The Strange Disappearance of Joe Cardona by Maxwell Grant & Walter Gibson

Author:Maxwell Grant & Walter Gibson [Grant, Maxwell & Gibson, Walter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Espionage, Fiction, Thrillers
Amazon: B00332DS1K
Publisher: Street & Smith
Published: 1936-11-15T08:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XII. DOOM'S LONE CLUE

FIVE minutes distant from Lenger's apartment house, The Shadow reached a telephone, located in the gloom of a side entrance to an antiquated office building that stayed open for the benefit of late tenants.

The Shadow made a quick call to Burbank, for he knew that Selbart's number would be unlisted. Burbank, however, had an excellent collection of unlisted numbers, always in readiness. The Shadow knew that Selbart's would be among them.

Burbank's response was prompt. To the contact man The Shadow delegated the duty of calling Selbart and delivering a warning. Burbank was excellent at that sort of job. His even, methodical tones carried an impressive touch across a telephone wire.

The call finished, The Shadow returned to the street. He saw a chance cab parked near the corner; its fidgety driver was ready to pull away as soon as a traffic light turned green. Evidently the hackie figured that he would make out better cruising on this stormy night than by standing still.

The hackie was wrong. As he shoved the car in gear, he heard a quiet voice speak from the back seat. Turning about, he stared into darkened depths. The voice gave a destination near Park Avenue, told the hackie to hurry. The fellow gawked no longer. He had the passenger he wanted. The fact that his fare had seemingly come from nowhere was a secondary matter.

As he drove along, however, the cab driver was determined to keep tabs on his passenger. He did not want to let that unseen rider slip away as weirdly as he had arrived. None the less, the hackie's vigilance failed him.

One block from the given destination, the cab slowed to make a final right turn. Something fluttered from the driver's shoulder; when it reached his lap, the man saw that the object was a five-dollar bill. Jamming the brakes, the hackie looked into the back seat. He turned on the dome light. The mysterious passenger was gone.

The Shadow had seen another cab coming from a side street. It was the one manned by Moe. Burbank had evidently contacted The Shadow's speedy cab driver after calling Selbart's penthouse. The Shadow boarded his own cab as it slackened on the crossing. Once inside, he whispered the word:

"Report."

MOE gave the news. Burbank had called Selbart but there had been no answer from the gambler's penthouse. Burbank had dispatched Moe to be in readiness, should The Shadow need him.

The cab neared the apartment house where Selbart lived. Dropping off, The Shadow noted the front entrance of the building. It was an old structure, only ten stories high; but its nearness to Park Avenue had kept it fashionable. The Shadow saw a uniformed doorman pacing the lobby. Ordinarily, the attendant belonged outside; but he had gone indoors because of the miserable weather.

Looking upward, The Shadow barely discerned the outline of the penthouse against the sullen illumination of the city's lights, a glow that persisted despite the driving storm. The Shadow noticed that the penthouse was situated at the front corner of the building on the side toward Park Avenue.

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