Chapter Two
A black sedan pulled to a stop on the street outside of Michael Reeves' house. The home was a large brick ranch style dwelling with a small front yard. The double driveway had space for one car length between the door of the garage and the sidewalk. A chain link fence enclosed the large back yard shaded with numerous trees. The other houses on the sparsely populated block were similarly designed.
Two masked men emerged from opposite sides of the car. The driver was dressed as a chauffeur. His clothing, cap, mask, and gloves were black. The man who had been in the back seat wore green and black with a green mask and hat.
Neither man spoke. They were accustomed to working together. Additionally, when they arrived at a destination they knew what they were going to do. Quick, surprise arrivals were an important part of the workings of the Green Hornet.
The two men ignored the front door. They moved toward the back of the house, walking past the garage to the fence. The Hornet quickly inspected the fence for signs of an alarm. He then put his gloved hands on the top rail and jumped the fence, smoothly swinging both feet clear of the fence. He landed in the yard facing the fence. Kato took a different route over the fence. He took three steps backward then ran at the fence, leaping into the air. His right foot momentarily landed on the top rail. As if he was walking on level ground, he brought his left foot in front of him and pushed off the rail with his right foot. He landed next to the Hornet, facing in the opposite direction. The Hornet smiled slightly at Kato's feat as both men turned their attention to the house.
A large window caught their attention. The men moved in unison to the window. The opened curtains permitted them to peer inside, and the raised window that allowed the cool early evening air in the house also let the conversation filter out.
Michael Reeves paced in front of his desk. He had long since discarded the suit jacket he had worn while sitting behind Cornhusker Tillman in court. The brown jacket was draped over the left arm of the chair. Three of the five men who had been in the study earlier were gone, leaving only Delmore and Porter, the man who had made the error of sitting on Reeves' desk, occupying the room with him. Delmore reclined on a sofa, but the Porter was standing, nervous because of Reeves' incessant motion. Porter scratched his curly black hair and said quietly, almost as if he expected another reprimand for having sat on Reeves' desk, "What are we gonna do?"
"Wait," Reeves snapped as he abruptly ceased pacing, "and I don't like it. Cornhusker's been in jail awaiting trial for three months. He should've thought about this then, when it wouldn't arouse suspicion." The anger and frustration distorted his facial features. "If Britt Reid gets so much as a hangnail before he testifies tomorrow, it's going to look like Cornhusker's behind it. That's why we have to wait for the Green Hornet."
"Your wait is over," came a voice from near the window.
Reeves spun to face the window. The Green Hornet stepped away from the window, Kato behind him like a lethal shadow. The Hornet walked to Reeves, stopping within inches of the man. "Start talking," he said, looking down at the man who was half a foot shorter.
Reeves backpedaled a few steps but the Hornet matched him stride for stride. "I see you got my message."
"Yes," the Hornet replied. "Let me guess why you contacted me. You want Britt Reid silenced so he doesn't testify against your boss tomorrow, is that correct?"
Reeves nodded. "How much would you charge for your…" He paused for emphasis. "Services," he concluded with a smile and raised eyebrows.
"One hundred thousand dollars, paid tonight after I fulfill my part of the bargain."
The smile vanished from Reeves' face. "What?"
"I have a motive that will keep Tillman from being under suspicion – revenge against Britt Reid for all his editorials in the Sentinel. The assassination will be accepted as the work of the Green Hornet, and Tillman will go free. That's a small price to pay, wouldn't you say?"
"I don't have that kind of money here."
"Get it. I'll be back to collect when I've done the job."
"I'm going with you," Reeves said.
"What?"
"I want to see Reid killed."
"Let's get something straight," the Hornet snarled. "I'm not running a taxi service. I don't have room or time for passengers. If you don't trust me, then you can keep your money, and Cornhusker Tillman can keep his date with the executioner."
"Cornhusker's not going to dish out that kind of money unless he has a witness to verify it was done. I either go as a witness, or no deal."
The Hornet nodded. "All right," he said, "I'll give you a compromise. You follow me in your car." The Hornet pushed the sleeve of the green overcoat on his left arm up. "I'll be back in two hours," he announced. He turned for the door. Kato walked past Reeves to join the Hornet, watching cautiously as he stepped for any threatening movement. "We should have this done by ten," the Hornet said before he walked out the study door. "Have the money ready by then." Kato closed the door as he left behind the Hornet.
