Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 237 by Maxwel l Grant

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

CHAPTER XII. RETURN FROM OBLIVION

TIM had been talking about the deliveries he made in New York. He carried all sorts of loads, or had, when he still owned a truck that was something more than a fire-scorched chassis. He'd wanted to get into one line of hauling, but never seemed to justify a choice.

"Seems like I get a chunk of everything," said Tim. "That is, except vegetables. I don't want them. Too

many inspectors bothering you about corn borers and Japanese beetles. Funny, now, but hauling junk from one secondhand shop to another might be a good business. I get a lot of that trade -"

"You mentioned it," interrupted Cranston. "It's all in the little book."

Tim stared. "Did I tell you about the little book?"

"You told me about it three times," was the reply. "It's right there" - The Shadow tapped Tim's breast pocket - "and if you'll hand it over, I won't bother the wallet that you carry in your inside pocket."

Tim laughed. He liked Cranston's dry humor, even though it did flash back to the loss of Tim's truck. He drew the book from his pocket.

"There it is," he said. "All the dope on every delivery I've made for the last year. You may as well keep it, Mr. Cranston." Tim's tone was rueful. "I won't be needing it for some time. Maybe never."

"Probably sooner," corrected The Shadow. "Your truck was insured. You can buy a new one and start afresh."

"How will I collect on the truck insurance if I'm supposed to be dead?"

"You won't be dead long, Tim. You're just going on a vacation, with pay. I have a friend" - Cranston's tone was reflective - "who likes to dabble in odd cases like this. He will look out for you, Tim. It may surprise you how swiftly you come back to life."

The cab was threading its way through the fringe of Kerring's suburb. Leaning from the window, The Shadow picked out a stately house that was darkened for the night.

"Here we are," he told the driver. "Stop quietly, please. I don't want to waken the family."

Paying off the cabby, The Shadow insisted, in a Cranston undertone, that he drive away quietly. As soon as the cab was gone, The Shadow turned to Tim.

"This is close to where you live," he said. "Let's walk over there."

After a quarter of a mile they came to an isolated row of houses, relics of a time when an enterprising builder had begun to sneak into an ultraresidential district before the larger property owners had time to clamp down with restrictions. Tim lived in the back room on the second floor of the third house in the row.

"I can't go in the front door," he whispered. "If I do, they'll hear me. What's the next step, Mr.

Cranston?"

"I'll get you up to your window," The Shadow replied. "Nobody will hear you, then."

"But if somebody is awake and sees me -"

"They'll take you for a ghost. Just remember that you're dead, and act accordingly."

It was whimsical, having Tim play the ghost, a part which The Shadow had carried off, many times.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.