Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 273 by Maxwel l Grant

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

CHAPTER XII. THE HUMAN CLUE

COMMISSIONER WESTON was holding session at the precinct station near Surrey Place. Weston was grilling a very unhappy truck driver who kept telling the same story over and over, with no variation whatever. In an effort to end the mugging racket, Weston was accusing the trucker of many things that didn't hold, just in the hope that the man might turn out to be a lead.

It was Weston's argument that the truck driver could have brought a load of muggers to Surrey Place. In that case he would have run down one victim deliberately and let the muggers handle another. The truck driver continued to protest his innocence, so Weston finally dropped the quiz and decided to hold him only on the accident charge.

As soon as the truck driver had gone to a cell, Weston sought an opinion from Cardona.

"What do you think, inspector?"

"The story stands up," replied Cardona. "The truck was coming along the avenue and Wilbur Pell stepped in front of it. That happens a lot in these dimouts. Besides, Pell wasn't robbed. His wallet, his money, everything else was on him. That's how we identified him."

Nodding slowly, Weston didn't see his friend Cranston who had just entered the station. In time to hear what Cardona said, Cranston noted that there was no mention of Pell's satchel. From his own observations while cloaked as The Shadow, Cranston did not feel that the omission could be charged against the truck driver. It simply proved that the driver hadn't seen the flying satchel that bounced off a house wall while the truck was halting farther along.

More important was the fact that the police had learned nothing of Pell's satchel from papers or other data in the dead man's pocket. They had missed badly in the matter of Anstead's brief case; they were doing worse with Pell's satchel. To The Shadow, those were vital clues with human angles; namely, Anstead and Pell themselves.

However, from the human standpoint, there was a clue that could count for more than either of those

dead men.

With accustomed nonchalance, Cranston inquired about this evening's events. He had stopped at the Cobalt Club, so he said, and had learned that Weston had sallied forth quite suddenly. Cranston was anxious to know the reason.

"It was another tip-off," explained Weston. "The same as before, from one of King Franzel's beggars.

The fellow didn't give his name, but he said he'd seen muggers hanging around Surrey Place. So we radioed the patrol cars to go there and made for the spot ourselves."

"With what luck, commissioner?"

"Good luck. A man named Pell was killed, but his death was an accident. Maybe muggers were responsible, because Pell might have been dodging them. But we rescued another victim, a chap named Waverly."

"Lee Waverly," stated Cardona. "Only we didn't exactly rescue him. The muggers let him go after they robbed him, because he didn't holler. We settled the muggers; picked them off when they were climbing a bridge approach. Here's Waverly's money and his wallet"— Cardona produced the items—"whenever he wants to claim them.

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