Charg, Monster by Maxwell Grant & Walter Gibson

Author:Maxwell Grant & Walter Gibson [Grant, Maxwell & Gibson, Walter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Espionage, Fiction, Thrillers
ISBN: 9781596543126
Google: U3PYPAAACAAJ
Publisher: Street & Smith
Published: 1934-07-28T08:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XII. CHARG ORDERS

HALF past twelve. While Cardona and The Shadow were leaving Bryce Towson's, a new visitor was at the lair of Charg. Jerry Laffan had descended to the lair. He had given his three rings. He was waiting for the door to open.

Laffan was perplexed. On all previous visits, he had been admitted with promptitude. A minute passed; Laffan heard a noise behind him. He turned to see the elevator rising. The wall was coming downward from the closet above.

Laffan trembled. Had he arrived ahead of Charg? Was he to meet his terrible master face to face? The elevator stopped at the top; it began a descent while the wall arose. Laffan saw a man in the dropping lift; then, of a sudden, he recognized the arrival.

It was Bart Daper. Charg's second minion was surprised to see Laffan waiting. Stepping from the elevator, Daper stood perplexed; then, in customary fashion, he advanced and pressed the button twice.

The door responded. It moved upward with a click. The reason for Laffan's waiting was explained. Charg had been within his lair all the while; tonight, however, he apparently desired to interview both minions at the same time.

The eyes of both men were on the screen ahead. Laffan and Daper had new confidence. Charg's abode seemed less dreadful when visited with a companion. A light clicked behind the screen. Then the voice:

"Who are you, intruders?"

"I am Jerry Laffan. I am the servant of Charg."

"I am Bart Daper. I am the servant of Charg."

"Your numbers?"

"Three."

"Two."

A pause. Then the voice of Charg rasped insidious words. Laffan and Daper, staring, could see the turbaned head inclining forward, its jewels glittering through the dimness of the screen.

"When Charg commands," was the announcement, "his servants obey. To linger with Charg means death. Look to your right. You will see Charg's answer to a traitor."

Laffan and Daper swung toward the direction indicated. For the first time since entering the room, they viewed a gruesome object. It was the body of Talbot. Crumpled on the dim floor by the door on the right, Loring Dyke's servant was a horrible sight.

He had suffered terrific death. Beaten, twisted, mangled, his body was no pleasant sight. Yet Charg's repeated tones carried new orders which forced Laffan and Daper toward the spot where Talbot lay.

"Remove him," came the grating tone. "Carry him far from here. Act at once."

STOOPING, Laffan and Daper gathered up the hulk that had once been a living human. They carried the battered corpse to the door through which they had entered. They paused there, while Charg declared:

"Charg has commanded."

"When Charg commands," gasped the two men, in unison, "his servants obey."

"Then go. To linger with Charg means death."

As the raspy words ended, the door moved upward. Daper and Laffan lugged their burden through the portal; the barrier descended.

Charg had planned well. Both Daper and Laffan believed–from the position of Talbot's body–that Charg had delivered death because his orders had been disobeyed. They did not suspect for an instant that Charg's own words had ordered Talbot to the trap.

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