The Shadow - 262 - Death's Masquerade by Maxwell Grant

Author:Maxwell Grant
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Street & Smith
Published: 1942-12-31T23:00:00+00:00

more than a slight injury.

Clyde inquired the trouble.

“It’s my trick ankle,” complained Dane. “I tripped coming down Amon’s steps. Traymer is looking for a local doctor and Miss Gault is trying to get one of the specialists up at the house.”

“The specialists?” inquired Clyde.

Dane gave a pained smile.

“You should ask,” said Dane. “It’s because of you they brought the specialists there. Poor old Gault! They thought he’d gotten over the penny craze, until they found you in his counting room.”

“But Gault was penny mad the night before -“

“Not as mad as when you saw him,” interposed Dane. “He’s never handed pennies to anybody until you came along. The psychiatrists they imported call it a new complex, but between you and me, their opinions aren’t worth much. If there was one real doctor in the whole carload, he’d be down here looking at my

ankle.”

Just then the door opened and Traymer hurried in, accompanied by a local physician, who promptly proceeded to examine Dane’s ankle. When the doctor pressed the swelling, Dane gave a suppressed groan, then tightened his lips and

inquired:

“Is it dislocated, doc?”

“I don’t think so,” replied the physician. “It is more like a bad sprain.

Aggravated, no doubt, by your previous injury. Have you tried to walk on it?”

“Only a little.”

“A little might be too much. I should advise you to stay off this foot for

at least a week.”

Traymer began a protest.

“But the pageant tonight!” he exclaimed. “Mr. Dane is supposed to play the

principal part -“

“Don’t worry the doctor,” interrupted Dane. “We can settle that question ourselves. Right now, I hear the elevator, so wait a minute, doc, before you put on the bandage. I want some of those New York specialists to know what a sprained ankle looks like.”

Dane turned a grin toward Traymer, but his expression sobered when it reached Clyde. Hastily, Dane waved the reporter toward the door.

“Better get scarce, Burke,” said Dane. “If Miss Gault sees you, she won’t like it. As for you, Lady” - this was to Traymer - “I want you to keep Miss Gault occupied while the doctors are here. Don’t let her know my ankle is really bad, or she’ll suggest that Rexford take my place in the pageant as King

Progress.”

Following Dane’s advice, Clyde departed the office and was around the corner when the elevator stopped. He saw Diana and Margo step from the elevator, followed by a pair of the specialists that Dane had mentioned.

Traymer came from the office to hold the girls in conversation while the physicians joined the ankle consultation. Seeing a handy flight of stairs, Clyde used them to reach the street.

There didn’t seem much use in phoning for a cab from the phone booth in the building lobby. With traffic as it was, Clyde decided to walk back to the hotel. He quickened his pace when he looked back and saw Diana and Margo coming

from the building. Clyde wasn’t anxious to have another encounter with the fiery

Miss Gault.

The girls entered the limousine, and it sped them away

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