The Crime Ray by Maxwell Grant & Walter Gibson

Author:Maxwell Grant & Walter Gibson [Grant, Maxwell & Gibson, Walter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Espionage, Fiction, Thrillers
Publisher: Street & Smith
Published: 1939-09-18T08:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XI. DARK TAKES THE SHADOW

AMONG the observers watching the destruction of the old Stuyvesant Bridge, one alone was lacking in amazement. That witness was The Shadow. Like the others, he had first been attracted by the crackles and groans that came from the higher portion of the failing bridge; but his attention was rapidly drawn elsewhere

Those snapping struts and yielding girders represented the effect produced by another cause. The reason for the bridge's impending collapse lay elsewhere. Training his powerful glasses toward the gorge, The Shadow spied the actual answer.

The great steel arch was supported upon two huge bases of stone. At one base only, on the near side of the gorge, great posts of steel were melting. The fact was scarcely discernible, even through the glasses, for the gully was gloomy and the sinking of unmelted steel filled the space left by the disappearing metal. Nevertheless, the process betrayed itself by another feature.

Unable to stand the grind of sinking steel that replaced the withered portion, the stone support was cracking. Bits of masonry were bounding into the gorge, unnoticed because their thuds were trivial compared to the shrieks and rumbles from the metal.

Though other spectators occasionally glanced toward the gorge, they saw nothing that afforded explanation of the crumbling base. Again, it was The Shadow who found a hidden answer.

Among the half dozen cars that were taking newsreel photographs, only one was stationed deep in the gorge. An odd spot for it to be, for although there was plenty of light higher up, the gorge itself was hazy.

Apparently, the newsreel photographer had come to his senses, for the camera car was swinging away from its position near the sinking end of the arch. It wasn't just a case of getting out from the danger zone; the camera car was heading for a small stone bridge that crossed the creek in the gorge depths.

A State trooper was challenging the car. The camera man gesticulated, shouted something and pointed upward. The officer waved him through. Obviously, the photographer had argued that the light was getting bad; but he wanted to get to the top of the gorge and take further shots from there.

That merely made half sense.

Once posted in the gorge, the camera car should have remained there, for the crash of the steel bridge was imminent. Down in the gorge, the photographer had at least a chance of getting shots that others would not have. He was giving up that opportunity at the moment when it was best.

More than that, because of the long road circling up to the trees, the camera car couldn't possibly reach a higher outlook before the bridge went. The camera car was acting either very crazily, or very cleverly. The Shadow knew instantly that the latter case was true.

The camera car was a camouflaged truck that carried Zurm's improved ray machine!

Thanks to their bluff, Shag and a few other crooks had placed themselves right at the bottom of the bridge. While one man had

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