The two men returned to their car, nicknamed the Black Beauty, and left the street. Once away from Reeves' house Kato looked in the rear view mirror. "What now?" he asked.
The Hornet shook his head. "I wish I knew," he sighed. He watched outside the window while collecting his thoughts. An idea suddenly hit him. He turned around and picked up a mobile telephone mounted behind the back seat. A row of buttons automatically dialed various numbers. The Hornet punched one of the buttons then put the receiver to his ear.
Frank Scanlon sat at his desk in his office, catching up on some necessary paperwork. One of the drawbacks to handling the Tillman case himself was that he had to leave court and put in an additional three or four hours at the office. He could have assigned any one of a dozen fully qualified lawyers in his office to prosecute the case, but Frank chose to present the state's case himself. The fact that an elected official such as a municipal judge was murdered in public made the trial personal for Frank.
"Scanlon," he answered his phone when it rang.
"Frank? I need your help."
Frank laid the papers in his hands down on his desk. "Yes, Britt?"
"We've got problems. Reeves wants to go along to make sure Britt Reid is killed."
"Oh, boy," Frank sighed. "What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to drive my car to a deserted place so the Green Hornet can blow it up."
"What?" Frank shouted into the receiver. "Britt, is your hat on a bit too tight?"
"How soon can you be at my house?"
Frank looked at his watch. "Twenty minutes."
"Good. I'll explain when you get there."
Frank sighed. "I'd hate to have your car insurance bill after you turn this in." Frank heard his friend laugh over the phone. "I'll see you in twenty minutes."
Britt Reid's townhouse was located on a street in front of a warehouse. Britt had purchased the warehouse at the same time he bought his home. The townhouse was unimposing, certainly nothing that would indicate a millionaire newspaper and television station owner resided there. The warehouse was leased to a plastics company and was fully operational. Two parts of the warehouse were blocked from the unsuspecting employees. One area housed a driveway that led from the alley to the back of Britt's garage, the route the Black Beauty used to take to the streets. The other off-limits area was a four-foot wide path that snaked along the outer wall in the alley behind Britt's house. The walkway was the passage Frank Scanlon used to sneak into Britt's home.
Frank parked his car by a ramp just outside of the alley. He walked into the alley and ducked into the passageway, moving a board that hung partially across the entrance. He walked the length of the alley to an elevator disguised as a large packing crate. When he entered the crate he moved three of the ten nails in the side of the crate. The door closed behind him and engaged the elevator, which took him to the roof. Once on the roof he went to a chimney and pressed on three bricks in a prearranged sequence. The brick wall slid open, revealing another one-person elevator. He stepped inside and the elevator started down what had once been the chimney for the fireplace in Britt Reid's den. The entire trip took less than ninety seconds.
A tone sounded in the den. Britt moved three books amid the tomes in the shelves behind his desk. The fireplace wall rose as the cage with Frank inside reached the bottom. A step popped out, but in Frank's urgency to speak with Britt about the threat on his life he eschewed its use, choosing instead to jump the eighteen inches to the floor. Instead of a greeting, Frank said, "What is going on?"
Britt stood behind his desk, dressed in the dark gray jacket with black trousers he had worn at his office. Kato stood next to the desk, his mask and cap lying on the edge of Britt's desk. "Reeves complicated things," Britt sighed, "but there's a way around it."
Britt pulled a map out of a drawer in his desk then spread the map on the desk. "Here's what we're going to do," he said. "The Green Hornet has to meet Reeves in an hour and a half so he can witness the assassination." Britt pointed to a place on the map he had circled. "You know Knight Park?" Frank nodded. "This is a perfect place, a dead end." Britt folded the map up. "There's a mom-and-pop diner about a quarter of a mile from Knight Park. Drive there in your car, and I'll pick you up."
Frank looked at his friend. "You're really going to blow your own car up?"
"Unfortunately, Reeves hasn't left me much of an option." Britt managed a smile. "It's time for a new car, anyway." Britt looked at his watch. "I have to meet Reeves at 9:15." He turned around and tilted the three books in his bookcase again, causing the fireplace wall to open. "Let's get going."