Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 020 by Maxwel l Grant

Author:Maxwel,l Grant
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf

The gun play at the Club Catalina had ended in a raid of Big Tom Bagshawe's gambling joint. Police

Chief Yates, summoned from a distant part of the city, had ordered a complete clean-out.

So far as Big Tom was concerned, the loss was a financial one alone. He disclaimed all connection with the men who had engaged in the gun battle. He admitted ownership of the wheels and other machines of chance, but said they had not been in operation when the raid was made. His game was killed—that was enough.

The affair in the Hotel Pavilion was more serious. Two men had been killed in cold blood. Gifford Morton had been wounded; his secretary, Gorman, was hovering between life and death. Sullen killers had been captured. Herbert Carpenter, blackmailer de luxe, was accused of crime, and had been placed in jail.

From mobsters, accused of murder, the police could learn but little. Pieced facts showed that organized crime had flourished in Seaview City, but the men responsible for it had disappeared. The names of Shifter Reeves and Hooks Borglund were dragged from reluctant lips.

A thorough investigation, sponsored by Mayor Rufus Cruikshank and the Public Safety Committee, enabled Police Chief Yates to make discoveries. The efficient police officer found direct connection between certain mobsters and the dope racket which had spread throughout Seaview City. He was hot on the trail of Shifter Reeves.

The man was nowhere to be found. In a twinkling, the rats had taken to cover. Seaview City was purged of dope peddlers. The evil that had crept though the resort was ended.

Hooks Borglund remained a little-known factor. It was evident only that certain gangsters had known him—perhaps followed his orders. Police were watching for him, but not because they had sufficient evidence to make serious trouble for him. They wanted to quiz Hooks Borglund—that was all.

Chief Yates summarized his findings at a meeting of the Public Safety Commission, held in Mayor Cruikshank's home. The assembled men were gathered about a huge table in a big room adjourning the mayor's office. All were subdued that night. Helwig, Coates, and Hurley—the three who had wanted a kid-gloved police force—were listeners, not talkers.

"We've smashed crime!" asserted Chief Yates emphatically, as he addressed the group. "Smashed it cold, here in Seaview City. From now on, crooks will figure that this place is unhealthy. Ocean air may agree with some people, but not with them."

"You have done a creditable job, Yates," commended Mayor Cruikshank. "You have shown yourself worthy of the confidence that I have placed in you."

The mayor's quiet approval was an expression of the sentiment of the entire committee. But Yates, bulky and imposing, shook his head as he heard the words.

"I'm not asking for any medals, your honor," he said. "I've done my duty— that's all. I'm satisfied that it's done, but I'm sorry that things got as far as they did. The breaks came our way. We used them. That's all."

He looked about the group, and decided to explain in full. The police chief felt that a recounting of important incidents would be of value.

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