Death in the Stars s-197

by Maxwell Grant

  "The stars never fail," he laughed. "Neither does ice. Good work, professor. You've kidded us so far.

  Let's go back to our real purpose. You say that Paula Lodi would have given you her jewels eventually, if she had managed to keep them."

  "Very probably," nodded Scorpio, "and of her own volition."

  "I guess your point is proven," conceded Rundon, ruefully. "Paula was even starting to hand over some of her rings to that spook that you produced-"

  Rundon's pause tricked Scorpio. The professor thought that the speaker had finished his sentence; but such was not the case. Rundon was raising his glass, to help the pretense; and that clever touch brought just what he wanted-a triumphant grin from Scorpio's beard. Like a whiplash, Rundon snapped the rest of his statement.

  "-when Carradon tried to stop her!" The glass aside, Rundon was thrusting his strong jaw forward, while his eyes showed an accusing blaze. "That was the stumbling block, Scorpio! You'd never have gotten those jewels from Paula; not while Carradon was around!"

  Scorpio began to fume denials; but Rundon held the upper hand.

  "You even rang in a fake spook of Paula's first husband," continued Rundon, "figuring that was the only way of offsetting Carradon's influence. But Carradon spiked that game, the moment he saw it. He grabbed the phony ghost."

  "That's when your pals snatched the jewels. That's why they grabbed Carradon later. He knew that the ghost was cheesecloth, and that you were a faker. But even more important, he proved that he wouldn't let his wife remain a dupe."

  Totally outguessed by Rundon, Scorpio lost his head. He even forgot his weakened pose, by springing from his chair. In the light, The Shadow saw flecks of powder on Scorpio's beard; he had used it to make his face look pale. Forgetting discretion, the professor would have stormed some statements admitting his real racket, if another man hadn't entered the argument.

  It was Grendale who interrupted. Overanxious to dominate the situation, the big-browed financier decided to force the issue, and, thereby, he unwittingly helped Scorpio.

  Bounding to his feet, Grendale shook his fist at Scorpio's beard; used his other hand to beckon to the sheriff.

  "This man is a rascal, sheriff!" roared Grendale. "I demand his immediate arrest! Act at once, in the name of the law!"

  With Grendale's voice drowning out Rundon's, Scorpio came to his wits, shifting his defense to meet the new challenge.

  "My arrest?" he queried. "On what ground, Mr. Grendale?"

  "On a swindle charge," retorted Grendale. "Because of the fake ghost you produced last night."

  "What proof have you that the ghost was not real?"

  "The cheesecloth that Rundon mentioned!"

  Professor Scorpio shrugged. He looked around the room, as though expecting to see shreds of cheesecloth decorating the chandelier and other fixtures. He glanced at his visitors questioningly. Then, as the sheriff's hand clamped his shoulder, Scorpio chortled:

  "I see no cheesecloth. I still claim that my ghost was real. Where is your evidence that might prove otherwise?"

  "Search the place, sheriff!" ordered Grendale. "Turn it inside out. 'We'll find the proof of this fellow's fakery. We'll show him the evidence!"

  SCORPIO'S lips made a ruddy curve through his beard. He was grinning, with good reason. Last night's evidence had been destroyed and could never be used against him.

  There was another factor, that The Shadow recognized. Though Scorpio undoubtedly had other props, he certainly wouldn't keep them where any ordinary search would disclose them.

  The professor brushed the sheriff's hand aside as though it were a bothersome fly. Suave again, he bowed.

  "Go right ahead," he began. "You are quite welcome to search these premises, inside and out-"

  He paused. Fortunately for Scorpio his beard concealed his change of expression. He had forgotten something very important. The fact was apparent to The Shadow, though neither Grendale nor the sheriff caught it. Then, remembering Rundon's trick, Scorpio tagged another statement to his incompleted sentence.

  "Inside and out," he repeated, "after you come here with a search warrant! Until then, gentlemen, let us postpone our discussion."

  Scorpio clapped his hands for the Hindus. With many bows and courtesies, the servants ushered the visitors toward the door. Grendale was still trying to argue, but Rundon kept urging him along, insisting that a further stay was useless, to which Denwood agreed, after a glance at Cranston.

