Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 032 by Maxwel l Grant

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

CHAPTER XXVI

GHOSTLY VENGEANCE

CHANCE directed Sidney Gorson's course as the police chief reached the bottom of the stairs. As three policemen awaited further orders, Gorson strode to the door of the great reception hall. He saw Marcia Wardrop and Horatio Farman standing by the big center table of the great candle-lighted room.

"Stay where you are!" ordered the police chief. Then, to the policemen: "Get going - look everywhere! I'll take care of matters here."

The officers scattered. Their duty was to search the house. Police Chief Gorson, striding up and down the big room, uttered words of explanation to Marcia and the lawyer.

"We're after Clark Brosset!" he growled. "He's in back of this! He made a get-away upstairs."

"Clark Brosset!" exclaimed Horatio Farman.

A startled gasp came from Marcia Wardrop's lips. The girl turned deathly pale. She staggered and nearly fell. Horatio Farman caught her. As Sidney Gorson looked for some explanation of the girl's sudden terror, he was dumfounded by a new interruption.

A sneering voice was speaking from the level of the whispering gallery. Despite the strange acoustics of the great hall, all present recognized the tones. Clark Brosset was delivering a warning!

"Stay where you are!" ordered Brosset. "The first one who moves will die. I want that envelope, Gorson.

Call your men from the study!"

Furious, but helpless, the police chief answered with a challenge. He could not see the spot where Brosset stood, because the villain was on the gallery behind the illuminating candles. But he knew that Brosset was armed, and would not hesitate to shoot. Nevertheless, Gorson was stubborn.

"We've got you, Brosset!" he retorted. "We're keeping that envelope. My men are going through the house. You cannot escape."

"Keep the envelope, then," called Brosset. "I can leave without it. Hold your evidence and seek me. I prefer escape. One person alone can set you on my trail. I shall kill that person now. You looked for murder, Gorson. You will see it!"

A cry came from Marcia Wardrop, as the girl broke away from Horatio Farman and clutched the side of the big table, directly by the candelabrum. Acting with sudden boldness, Chief Gorson yanked a flashlight from his pocket and clicked its rays upon the gallery that bordered the room.

The light revealed Clark Brosset. The man's lips showed a fiendish grin. The glimmering revolver in his hand was pointed directly at Marcia Wardrop!

GORSON held his own gun useless. He knew that if he attempted to fire, the fiend would slay the girl.

Clark Brosset emitted a derisive sneer.

"I am leaving you, Gorson," he proclaimed. "You will never learn my trail. But before I go -"

The police chief cried in horror as he saw Brosset's finger on the trigger. The cry changed to one of amazement. Gorson, Farman, and Marcia, even in this moment of terror, were bewildered by what occurred.

From the blackness of the gallery, a living hand stretched out to clutch Clark Brosset's weapon. Fingers

of black jerked the revolver from the villain's grasp. With a cry of evil disappointment, Brosset turned to grapple with a figure that had suddenly appeared beside him.

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.