Maxwell Grant - The Shadow 026 by Murder Trail

Author:Murder Trail
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2011-11-15T00:41:27+00:00

CHAPTER XI. GANGSTERS START

EARLY the next evening, Cliff Marsland entered the Palace Havana and encountered Skeeter Wolfe.

The cunning-faced gunman waved a greeting. Cliff took a chair beside him.

"Howdy, Cliff," said Skeeter. "Still stickin' around, eh?"

Cliff nodded.

"I saw Bumps Jaffrey last night," he remarked.

"You did?" questioned Skeeter eagerly.

"Yes," responded Cliff. "I guess he'll remember me when he needs me." Skeeter smiled, and Cliff noted the expression. He could easily divine what was in Skeeter's mind. The gangster was going on a job with Bumps Jaffrey tonight. Skeeter's next action indicated that Cliff was correct.

"Gotta mosey along, Cliff," he said. "See you later."

When Skeeter had left, Cliff Marsland followed. Trailing Skeeter was not difficult. The man shambled to an "L" station, and Cliff followed him up the steps.

Watching from another car, Cliff saw the station where Skeeter stepped off, and did likewise. The gangster's shuffling steps led Cliff to a place that he knew well—the Hotel Spartan, on the lower East Side.

It was here, singularly enough, that Cliff had first met The Shadow. Caught in a tight spot, Cliff had been pulled from trouble by the mysterious being of the night. After that, he had aided The Shadow in the war that had eliminated New York's most notorious racketeers.

Surrounded by dilapidated buildings, and located beside the roaring elevated, the Hotel Spartan now served as a meeting place for mobsmen. Here, Cliff knew, Bumps Jaffrey must be assembling his evil crew for a death-dealing thrust against an unsuspecting victim.

Cliff doubled back to the elevated station, paid a fare, and entered a secluded telephone booth. He called Burbank, and reported what he had learned. He received the instructions that he had expected; to stay on the ground and learn where Bumps and his men were going.

Returning to the vicinity of the hotel, Cliff peered into the lobby, where Skeeter Wolfe had gone. He did not see the shrewd-faced gangster; in fact, the lobby was almost deserted. There was a door at the rear, and Cliff, not wishing to be seen, circled to the back of the hotel to study the darkness of the narrow street. There, he made a discovery.

THREE automobiles were drawn up against the curb, and a group of men were preparing to enter them.

Boldly, Cliff sidled through the darkness, hoping that he could learn what might be going on. He was sure that this was Bumps Jaffrey's party; therefore, recognition was something that he desired to avoid.

Sneaking up behind the rear car, Cliff could hear the sound of Bumps Jaffrey's voice. All but two had entered the cars. Evidently, these were reserves who were to remain.

"Won't need you tonight, boys"—Jaffrey's voice was explaining what Cliff expected—"so you can scram. We're not coming back here. You know where to get hold of me."

Motors were purring up ahead. The sound of Jaffrey's voice was drowned. Suddenly, the gang leader's car pulled away, leaving Cliff Marsland in the open. Quickly, Cliff ducked for the cover of the nearest wall. The two mobsters spotted him.

"Hey, you! What're you doin' here?" Cliff's hand went to his pocket.

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