  Outside, they separated. Rundon and Grendale were taking a boat back to the Community Center, and the sheriff went with them. It was beginning to dawn on Grendale that he had ruined Rundon's efforts to make Scorpio show his hand.

  Something was dawning on Denwood, too, as he and his friend Cranston entered the speedboat which Harry Vincent had waiting at the wharf. Glancing back at the Castle, Denwood remarked:

  "Scorpio made a bad slip, but his recovery was clever. He'd have shown us through the place, if he hadn't remembered something. It couldn't be the stolen goods; that's something he never would have forgotten. I wonder what it is that he has hidden."

  "Something that he found quite useful," returned The Shadow, in Cranston's tone, "and which he may need again."

  "But what could that be?"

  There was a smile on The Shadow's disguised lips, as he named the answer to Denwood's question:

  "Edward Barcla."

  CHAPTER VIII. THE CHANCE TRAIL.

  BACK at Denwood's lodge, The Shadow summed up the Scorpio situation as it stood, doing so in a calm, impartial style suited to the manner of Lamont Cranston. He made his summary for the benefit of Harry and Denwood, whose cooperation he needed in ferreting out the sequence of unusual crime.

  The logic of Scorpio's position was The Shadow's theme. The bearded professor had spoken the truth, when he stated that the wealthy residents of the Calada colony were voluntarily pouring cash into his coffers. There were two weaknesses, however, to the original game, and each was dependent upon the other. The Shadow pointed them out, in detail.

  The first was how long the racket would last under rising opposition; the second, how soon Scorpio would be detected in a fraud.

  "We saw what happened last night," explained The Shadow. "Carradon was ready to do anything to combat Scorpio. But he acted through rage, not wisdom. He wanted to stop the séance, rather than expose it; but he almost accomplished both."

  "But what about Carradon?" queried Denwood, anxiously. "Is he dead or alive?"

  "Probably quite alive."

  "But he might be dead! Don't forget, Cranston, Drury was murdered in an attempt to kill you!"

  The Shadow shook his head.

  "The major crime is robbery," he declared. "on a wholesale basis. We must consider everything else as incidental. I was not scheduled for murder, Denwood. I was simply slated for elimination."

  "For elimination?"

  "Yes. Through death, because it happened to be the easiest way. If the plane had crashed, it would have been termed an accident. But in Carradon's case, abduction was simpler. If the crooks had been told to kill him, they would have settled him with bullets and left his body in the boathouse."

  The logic impressed Denwood. He began to see that crime had efficiency behind it. He could picture, too, that Carradon, or other persons-in fact, anyone but The Shadow-might be more useful to the crooks alive than dead.

  "Consider this question," suggested The Shadow. "Why was Carradon abducted at all?"

  "Simply answered," returned Denwood. "Because he grabbed the fake ghost."

  "Not at all," declared The Shadow. "Scorpio destroyed that particular evidence. Carradon was carried away because he saw the so-called lake monster and learned that it was actually a boat, used to convey stolen goods."

  Denwood's expression was one of complete amazement. He had thought of the lake monster as a myth; a wild dream of mistaken observers, which Professor Scorpio had heard about and exaggerated. No one, other than The Shadow, had guessed that criminals had
escaped by water the night before. The consensus was that they had fled through the woods beyond the boathouse.

  Scorpio can talk, and will," assured The Shadow, "but not under the crude persuasion used today. He must be confronted with facts that we can obtain through an accomplice."

  "Such as Barcla?" questioned Denwood.

  "Yes," replied The Shadow. "But Barcla is now with Scorpio. We must look for another man."

  "Among the actual jewel thieves?"

  "No. They came into the living room in the dark, and went out by the veranda door, to escape in the boat. They had nothing to do with the spook act. But there was a man that I met outside the cellar window, who had a hammer. His job was to nail the trap from below, after the séance; but Scorpio decided to fire the house, instead."

  "One of Scorpio's Hindu servants?"

  Again, The Shadow answered. Denwood was jumping to too many wrong conclusions. The Shadow explained that he had gone to Scorpio's today partly to check on the servants in question. Neither of the scrawny Hindus could have been the hammer man. His build was chunky.

