The Hooded Circle by Maxwell Grant & Walter Gibson

Author:Maxwell Grant & Walter Gibson [Grant, Maxwell & Gibson, Walter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Espionage, Fiction, Thrillers
Publisher: Street & Smith
Published: 1940-01-18T08:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XI. CRIME'S NEW QUEST

INSPECTOR JOE CARDONA arrived in Pinewood on an early-morning train. This time the local authorities welcomed him, for they were at their wits' end.

They had taken it for granted that the Hooded Circle would not return to Pinewood. But there wasn't a doubt that the same nefarious mob had staged a repeat in the same locale.

Cardona agreed that one point was clearly established; namely, that Dustin Hayde had been the motivating power during the run of crime. It seemed quite evident that he had been covering up for the crooks, right from the start. The theories that Marjorie and Rudler had discussed were now the accepted opinions of the law.

Looking at the case from its present angle, it was obvious that Dustin Hayde, of all people, would have wanted to steal the "Seven Hells."

Benholme had paid him for the paintings, putting Hayde that much ahead in cash. But Hayde hadn't been satisfied with the price, and knew that they could be disposed of later, in foreign parts, for a much higher figure.

Such things were the sort that turned eccentric men like Hayde into avenues of crime. Cardona could vouch for it from past experience. Meeting up with mobsters when they served as models for his paintings, Hayde could have foreseen crime's opportunity.

Apparently, Hayde had slipped on one detail. Since thugs had helped him cover up his own actions, he should have helped them cover theirs. But Cardona had made positive, while in New York, that certain members of Cleek Dargo's former mob had visited Hayde's studio while the artist was at work on the "Seven Hells."

Cardona was quite convinced that Cleek's crew formed the Hooded Circle; that Hayde, in making a pencil sketch of Cleek, had merely been protecting himself.

Probably Hayde had hoped that Cardona wouldn't recognize the rough sketch unless he saw the actual paintings, too. Since the paintings were to be stolen before Joe could view them, Hayde must have thought that he was playing safe.

Hayde had blundered on that occasion, Cardona decided. He had blundered last night, too, when he had the Hoods attack the junk truck.

Benholme had talked about shipping certain valuables into Manhattan for safe storage. Hayde must have supposed that they were going in the truck, camouflaged as junk. But when he had gotten into the truck himself, Hayde had found out that its entire load was worthless.

Having brought the Hoods into Pinewood, Hayde had to get them out again. So he had gone ahead with his plan of blowing up the truck, expecting the driver to he killed in the blast. That failing, Hayde had been forced to flee with the Hoods.

Many points needed to be clarified, but Cardona was sure they would be when he located either Dustin Hayde or Cleek Dargo. Figuring that both were hiding out in Manhattan, Cardona went back to New York.

MEANWHILE Pinewood was troubled with a problem that Cardona hadn't bothered about. It was the servant problem, for the new raid by the Hoods had made it worse.

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