gallery pictures of the Briggin gang supplied by the Shopton police.
“They’re not a very pretty crew,” commented Ames. “But they make up for it with their clever trickery.” The security chief smiled wryly. “According to reports, this Briggin mob has made a peculiar switch of operations-graduated from guns to science, it seems. They now call themselves gentlemen scientists of the underworld.”
29
30 TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT ROBOT
Radnor pointed to one of the photos. “This tall, dark one, Flash Ludens, the trio’s ringleader, is an electrical wizard.”
Tom studied the face as Bud burst out, “Say, look at Flash’s hair. Some plastering job!”
“Good reason for it,” Ames said. “Covers a jagged scar running almost the length of his scalp.”
“What about these other two characters?” Tom asked.
“Pins Zoltan, the short, blond one, used to be a crackerjack bank robber,”
Ames went on. “One day, though, while he was backing out of a bank with gun drawn, an armored truck pulled up on an unscheduled stop. The guards blazed away and Zoltan’s spine was nicked by a bullet. Today two metal surgical pins still remain in his backbone. That’s how he got his nickname.”
“And this dark-haired one with the mustache,” Radnor took up the story, “he’s Slick Steck-a real gangland product.”
Ames nodded. “They don’t come any tougher than Slick.”
Abruptly Tom swung out of his chair. There was a grim look on his face. “I’m starting to get the shape of things now. The Briggin boys’ change to science is a lot more sinister than their bank robberies.”