The Shadow - 135 - The Pooltex Tangle by Maxwell Grant

Author:Maxwell Grant
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Street & Smith
Published: 1937-09-30T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER X

BURGLAR BAIT

FIVE men stood in the bright arc light brilliance that made the siding outside the Pooltex plant as bright as day. Their eyes never left the car in which the precious cloth was sealed. The car was now coupled tight to a freight

train which had backed smoothly out of the darkness from the main line.

In a moment or two the train would begin its long journey to New York.

The

faces of the five men were grim. The treacherous workman, Paul Dominick, had made a clean get-away. So had the mysterious marauder in the black cloak. But tonight the cloth was being properly guarded.

Only a criminal miracle could wrest that consignment from the hands of the

men locked inside the box car at the end of the train.

Wallace and Pool stood together, conferring in whispers with Leach. The other two men were the factory watchman and his assistant. Both had pursued Paul Dominick in vain. They had reported that he was nowhere to be found.

A railroad brakeman stood near by with a lighted lantern. He kept away from the group under the arc light and made no effort to approach the locked Pooltex car.

His orders were strict. Having made sure that the box car was efficiently coupled, he and every other member of the train crew were to leave it alone.

A trainman who approached that box car was taking his life in his hands.

At the first indication of tampering with the seals, the guards within were prepared to spray lead from the machine gun which was set up on a tripod just inside the locked door.

A sudden toot from the locomotive made a warning bellow in the darkness.

The brakie swung the lantern and the train echoed with ghostly bangings as it got into motion. The brakie swung upward to the steel rungs of a vertical ladder. Hanging there like a monkey, he rode steadily away into the gloom.

OUTSIDE the factory door, the rails of the siding stretched empty under the strong brilliance of the overhead light. Wallace and Pool remained there, conferring in low voices. Andrew Leach stood apart from them, staring up the track where the freight had vanished.

A voice said timidly: “Any special orders for tonight, Mr. Wallace?”

Wallace turned and stared at the watchman. He started to say something, but he was interrupted by Leach. The laboratory assistant said quietly:

“I’d like to make a suggestion, if I may. I think I have a sensible plan, and one that ought to be followed.”

Wallace hesitated. But Pool nodded with instant interest. Leach’s calm voice seemed to reassure him.

“What did you have in mind, doctor?”

“Just this. I think this factory, and not the car that just left, is the spot to be watched for trouble.”

“Why?” Roy Wallace interrupted.

“Because those two crooks put to flight tonight are well aware that the car on that train is theft-proof. They won’t dare to try what they did on the first shipment of cloth. Unless I’m badly mistaken, one or both of those crooks

is going to try to sneak into the factory here tonight.

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.