MYSTERY MILLIONAIRE
TOM jabbed an alarm button on the wall and ran after the intruder. By this time the gunman had reached the front door. The banshee wail of the alarm siren seemed to panic him. Floodlights were blazing on all over the experimental station. The man whirled, caught sight of Tom, and fired wildly!
Tom dove to the floor. The bullet whined over his head to lodge somewhere in the wall plaster.
Without waiting to take another shot, the man fled. Tom jumped to his feet and dashed out of the lab building in pursuit. Security guards were running toward the scene from all directions.
“There he goes!” Tom yelled, pointing.
The man zigzagged and glanced from side to side as he ran, like a fox trapped by hounds. One of the guards was already circling to cut off his escape.
As the gunman swerved to avoid capture, his foot stubbed on a stone. He went sprawling headfirst!
Tom was on him in a flash. The intruder’s gun 102
MYSTERY MILLIONAIRE 103
had dropped from his hand as he fell. Tom gave him no chance to grope for the weapon-gripping the man’s neck from behind in the crook of one arm.
The intruder struggled upright and broke the grip by hurling Tom over his shoulders with a judo throw. But the young inventor recovered instantly, tackled the man around the legs, and sent him crashing to the ground again. The two exchanged several blows before the security guards reached the spot. They quickly subdued the man, jerked him to his feet, and handcuffed him.
“Who is he, skipper?” one of the guards asked.