  "In all probability," decided The Shadow, "the man was one of the Lodi servants, planted there by Scorpio. One of your servants betrayed you, Denwood; hence we can assume that there are other traitors in the colony. I think that Vincent and I shall call at the Lodi home, this evening."

  THE SHADOW finished with a cryptic smile, which indicated that he had no more to say. But Denwood, viewing the inscrutable features of Cranston, decided that there were many more details that remained unmentioned.

  Until dusk, The Shadow worked at Denwood's desk, studying the locations of the previous robberies and asking about rumors that concerned the lake monster.

  Recalling those rumors, Denwood realized that the monster had been seen on the evenings when Professor Scorpio had given séances, and could, therefore, be linked with the crimes.

  So far, suspicion had attached only to Scorpio, because he had been in the homes where valuables had been missing later. Furthermore, Scorpio, despite his mystic claims, was a tangible thing, whereas the lake monster was commonly regarded as imaginary.

  It was bold of Scorpio, Denwood decided, to talk openly about the thing seen in the lake. Since people who challenged Scorpio doubted everything he said, they would naturally reject the monster story more and more, every time Scorpio mentioned it.

  By dusk, Denwood's chart was crisscrossed with lines, the main stem being the bearings that The Shadow had taken on the mountain peak the night before. The lines were a mere maze to Denwood, but he felt that The Shadow was tracking down the curious man-made creatures that actually glided through Lake Calada on nights when crime was rampant.

  With Harry, The Shadow set out in the speedboat, but when they reached the Lodi dock they separated.

  Harry took the path to the hacienda, while The Shadow circled through the woods. He wanted to take another look into the cellar, to see what evidence he might discover of a trapdoor in the charred remnants of the alcove floor.

  Paula Lodi was in the living room, in a very weepy mood, but quite pleased because people had come to visit her. She was talking about Carradon in one breath, and Scorpio in the next. Both were "poor dears," in Paula's estimation, and she felt that they would eventually understand each other.

  She was sure that Carradon would return, and she hoped that Scorpio would be well enough to give his lecture at the Community Center, which was scheduled for this evening. Unfortunately, Paula would not be able to go, but Professor Scorpio had sent a horoscope to cheer her.

  Among those present, Harry saw Lois Melvin, who-to her credit-was not much impressed by Paula's weeping. But Harry was more interested in noting the servants; and he spotted the man he wanted, a stocky fellow named Rufus.

  He was the only one who answered the description given by The Shadow; and his face was new to Harry. Evidently, Rufus had kept very much in the background the night before, which further identified him as the hammer man.

  Cutting his visit short, Harry went down to the dock, but found the speedboat missing. He heard its thrum out on the lake and knew that The Shadow, not expecting him so soon, had gone on an excursion after finishing his trip to the cellar. Harry decided to wait on the dock.

  A TRIP back to Paula's living room would have been preferable, for a reason that Harry did not guess.

  At that moment, Paula, in her usual fluttery fashion, was handing the horoscope to Rufus, telling him to put it carefully away.

  Carrying the printed paper, Rufus stopped near the fireplace; studied the horoscope by the light from the logs.

  Only Lois noticed the servant's action. After Paula sent Rufus on some errand, Lois stepped to the bookshelf where he had tucked the horoscope, and obtained it. Since no one was near the fireplace, the girl copied Rufus' action of reading the paper by the firelight. She scanned one paragraph: A usual characteristic of this sign is medium height, few persons being over five feet nine. It is not meet for them to worry at trifles: they should watch their action, and place confidence in friends, before making decisions.

  A change came over the paper. An invisible hand seemed to imprint it with dabs of brown. The thing was spooky, and Lois nearly lost the paper from he shaky hands. Then, steadying, she saw that the marks were numbers, each inscribed upon a word.

  The paragraph then read:

  A us(3)ual characteristic of this si(10)gn is medium height, few persons being over five feet ni(6)ne. It is not me(1)et f(9)or them to worry a(2)t trifles: they should wa(8)tch their action, a(7)nd pl(4)ace confidence in friends, be(5)fore making decisions.

