The Shadow 122 Murder House by Maxwell Grant

Author:Maxwell Grant [Grant, Maxwell]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Street & Smith
Published: 1937-02-28T23:00:00+00:00

What The Shadow needed was evidence regarding the number of persons in the

darkness. That gained, he could decide upon his best course. This early in the game, the smartest step would be to depart before prowlers arrived. The question was the choice of routes.

The quickest way to leave was by the embankment above the ledge. The surest would be back along the ledge itself. The one that offered trouble and hazard was down among the rocks by the alders. Nevertheless, it was the one upon which The Shadow decided.

The alders offered a hiding spot; sufficient camouflage even in The Shadow’s present attire. His trousers and shirt were dark blue; they would be difficult to spy by flashlight. If prowlers had heard The Shadow’s unguarded approach, they would first search the ledge and the path back toward the glen.

They would imagine that they had guessed wrong when they thought they heard some one; or they would decide that a blunderer had retraced his course before their arrival. Meanwhile, from the alders, The Shadow could check the number of

the prowlers; perhaps overhear their conversation. The one problem was to reach

the vantage point he wanted. That, to The Shadow, was not formidable.

Easing over the ledge, The Shadow groped in noiseless fashion for a foothold below. No matter how precarious the descent might be, he was confident

that he could complete it without discovery.

A tiny pebble slipped beneath The Shadow’s fingers; it made a slight clatter on the rocks below. The sound was not loud enough to be heard more than

a dozen feet away. It served The Shadow, instead of hindering him; for from the

sound he could gauge that he would have to lower himself about five feet before

he could swing to a toehold under the ledge.

Oddly, the pebble seemed to answer with an echo. For a moment, The Shadow was puzzled. A repetition of the sound, slightly louder, gave him the sudden answer.

While The Shadow was planning to glide downward from the ledge, someone was scaling up from below!

EVIDENTLY that man had seen The Shadow’s flashlight glints, a short while ago, but had not heard the approach of the prowlers whom The Shadow detected.

Why the man had lurked among the alders was a puzzle, for the embankment above offered a much better spot under ordinary conditions. The Shadow had decided on

the alders only because of emergency.

It was dangerous to descend the ledge with the unknown man coming up. It was better to goad that fellow into quick action, so that he - like The Shadow

- could combat the creeping men from the creek.

Edging back upon the ledge, The Shadow waited until he heard the other man

reach the top. With that, The Shadow suddenly turned on his flashlight in the fellow’s direction.

In the shaft of light, The Shadow gained his first sight of Hector, the farm hand who had served as Cardona’s guide. Spotted on the ledge, Hector was too startled to use his own flashlight, or to grab up the shotgun that he had just dragged from the brink.

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