The Shadow 168 The Lone Tiger by Maxwell Grant

Author:Maxwell Grant [Grant, Maxwell]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Street & Smith
Published: 1939-01-31T23:00:00+00:00

THE SHADOW was crediting Mileson with the entire discovery. His mind in a whirl, Mileson did not dispute the details. Instead, he nodded wearily, which made it appear that he agreed with Cranston’s testimony.

“Did Erwig phone here?” Weston asked Mileson. “At some time after eight o’clock?”

There was a negative shake of Mileson’s gray head.

“There was a call before eight,” said Mileson, “but I don’t believe that it came from Erwig.”

“I think it did,” objected Treefe. Then, apologetically, as he turned toward his employer: “You’ll remember that I answered it, Mr. Mileson.”

“I remember,” nodded Mileson. “Go right ahead, Treefe.”

“The fellow asked for Mr. Mileson,” explained Treefe, to Weston. “I said that Mr. Mileson wasn’t here - which he wasn’t, because he was downstairs. I said I’d get him, so I told the fellow to hold the line.

“Instead, he muttered funnylike. All I could make out of it was something about calling up later. Either he hung up on me, or the connection went sour.

Anyway, he didn’t say where I could get hold of him.

“For the next ten minutes, I was trying to trace that call through the phone company, but I had no success. So I went downstairs and told Mr. Mileson that some guy had called him, and would call again.”

Mileson nodded his recollection.

“It may have been Erwig,” he admitted. “He could have become too eager to wait until eight o’clock, though I didn’t think so at the time. My error” - he shook his head sadly - “was in not telling Treefe to be ready for an important call.

“I forgot, too, that the mantel clock in my smoking room is sometimes slow. I didn’t realize that, until I said to Treefe: Why, it’s only quarter past seven; then he looked at his watch and told me it was ten minutes of eight.”

COMMISSIONER WESTON gestured to indicate that the discussion no longer interested him. He had wanted to learn if Erwig had actually completed a call at the time when he was murdered, since a listener, across the telephone, could

be classed as a witness. There was something else that interested Weston: the matter of the topaz necklace.

He had the gems with him, and spread them on the desk for Mileson’s identification. The best that Mileson could do was offer the topaz earrings, to

see if they matched, which they did. Earrings and necklace appeared to be parts

of one set.

Cardona, meanwhile, was carrying on a side conversation with Treefe, which

The Shadow overheard.

“They tell me you’ve been bossing a lot of agency boys,” said Joe, in an affable tone. “Been chasing them around to see what they could pick up on Erwig?”

“Yeah,” returned Treefe. “I’ve been chasing around myself, too.”

“Get anything?”

“Nothing worth while. Nobody seemed to know the guy. Here. Take these along and look ‘em over.”

Treefe handed Cardona some duplicate copies of reports filed by private operatives. While Joe was glancing at them, Treefe began to hint at what he wanted in return for his generosity.

“I stopped in to see old Cadbury,” remarked the private dick, “to find out

if Kremp had ever mentioned Erwig.

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