Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 054 by Maxwel l Grant

Author:Maxwel,l Grant
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf

CHAPTER XIII. THE COMMISSIONER SPEAKS.

IT was midnight. Inspector Timothy Klein and Detective Joe Cardona were at the scene of crime.

Standing in the room where Hiram Engliss had died, they were discussing the facts that they had learned.

The telephone bell began to ring. Inspector Klein picked up the instrument from the table beside the bed.

The call was from police headquarters. Cardona judged that from Klein's conversation.

"We've fixed one point," declared the inspector, grimly, as he laid the telephone aside. "They've compared the bullets. The same gun was used to kill both Jerome Neville and Hiram Engliss."

"Which means the same murderer," asserted Cardona. "I saw that right away, inspector. Those ashes in the living room grate--"

Cardona paused as a man entered the upstairs room. It was Clyde Burke. The detective stared at the reporter.

"No alibi for being late to-night," announced Clyde. "It doesn't matter, though. Looks like I've walked in on something interesting."

"You have," admitted Cardona. "Here's the link you want. You can tell the public that we're after one murderer. The same man killed both Neville and Engliss."

Clyde nodded as he scrawled the item on a sheet of folded copy paper. He was about to put a question when the telephone bell jingled. Again, Klein answered.

"Hello," greeted the inspector. "Yes. This is Midtown nine-one-three-six-two... Final report, eh? Only one call out of here to-night? Yes...We know about that one... It was a call to the police..."

"Engliss heard the murderer break in," explained Cardona, to Clyde. "He put in a call for help. The killer must have got him right after that."

"Fingerprints?" inquired Clyde, briskly.

"None," responded Cardona.

"No link-up with the Crane case?" asked Clyde.

"None at all." Cardona was almost savage in his retort. "That's out, Burke. Do you understand? We've got enough trouble without you--"

"All right, Joe." Clyde's easy tone mollified the detective. "Don't worry. I'm not mentioning it. This is enough. How did the murderer get away tonight?"

"In a taxicab," stated Cardona. "Chased the driver and the passenger to the sidewalk. We picked up the empty cab a dozen blocks away. It's the same story. Nobody got a good look at the killer. Of all the dumb clucks--"

KLEIN and Burke turned toward the door as they saw Cardona pause. Like the detective, they recognized the stalwart form of the new arrival. It was Police Commissioner Ralph Weston.

"Have you completed your report, Cardona?" questioned Commissioner Weston, brusquely.

"Yes, sir," replied the detective. "Inspector Klein just received word from headquarters. They say that the bullets--"

"I've heard about the bullets," interrupted Weston. "You take charge here, Inspector Klein. I want Detective Cardona to come along with me. Are you ready, Cardona?"

The detective nodded. Weston turned and started down stairs. Cardona followed. Inspector Klein spoke

warningly to Clyde Burke.

"Go easy in your story," said Klein. "Don't play it up about the commissioner being here. I think he's on the war path. He doesn't like it when we give out too much."

"All right, inspector," agreed Clyde. "Give me a few more facts and I'll call it a night. I'm due at the office anyway.

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.