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“see for yourself.”
slim took the binoculars from the countess and trained them on the chateau the general had taken over just a few hours ago.
sure enough, there was movement.
a figure that must have been either goldbrick or the indian - probably the indian - came out of the building carrying something, which he tossed into the back of the five ton. then he disappeared from sight, either back into the building, or around the truck and into the cab.
“are they leaving?” the countess asked slim.
“i don’t know what they are doing.”
“well, is it likely that they would be leaving? they just got here, did they not?”
“you never know with the general.” slim shrugged. “maybe he is he just making sure they can leave in a hurry if they have to.”
suddenly a thought hit him like a bowling ball to the back of his head.
“i know!” he exclaomed. “that’s the frammis! that the indian just put in the truck! he sent us on a wild goose chase and now he is pulling out with the frammis.”
“the frammis?” the countess asked. “what is this - frammis?”
*
pete shifted in his seat. his eyes had still not adjusted to the darkness and he could not see anything in the darkness except the screen, and he did not know for sure if anybody was sitting right beside him, although he did not think anybody was.
the movie did not make a lot of sense. pete wondered if the reels had been mixed up. it would not be the first time he went to a movie and that happened.
pete never remembered actors’ names unless they were really famous but he recognized them from other movies. he remembered the guy playing slim from those movies with edward g robinson where he - the guy, not edward g robinson - wore a straw hat. and on top of that he was in pete’s favorite movie of all time, that he could not remember the name of, with that blonde.
and the actress playing the countess - she was in a movie with humphrey bogart where bogart was this rich guy living up on a hill and he was going to murder her but he didn’t in the end. she was all right, but pete would have preferred the blonde from his favorite movie of all time. maybe she would still be in this movie, if they found the reel she was in.
*
slim and the countess watched as the indian turned the truck around facing the road. then the general and goldbrick came out and got into one of the jeeps and the truck pulled out and the jeep followed it.
“what was that all about?” the countess asked slim.
“you tell me.”
“is there anybody left over there?”
“not that i know. somebody buried in the basement, maybe. or locked in the attic.”
“maybe we should take a look,” the countess said slowly. “maybe they left something behind.”
slim thought about it. “sure. but let’s wait a little while. they one of the jeeps behind. they might come bsck for it..”
17. gaboriau
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