Doom on the Hill by Maxwell Grant & Walter Gibson

Author:Maxwell Grant & Walter Gibson [Grant, Maxwell & Gibson, Walter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Espionage, Fiction, Thrillers
Publisher: Street & Smith
Published: 1934-11-17T08:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XII. DEATH ON THE HILL

ALL became tense as Harry Vincent crouched close by the fence line that had once marked the boundary of Ezekiel Twinton's property. Listening, Harry felt sure that stealthy men were on the move. Harry sensed that something was due to happen. It came.

A mastiff growled. One of Twinton's dogs had scented a prowler. Then came another growl; a hound yapped. The deep-throated, warning bark of the first mastiff broke from the darkness. A lull followed.

Someone had approached too close to the house. The intruder had shifted away; still, the dogs were growling. Harry was positive that Ezekiel Twinton must have been awakened by the noise. One minute passed; then a bright light flashed from beneath the roof of the back porch. Ezekiel Twinton stepped into view.

The light was powerful. Harry could make out Twinton's attire. The hilltop dweller was clad in slippers, trousers and shirt. Peering from his porch, he looked for prowlers within the range of light that formed a forty-foot circle. He stepped down to the ground.

Harry, himself, could see a figure that had stopped on the very fringe of the light. This man was close to the ground. Had Twinton spied the man also? Or had he observed some other lurker in the gloom? Harry drew his revolver, not knowing what might happen.

Ezekiel Twinton was coming forward, his glinting gun half raised. Suddenly, he made a swift leap directly toward the figure that Harry had observed. The huddled man came to his feet and sprang into the darkness. Twinton pounced upon him. They grappled; then the prowler went sprawling just beyond the edge of the light.

Twinton was quick as a cat. He seemed intent upon capturing his prey. He bounded forward, instead of using his revolver. He, too, was leaping into darkness. Then came the sudden finish, just as Twinton grappled with his hidden foe.

A vivid flash accompanied the burst of a gun. The shot came from the spot where the men were struggling. Harry heard a hoarse cry; then a groan. With an instinctive shout, The Shadow's agent sprang forward, raising his revolver.

Harry did not use his flashlight, for he did not want to betray his exact position. Hence his action produced immediate effect. Footsteps rustled in the grass. As Harry paused, he heard panting. Men were scurrying off through the darkness. This was Harry's cue.

The Shadow's agent clicked his flashlight and sent its beam traveling in a wide sweep. For the fraction of a second, the glare revealed one speeding form; then another. But when Harry tried to focus the light on either spot, he found that he was too late. Though he had caught a flash of two prowlers, Harry knew that there were three at least. Still approaching the scene of the conflict, he moved the light more slowly. He discovered no one.

A groan from the ground ahead. Convinced that no sniper could be close enough to pick him with a pot shot, Harry advanced to the spot where he had heard the sound.

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