The Shadow 277 The Toll of Death by Maxwell Grant

Author:Maxwell Grant [Grant, Maxwell]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Street & Smith
Published: 1944-02-29T23:00:00+00:00

Rexford’s statement was meant for the townsmen who now formed an interested cluster and it took immediate effect. Observing the nods that passed among them, Venner decided that Rexford was becoming too well liked, but he didn’t argue the point. Instead, he bluntly took over the leadership with a big-armed gesture in the general direction of Ragged Rock.

“It’s moonlight now,” announced Venner. “Mr. Grantham here will tell you that the curse is off. Suppose we spread along the slope and see what we can find. I hope it won’t be anything unfortunate, like what happened to poor Ferris.”

Somewhat gingerly, the throng began to spread. In several minutes the widened pack was moving up the slope in what struck Shirley as an exact reversal of the rough curve that the irregular shadow followed every afternoon. At times, men dipped from sight on the undulating ground, while others suddenly appeared on the tops of the stone walls. The strong moonlight rendered the hunt decidedly uncanny.

At last a shout came from a wave of ground just to the right of the old blocked road and not far from the gully. The place was below the boulder territory, but sheltered by the remains of an ancient stone wall.

Shirley and her uncle were among the first to reach the scene and they found two men pointing down into the ruins of an old cellar.

“Look thar!” A man was pointing to a star-spread body. “He must have stumbled right into it. Like a trap, I’d call it, seeing as how this was one of them old houses that was here afore Black Arthur’s time!”

More shouts brought men from along the slope, among them Anson Venner. The burly leader of the local farm bloc was the first to identify the victim who lay sprawled in the old, deep cellar. Even in the moonlight, Venner could make out the man’s features, for he knew them quite well.

“It’s Thurnow!” boomed Venner. “The erosion expert who arrived today. But he wasn’t supposed to come up here until tomorrow!” Cutting off, Venner turned in challenging style and saw the person that he wanted. “This is your work, Rexford!”

“Be yourself, Venner,” returned Rexford, in his easy purr. “I only met Thurnow for a few minutes. Now how could I have induced him to come up here and stumble into an old pit that I never even saw?”

“You brought him here and threw him in - that’s what you did!”

“And why would I do that?”

“You know, well enough! Thurnow was going to prove that this land was good. You wouldn’t have been able to buy it then.”

Turning on his heel, Rexford faced a semicircle of local farmers who had gathered around. They looked like an awkward squad, with their variegated firearms tilted at curious angles.

“Haven’t I always told you this land was good?” demanded Rexford. “Haven’t I asked you to name your prices for it - those of you who are lucky enough to own such fine soil? You know the motto of

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