The Shadow 130 House of Silence by Maxwell Grant

Author:Maxwell Grant [Grant, Maxwell]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Street & Smith
Published: 1937-06-30T22:00:00+00:00

THE answer came to Clyde. Mannie would suppose that Duke had gone to the doorway above, to look at the bound cop. That meant that Mannie would come along himself. No need to return. Clyde could wait for Mannie to walk into the trap.

“Come on,” voiced Clyde, low-toned to Duke. “You’re going with me.”

Clyde stopped. He heard other footsteps. Mannie was already stepping from the doorway. The short paces ceased. Mannie’s whisper came:

“What you lampin’, Duke?”

Duke’s body obscured Clyde from Mannie’s view. Without a word, Clyde jabbed the pistol more firmly against Duke’s chest. The yellow crook understood. He spoke to Mannie without turning.

“Nothin’, Mannie,” he replied. “Just keepin’ lookout.”

“No use bein’ under cover,” chuckled Mannie, still oblivious to Duke’s dilemma. “This town is soft. They’re all soft, the ones that Blink gets tipped off to.

“He’s workin’ with a big-shot, Blink is. I don’t know the guy, or who he is; but he knows his stuff. Blink’s the ace when it comes to handlin’ the jobs,

after the big-shot gives him word.

“But Shill is smart, too. Leave it to him to pipe the word through to the big-shot. I was with Blink when he seen Shill this mornin’, and I heard Blink say -“

A shuddering, muffled blast ended Mannie’s comment. The explosion came from close by, for the sidewalk trembled with the quake. Intervening walls had dulled the blast.

Clyde knew what it was. Crooks had entered the Northbridge National -

Blink and a crew of henchmen. They had blown the bank’s vault.

Clyde stood rigid. He was in a tough spot. He had Duke helpless; but he had to await Mannie’s move. He had hoped that the fellow would slide back into the entry; and Mannie did, but only part way.

Chancing a look through the show window, Clyde saw Mannie by the side window. He caught a hazy view of a pasty, tight-lipped face; then he saw a sudden leer on Mannie’s part. The thug had spotted Clyde. He was ready to leap out and aid Duke.

Clyde took the only course that came to him. Jolting forward, he gave Duke

an unexpected shove; one that was timely through luck, rather than design. It sent Duke hurtling backward, just as Mannie came from the doorway. Mannie snarled as he bounced back into the entry.

With his shove, Clyde kept on, straight for the bank corner. He had no time to turn after he rushed Duke. He guessed that the crooks would expect him to turn back. By crossing the dope, he gained a head start. The bank corner was

closer than the policeman’s doorway.

More than that, Clyde was maddened with the hope of thwarting crime.

Though death might be his lot, he was ready to thrust himself squarely into the

horde of criminals whom he knew must be around the corner.

AS Clyde wheeled past the corner, he saw two cars. One was a touring car, parked by the bank itself but pointed in the opposite direction. The other was a sedan, on the opposite side of the street, faced toward Clyde and closer.

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