The Shadow - 13 - The Blackmail Ring by Maxwell Grant

Author:Maxwell Grant
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Street & Smith
Published: 1932-07-31T22:00:00+00:00

“I have to laugh when I look at this safe,” he declared.

“Why?” questioned Matthews.

Delmuth shut the safe and turned the knob. Then he pointed to the name on the safe.

“One of old Mayo’s safes,” he said, “To think that we’ve got one of them in here! He’d give plenty to have that safe - with its contents.

“Every time we put one over on him, we keep all the data in a Mayo safe. Funny, isn’t it?”

Matthews grinned. “Well,” he said, “we’ve never done any work for his competitors in the safe line.”

“Not in that, no,” agreed Delmuth. “But that’s only one iron in his smoldering fires. What about Sokleene Soap? He had a half a million tied up in that. It’s making out all right - just about. But that advertising campaign we put out on Washine just about wiped Sokleene off the map.

“Remember when he was promoting the Princess Products, and we pushed Duchess Beauty Sets? The same thing happened again.

“It’s getting so every time the old boy starts something, it comes right down our alley, and we beat him with a competitive idea.”

“No question about that,” Matthews concurred.

“Well,” declared Delmuth, “this time he’s wise enough to come to terms before he begins! He has a big interest in Purple Blossom Lotions, and he figures that we are planning something to meet it. He knows we have contacts with other concerns in that line.”

“What’s he going to do about it?” asked Matthews.

“I’m finding out tonight,” Delmuth went on. “He’s invited me up to a conference he’s having at his apartment. Some of the Purple Blossom men are there.

“They won’t offer me the account, I’m sure. Maybe they want to threaten me. Lawyers there, perhaps.

Well, I’ll soon find out!”

DELMUTH had his hand on the doorknob. While he was talking, he was looking toward Matthews.

With his last words, the advertising manager walked out into the hall.

There he stopped, and his lips tightened. He frowned as he glanced back toward the office. For Sidney Delmuth had a sudden recollection of something he had noticed just as he stepped through the door.

Acting impulsively, Delmuth went back into the office. Matthews looked up in surprise at his return. He could not understand the puzzled look on Delmuth’s face. The advertising man was looking straight toward the far wall.

“What’s the matter, sir?” asked Matthews.

“I’ve forgotten something,” replied Delmuth. “I can’t remember what it is.”

Actually, Sidney Delmuth was looking for a shadow. He was astonished because he did not see it.

While he had been talking to Matthews, he had observed, in an offhand manner, a tall patch of darkness in the dim far corner. He had come back to look at it again. It was no longer there.

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.