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.He is simply aman who offered, a year ago, to deliver firewood regularly, and he hasappeared once a week since.Apparently he lives somewhere in the hills outsideof town, but the hotel does not know where.""The hotel itself couldn't be the hide-out, could it?" Ken asked.Before anyone could answer him, a knock sounded on the chief's door and amoment later a small, elderly man entered with two huge ledgers.The chiefperformed courteous introductions.The little man was the municipal taxcollector and he had brought his records to the office at the suggestion ofGonzalez.Gonzalez immediately explained to him that they wished to know aboutall the buildings in the town which might conceivably be used as headquartersfor a criminal hide-out.It would be a fairly large building, Gonzalez pointedout, big enough to accommodate several persons and an adequate staff ofservants.It would also, Gonzalez added, be a comfortable-probably aluxurious-place.The men who employed the services of the hide-out undoubtedlycould afford the best and expected it.At first the little man was indignant at the possibility that the town of RioClaro might harbor such a place, but Gonzalez skillfully smoothed his ruffledtemper and urged him to compile a list of the buildings meeting therequirements he had outlined.Still looking somewhat insulted, and rathersleepy, the little man sat down at a desk with his two big books."Do his records cover the countryside outside of town?" Phillips asked.Gonzalez shook his head regretfully."But the job is worth doing,nevertheless.I do not believe the hide-out120 THE MYSTERY OF THE GREEN FLAMEis here, as I have said before.From now on, however, we too will miss nochances.Eh? As to the tax records for the country about here-I am told itwould take weeks to go through them, and that in any case they are doubtlessnot very accurate.""I can see the advantages of locating a hide-out out in the country," Ken saidhesitantly, "but wouldn't it have disadvantages too? You said it probably wasa luxurious place.Would it be easy to get luxuries out there-things likeelectric current for pumps and refrigerators, for example?""Why not?" Gonzalez shrugged."They could use a gasoline-engine generator.Tenbarrels of gasoline would keep it going for a month, and they could truck thatin even over a bad road-or use burros if neces-saiy.""I suppose so," Ken said."But a big modern house like that, even in isolatedcountry, would certainly be noticed by somebody, wouldn't it?"Page 50 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"It probably is not a modern house," Gonzalez said."This was silver miningcountry, in the old days of the Spanish conquistadors, and wherever there wereSpanish silver mines there were always haciendas-estates for the Spanishowners or managers.The buildings were like the one you are in now-stone wallsseveral feet thick.Such walls stand for years.This municipal palace was oncesuch a hacienda.It is perhaps three hundred years old.It costs money to makesuch a building modern and habitable," Gonzalez admitted, "especially if ithas been abandoned for a long time, as have many of the haciendas in thehills.But if one has money, it is quite possible.From the outside, such abuilding would look ancient and uncomfortable.But inside it could be asmodern as one of your big hotels." HeON THE TRAIL AGAIN 121looked at Phillips."I think, Mort, that we shall discover that this is whatour friends have done."Suddenly they all became aware that the little tax collector had come to hisfeet, holding in his hand a sheet of paper.He straightened his rumpled coatand with a nod of apology to the others launched into a long speech in Spanishdirected toward Gonzalez and the chief.When he had finished, he handed Gonzalez the paper, accepted his thanksgravely, and departed with his two heavy ledgers.His records showed that onlyone business establishment and seventeen private houses in Rio Claro, whichwas not a rich town, even approached the qualifications Gonzalez haddescribed.All seventeen were listed on the sheet of paper, together with thetax collector's own statement that he had known the resident-owners of thosehouses for the twenty-seven years he himself had held office in the town, andthat he could personally vouch for their honor and their integrity.The chief of police himself spoke up at that point, to add his own statementto that of the tax collector.He, too, knew all those houses well, he said,and could vouch for the fact that they were indeed what they seemed-homes offamilies who had lived in Rio Claro for several generations.Ken remembered the unanswered question he had asked some time before [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.He is simply aman who offered, a year ago, to deliver firewood regularly, and he hasappeared once a week since.Apparently he lives somewhere in the hills outsideof town, but the hotel does not know where.""The hotel itself couldn't be the hide-out, could it?" Ken asked.Before anyone could answer him, a knock sounded on the chief's door and amoment later a small, elderly man entered with two huge ledgers.The chiefperformed courteous introductions.The little man was the municipal taxcollector and he had brought his records to the office at the suggestion ofGonzalez.Gonzalez immediately explained to him that they wished to know aboutall the buildings in the town which might conceivably be used as headquartersfor a criminal hide-out.It would be a fairly large building, Gonzalez pointedout, big enough to accommodate several persons and an adequate staff ofservants.It would also, Gonzalez added, be a comfortable-probably aluxurious-place.The men who employed the services of the hide-out undoubtedlycould afford the best and expected it.At first the little man was indignant at the possibility that the town of RioClaro might harbor such a place, but Gonzalez skillfully smoothed his ruffledtemper and urged him to compile a list of the buildings meeting therequirements he had outlined.Still looking somewhat insulted, and rathersleepy, the little man sat down at a desk with his two big books."Do his records cover the countryside outside of town?" Phillips asked.Gonzalez shook his head regretfully."But the job is worth doing,nevertheless.I do not believe the hide-out120 THE MYSTERY OF THE GREEN FLAMEis here, as I have said before.From now on, however, we too will miss nochances.Eh? As to the tax records for the country about here-I am told itwould take weeks to go through them, and that in any case they are doubtlessnot very accurate.""I can see the advantages of locating a hide-out out in the country," Ken saidhesitantly, "but wouldn't it have disadvantages too? You said it probably wasa luxurious place.Would it be easy to get luxuries out there-things likeelectric current for pumps and refrigerators, for example?""Why not?" Gonzalez shrugged."They could use a gasoline-engine generator.Tenbarrels of gasoline would keep it going for a month, and they could truck thatin even over a bad road-or use burros if neces-saiy.""I suppose so," Ken said."But a big modern house like that, even in isolatedcountry, would certainly be noticed by somebody, wouldn't it?"Page 50 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"It probably is not a modern house," Gonzalez said."This was silver miningcountry, in the old days of the Spanish conquistadors, and wherever there wereSpanish silver mines there were always haciendas-estates for the Spanishowners or managers.The buildings were like the one you are in now-stone wallsseveral feet thick.Such walls stand for years.This municipal palace was oncesuch a hacienda.It is perhaps three hundred years old.It costs money to makesuch a building modern and habitable," Gonzalez admitted, "especially if ithas been abandoned for a long time, as have many of the haciendas in thehills.But if one has money, it is quite possible.From the outside, such abuilding would look ancient and uncomfortable.But inside it could be asmodern as one of your big hotels." HeON THE TRAIL AGAIN 121looked at Phillips."I think, Mort, that we shall discover that this is whatour friends have done."Suddenly they all became aware that the little tax collector had come to hisfeet, holding in his hand a sheet of paper.He straightened his rumpled coatand with a nod of apology to the others launched into a long speech in Spanishdirected toward Gonzalez and the chief.When he had finished, he handed Gonzalez the paper, accepted his thanksgravely, and departed with his two heavy ledgers.His records showed that onlyone business establishment and seventeen private houses in Rio Claro, whichwas not a rich town, even approached the qualifications Gonzalez haddescribed.All seventeen were listed on the sheet of paper, together with thetax collector's own statement that he had known the resident-owners of thosehouses for the twenty-seven years he himself had held office in the town, andthat he could personally vouch for their honor and their integrity.The chief of police himself spoke up at that point, to add his own statementto that of the tax collector.He, too, knew all those houses well, he said,and could vouch for the fact that they were indeed what they seemed-homes offamilies who had lived in Rio Claro for several generations.Ken remembered the unanswered question he had asked some time before [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]