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Show - 151 - thrown over it. A small table with only three legs was propped up by a wooden box. Two crates, one on top of each other, served as a cupboard of sorts. There wasn't much food in- it. An old battered chair and a ragged divan were the extent of the furniture in the room. Deigudo made no attempt to ask them to be seated, and stood there waiting, but not before he had taken the baskets of food which the girls handed to him. Tom placed the cartons of clothes on the wooden plank floor. "What do you want of me?" he repeated. His eyes were hooded and the black pupils darted from one girl to another like a snake's tongue. But still there was a puzzled expression on his face. He could not fathom what they would want of him. Quickly, Tom explained why they were there. Then went on to say. "If you help us we will see that you are rewarded in some way." He looked at them intently, for a moment, and said instead. "What's in those baskets? Food I hope. I haven't had a decent meal in so long that I almost wonder what good food looks like." Penny quickly took out the contents of one of the baskets and spread it out on the table. Without a moment's hesitation he started wolfing down a sandwich with one hand and in the other clutched the coffee which Vicky handed him. For a few moments not a word was spoken by anyone as he devoured the food. Finally, he sat back in the chair and wiped his mouth with his hand, looked at the three of them and said. "So you want to know about Dirk Vallone. I remember him well. We had business dealings, that we did." A cunning smile came over his face, but he hastened to add. We were never friends. Yes, he was happy to take my money, but he thought he was too high class for my association. He never had anything to do with me on a . personal basis. The moment our transac-tions were completed he dismissed me in no uncertain terms. As I said before, though, he was always willing to take my money. No, Dirk Vallone was no friend of mine. The worse part of it was that the moment he dis- |