Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 206 by Maxwel l Grant

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

CHAPTER XI. THE THIRD STOOGE

LESS than a half mile from where The Shadow waited outside a smashed window, Harry Vincent had a waiting job of his own.

The Shadow was an inconspicuous bystander in a large crowd which had been drawn by the sight of police cars and the rumors of an outbreak of gang warfare near Times Square. There was no large crowd where Harry Vincent loitered, but he was also inconspicuous.

Harry was standing outside a corner cigar store. The corner was a stopping place for a cross-town bus line. A few people waited at the curb. Busses were frequent and the knot of people changed rapidly. But Harry took none of those busses.

His gaze was on an apartment house foyer not far from the corner.

On the third floor of that modest looking apartment house was a suite occupied by a famous theatrical producer, Archie Hiller. Stage folk called him Uncle Archie. But Harry Vincent knew there was nothing benevolent about the real Hiller. The instructions of The Shadow had made many things clear.

Harry kept glancing at his watch. It was now two minutes past eleven. Something ought to happen very soon. The Shadow had predicted that shortly after eleven Archie Hiller would come racing from his apartment and grab a taxi for a quick trip to Times Square.

It sounded miraculous to Harry, but as an agent of The Shadow, he was used to miracles. They never happened because of chance. They were the result of logical preparation on the part of The Shadow.

So Harry was not at all surprised when, at four minutes past eleven, Hiller came rushing into view on the dark sidewalk. A taxi was parked opposite the bus stand, and Hiller signaled it. Harry left his post at the cigar store and walked down the street.

He was opposite the cab when Hiller shouted an excited order to the driver:

"Times Square and make it fast!"

Harry grinned. The Shadow's plan was ticking beautifully on schedule. It was up to Vincent to make his end of it tick, too! He entered the apartment foyer as soon as the cab sped out of sight.

He took the elevator to the third floor. It was an automatic, self-service lift. That meant that there was no operator to remember Harry later. Skeleton keys took care of Hiller's door on the third floor. It was not too difficult a lock to crack.

Lights were still burning in the living room. Harry reconnoitered cautiously, afraid of the possible presence of a valet or a butler. But the suite was empty. The lights in the living room were lit because Hiller had left in so jittery a hurry that he hadn't stopped to turn them off.

Harry got busy with a swift search. His first concern was to investigate the kind of cigarettes that Archie Hiller smoked. He had been warned by The Shadow to look for menthol cigarettes. To his disgust, he had no luck.

The ornamented cigarette box on Hiller's desk contained four compartments. There were four popular brands for the different tastes of Hiller's guests.

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