  In rotation, from one to ten, the words spelled a message:

  Meet at usual place before nine and watch for sign.

  Lois turned from the fireplace. Nearing the bookshelf, she glanced at the horoscope again. The brownish numerals had faded from the important paragraph. She recognized that they were in a sympathetic ink that appeared under heat but faded when the paper cooled.

  Hurriedly thrusting the paper where she had found it, Lois went out to the veranda just as Rufus returned.

  Lois linked the obvious. The chart was one of Professor Scorpio's. Rufus had held it by the fire to read it.

  There must be some connection between Scorpio and Paula's servant. As for the meeting place in the note, Lois could guess it: Scorpio's Castle.

  Starting down the path, Lois used a flashlight to pick a side route. It was a little-used path along the water, that led to the Castle, nearly a mile away, on this same shore of the lake. Lois knew the path, was sure she could cover the ground in ten minutes. She wouldn't have to worry about the flashlight, she thought, as she neared the Castle.

  From the dock, Harry watched the light dwindle among the trees. He did not follow; instead, he sneaked toward the boathouse and produced his own flashlight, intending to signal The Shadow as soon as the speedboat came close enough.

  Suspecting that the person on the path was Lois, Harry darted occasional glances to make sure that no light followed the girl's. He saw none; hence reasoned that she was safe for the time being. But Harry could not observe what happened in the Lodi hacienda.

  Rufus had stopped by the bookshelf. He noted the horoscope turned askew; drew it out far enough to notice dim marks in brown, that should have faded completely several minutes before.

  Unobserved by Paula, the servant entered a darkened room, looked off in the direction of Scorpio's Castle. He caught the last twinkles of Lois' flashlight.

  Easing the door shut, Rufus sidled to a telephone and made a prompt call, speaking in a whisper that he confined to the mouthpiece. He reported that Lois had intercepted the message and had started for the Castle. Rufus finished that call with a low chuckle.

  It was only eight o'clock, an hour before the scheduled meeting time. But there would be a meeting, and not a usual one, in advance of nine.

  Others would be promptly on their way, to handle this emergency. If he could get away conveniently, Rufus intended to j
oin them. Their new purpose would be to put an end to Lois' expedition before she interfered with previous plans.

  On this occasion, Rufus was quite sure that neither he nor his comrades in crime would meet with interference from The Shadow.

  CHAPTER IX. DOUBLE FLIGHT.

  THERE were lights on Scorpio's dock when Lois neared it. The fact puzzled her, for the moonlight showed the professor's own speedboat moored off shore, and Lois could hear the lap of water against its sides. The Professor's craft was small and rakish, about the fastest thing on the lake. It was one that Paula had given him.

  Stealing closer through the trees, Lois saw why Scorpio had no need for his own boat. A compact cabin cruiser was at the dock; it supplied the lights that Lois observed. Some of the professor's loyal disciples had come to take him to the lecture. He was standing there, wearing an oversized turban, his two Hindus with him.

  Lois watched the cruiser chug away. She remembered that Scorpio's lecture began at nine, and would take at least an hour. He wouldn't be back until ten-thirty, and his servants would be gone that long, too.

  It was rather puzzling, considering the secret message that had come to Paula's.

  Suddenly, Lois had a likely answer.

  Professor Scorpio was under suspicion; his servants likewise. He might fear that his Castle was being watched. If so, he would be making a grave mistake to meet with his accomplices. But that would not prevent them from meeting on their own, at his order. Perhaps special instructions awaited them in the Castle.

  It might mean opportunity for Lois. With nearly a half hour to spare, she could enter the Castle; if she didn't find anything, she could hide and witness the coming meeting. With that plan in mind, the girl crept up the slope.

  Lois hadn't bargained with her own imagination. At the shore, the purr of motors, the lap of the lake ripples, had been contact with life. All that was gone. Wooded silence was deadly. She felt dwarfed by the giant California pines towering above her.

  The Castle reared up like an awaiting monster. Its stony hulk resembled a crouching sphinx come suddenly to life, ready to devour her. Shuddering, Lois took a while to regain her nerve; then she advanced, careful not to use her flashlight.