The Shadow - 335 - Riddle of the Rangoon Ruby by Maxwell Grant

Author:Maxwell Grant
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 1978-12-31T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER IV

For a few tense minutes, Margo and Zelda debated what to do; then, with one accord, they left the closet that had served as listening post and went back along the passage to look for Pauline Dotha and tell her what they had heard. The housekeeper was nowhere in sight.

“She’s probably gone to the kitchen to arrange for dinner,” decided Zelda.

“Let’s go into the living room and talk to Cragmore and Tilson instead.”

Neither the secretary nor the chauffeur was in the living room, but Brent Huling was there, wearing his usual walking attire. The broad-faced houseguest gave the girls his customary smile.

“It’s getting dark out,” remarked Huling, “so I thought I’d stroll in and have a smoke before dinner.” He clapped the pocket of his parka and gave a puzzled glance toward the ash stand. “I wonder where I mislaid my pipe this time!”

“I wonder where Cragmore and Tilson are,” said Zelda. “We saw them in here

only five or ten minutes ago.”

“They’re out under the portico,” informed Huling, turning from a bookshelf

where he was looking for his pipe. “They’re unloading something from the station

wagon. Here they are now.”

Cragmore and Tilson were coming in through the front door, carrying a large steel filing cabinet between them. They set their burden in the corner and turned with puzzled expressions when Zelda exclaimed:

“How long ago did Darcy and Keswick go into the library?”

“Darcy was there while Keswick was up talking to Mr. Mycroft,” stated Cragmore. “I guess Keswick came down and joined him over a half-hour ago.

Wouldn’t you say so, Tilson?”

“Maybe less,” rejoined Tilson. “They were both in there when I brought the

file cabinets from the express office.”

“That’s right,” agreed Cragmore. “You wanted to speak to Mr. Mycroft, so I

went upstairs and told him. He said to send you up -“

“And when I went up, he said to tell you to help bring in the cabinets,”

added Tilson. “So we’re bringing them in now.”

“And so!” exclaimed Zelda. “Neither of you saw them come out of the library!”

“Naturally not,” returned Cragmore, “because they went out by the side door. They’d parked their cars around by the garage, as most visitors do.”

Cragmore crossed the living room, opened the door to the library, and gestured toward the side door in the far wall. A light was burning in a corner alcove, so the secretary went over and pressed the switch that turned it off.

When he returned, Zelda was telling Tilson and Huling what she and Margo had overheard. When Cragmore heard it, his twitchy lips became twitchier than ever.

He pounced for the living room telephone, dialed a number, and exclaimed:

“I’m calling Sheriff Blassingame! Mr. Mycroft ordered me to do so in case of an emergency.”

The call was brief. Cragmore finished it by announcing that the sheriff would arrive within a quarter-hour. Tilson decided that would just allow time to bring in the remaining file cabinets, and Huling volunteered to help. That brought an excited nod from Cragmore, as he exclaimed:

“Then I’ll go right up and tell Mr.

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.