The Shadow 257 Trail of Vengeance by Maxwell Grant

Author:Maxwell Grant [Grant, Maxwell]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Street & Smith
Published: 1942-10-31T23:00:00+00:00

Another car also intrigued them; it was a sedan, parked just across the street. The car had arrived only a few minutes before, and its driver still was in it, snug behind the wheel.

“It is most certainly Wight’s car,” said Timothy in an undertone. “It often stopped at your uncle’s house.”

“Who is the fellow in it?” inquired Bert. “Wight’s chauffeur?”

“I believe so,” Timothy replied. “Let me see”-he tapped his fingers to his forehead-“Wight’s chauffeur-Ah, yes! A rather dull chap, named Perry. Dull, but reliable.”

The patrol car swept past. Blinking after the lights had gone, Bert saw the chauffeur step from Wight’s car. Promptly, Timothy plucked Bert’s sleeve and whispered:

“Perry!”

“He’s expecting someone,” rejoined Bert. “He’s opened the rear door. Look, Timothy!”

Timothy looked, and shook his head. Perry was simply standing beside the rear door, with his hand on it.

“I guess I was a little previous,” admitted Bert. “I thought he was opening one of the doors. Wait, Timothy! He’s opening a door-the one on this side of the car!”

Instead of looking toward the car, Timothy grabbed Bert’s arm tightly and drew the young man around.

There was a sound from the firetower exit, just behind them. Perry must have seen it swinging outward and had therefore begun to make ready for a passenger.

A man stepped from the fire exit, carrying two suitcases. Bert thought the fellow must be a servant, until he heard a sharp hiss from Timothy:

“It’s Wight! Come! We must stop him!”

STOP him they did, with a combined drive that sent Wight back on his haunches, the bags flying away from him. He’d played a clever trick, Wight had, in posing as his own valet for the benefit of two new detectives that Cardona had sent to guard him. A trick that had bluffed The Shadow, who had arrived upstairs too late to see it staged, and therefore had been forced to rely upon the say-so of the duped detectives.

But Timothy wasn’t fooled regarding Wight. Nor did Bert overlook the matter of the bags. One suitcase, the larger one, broke open, showing clothing as its only contents, so Bert snatched the other, found it heavy for its size, and therewith flung it to a corner behind the firetower exit.

Bert thought that Timothy could handle Wight, but he was quite mistaken. In a fashion quite unseemly for his haughty style, Wight whipped a revolver from his overcoat pocket and aimed it Timothy’s way.

Bert made a flying lunge, that carried Timothy right from the gun’s path, to the same corner where the suitcase had gone. Wight clambered to his feet, to be met by Perry, who came dashing in from the street.

“Get into the car, sir!” called Perry. “Hurry! I’ll bring the luggage!”

Wight’s brief bravery ended. He thrust his gun into Perry’s hand and made a wild run for the waiting car.

It was a bad mistake, passing over the gun, more serious than Wight realized. He hadn’t corrected Perry on the matter of the luggage. The term “luggage” could apply to one bag, as well as two.

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