, my friend." The handless man answered.
"Well then, Mr. Big. What do you have in mind for our friend Steed? And who is Mrs. Peel? What happened to his old partner?"
"Well," Mr. Big began, "his old partner, Cathy Gale left to pursue other interests. Mrs. Peel is her replacement."
"So why did we contact her? We could've just asked Steed to meet us here." Tibett said, bewilderment showing on his face.
"Steed's weak point is Mrs. Peel. Should anything even threaten her, Steed would do anything to save her." Mr. Big said. "I should think that this would be clear to anyone. Even a buffle-brained moron such as yourself."
"Oh." Tibett said, understanding clearly now. "So what do we do?"
"Well," Mr. Big looked around, bent close to Tibett's ear, whispering the instructions.
"Uh huh. Uh huh. Wow! That's a great plan boss!" Tibett said enthusiastically.
CHAPTER SIX
Mrs. Peel had changed into low cut lavender dress, which accentuated her body perfectly. Pined onto the dress was the same amethyst lilac pin she had been wearing earlier that day.
"Steed," Mrs. Peel began, "I'm seated in the hotel lounge. It's exactly 11:59, and 50 seconds. The man should be showing up any minute now."
"Roger, Mrs. Peel." Steed replied. Is that the man, to your right, seated, reading a newspaper?"
"Steed, how do you know that there's a man seated to my right, reading a newspaper?" Mrs. Peel inquired.
"I have great instinct." Steed said laughingly.
The man seated to the right of Mrs. Peel stood up, and walked towards her.
"Mrs. Peel, I presume?"
Mrs. Peel nodded. "And who are you? You've kept me waiting for nearly three hours. Not the nicest thing to do to a woman who could have slept in on a Saturday."
"I'm sorry, but it's really very important. Could you spare a moment, and walk around the gardens with me?"
"Couldn't we stay in here? It's much warmer." Mrs. Peel replied, clearly thinking that she didn't want to go anywhere with this strange man.
"No. If we stay in here, someone might overhear us, and I can practically guarantee that we'll be the only people in the garden. Besides, I don't bite, you know."
Mrs. Peel laughed. "All right then, I'll walk around the garden with you," speaking clearly so that Steed could hear her, "but, I must be back by one."
"All right then," the man answered cheerfully.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Mrs. Peel and the man were walking around the bare winter gardens of the hotel. Everything was dead, no flowers were blooming, and the fountains were shut off until spring.
"Now, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Mrs. Peel asked.
"Well, I," the man began. He looked around nervously. Suddenly he reached out, and with a handkerchief covered Mrs. Peel's mouth and nose. Recognizing the smell of chloroform, Mrs. Peel tried to fight, but the smell was too powerful, and she collapsed. The man stamped on the walkway, and a trap door sprung out of it, Tibett at the opening.
"All right. Here she is, now where's my money?" The man demanded.
"Right here." Tibett answered. He pulled out a revolver, and shot the man, than quickly dragged Mrs. Peel into the trapdoor, before anyone came to investigate the shots.
CHAPTER EIGHT
"Mrs. Peel? Mrs. Peel?" Steed was worried. It had been more than fifteen minutes since he had last heard from Mrs. Peel. She had gone out into the garden with the strange man, but then what? He decided that he should go investigate. Quickly Steed rushed outside and into the gardens, racing around, trying to find Mrs. Peel and the man she had last been seen with. Rounding a corner, Steed saw a group of people gathered around a man who was lying on the ground. Steed inched closer. No the man wasn't just lying on the floor. He was dead. Steed instinctively felt that something was going wrong. No one should be dead.