The Shadow - 114 - The Strange Disappearance Of Joe Cardona by Maxwell Grant

Author:Maxwell Grant
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Street & Smith
Published: 1936-10-31T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XI

THE LAST NAME

THE address on Twenty-sixth Street was of a small apartment house; a building that looked new when compared to the old houses near it. The Shadow came along the street on the side where the apartment house was located. He passed the small entry where a light shone through a glass door.

Again, The Shadow was obscured by darkness. He had brought his brief case with him. After leaving the subway, he had put on his blackened garments. On this secluded section of Twenty-sixth Street, lights were feeble, encrusted with freezing sleet. The terrain was well suited to The Shadow’s mode of unseen

motion.

The Shadow avoided the front of the apartment building; not only because there the light was stronger, but because he expected the arrival of Courtney Grell. The Shadow knew that the sallow-faced schemer could not have arrived as quickly by cab as The Shadow had by subway.

With time to spare, The Shadow crossed the street. From a darkened spot, he viewed the little apartment house. An angled outlook gave The Shadow a good idea of the building’s construction.

The apartment house was nothing more than a pair of converted residences that had been joined and equipped with a false front. From straight across the street, the structure presented a good appearance; its modern style indicated that the added construction had been done within the past few years.

From an angle, however, the roofs of the old houses showed at the sides and gave an ugly contrast. The chief reason why they were visible was because they extended deep into the building block. Furthermore, there were spaces on each side of the apartment house. Those indicated routes to the back of the double building. The Shadow conjectured that there must be a regular rear entrance.

The apartment house was four stories high. There were dim lights in windows on the first three floors, but none on the fourth. The top-story apartments were either vacant, or the occupants were out.

Soon after The Shadow had completed his survey of the building, a taxicab pulled up and a man alighted. It was Courtney Grell. The Shadow watched the sallow man pay the driver. The cab went away. Grell entered the apartment house. Immediately, The Shadow crossed the street. He drew close to the doorway, stopped on the very fringe of the lighted space in front.

Grell was standing in the entry thumbing a button on the wall. He had evidently found Lenger’s name card.

There was no answer to Grell’s ring. The sallow man brought out a watch.

He eyed the time, turning the dial toward the light that topped the entry. The Shadow saw the face of the timepiece, noted that it was quarter past nine.

Grell gave a few more futile jabs at the button, shrugged his shoulders and turned toward the door. The Shadow drew back in darkness farther than necessary to avoid Grell’s observation. The reason for his extended move was a taxicab, slowing as it came along the street. Like Grell’s cab, this taxi stopped in front of the apartment house.

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.