The Eyes of the Shadow s-2

by Maxwell Grant

  Vincent laughed.

  "We live near Ridge Road," he said. "We have a cottage about half a mile beyond. Would you like to run up and see the place?"

  Cooper studied Vincent rather quizzically. The invitation had been given in a friendly, matter-of-fact manner.

  "I suppose so," said Cooper. He seemed a trifle uneasy for the moment.

  WHEN the car pulled up in front of the cottage, Cooper was the first to alight.

  "He's our man," whispered Weston.

  "I know," replied Harry. "We must give him the information."

  They ushered the newcomer into the cottage. The man's eyes expressed interest as he observed the wireless equipment.

  "What's this?" he exclaimed. "A sending station?"

  "Yes," responded Vincent.

  "What is its range?"

  "Only a few hundred miles. But we can receive from a great distance."

  "Even from Russia," said Major Weston.

  Wheeling about, Cooper stared at the Englishman. His face seemed excited; his hands and arms trembled nervously.

  "Why did you say that?" he exclaimed.

  "Because I believed it would interest you," said the Englishman. "Mr. Cooper, I am your friend. Like you, I have an interest in Russia." He drew a paper from his pocket and unfolded it before the eyes of the astonished guest.

  "This came to me a few months ago," explained Weston. "It bears the seal of Prince Samanov."

  Cooper seized the paper and studied it with eager eyes. He examined the seal closely.

  "It is the same as the one I received," he said at length. "But why have you kept it? I destroyed mine. I suspected that there might be others, but I was not sure."

  "Why did you destroy it?"

  "Because I wished no one to see it. I read the message and remembered it. I received a second also. Did you?"

  "Yes. I have it here."

  Cooper uttered a sharp cry as he read the second message.

  "You were told to come eight days ahead! My second letter set the meeting but one day in advance.

  Tonight, instead of Wednesday. Did you go last Tuesday night?"

  The Englishman shook his head.

  "I learned that the second letter was a forgery," he said. "It was a snare to lure me to my death."

  Cooper's face betrayed signs of fright as he sank into a chair. He listened intently as Hubert Weston told the story in terse, cold words.

  "So you did not go!" exclaimed Cooper when the major had finished his account. "But what became of young Duncan? He could not have been foolish enough to have gone in your place."

  "We fear that he was," said Weston in a hushed voice. "He has been gone one week. Gone - perhaps to the same death encountered by the other four. You and I may be the sole survivors. We are indeed fortunate."

  "What shall I do?" questioned Cooper. "Stay here with you to-night? I cannot go alone."

  "Stay here, certainly. That fits in with our plan. We attack to-morrow night. Three of us. We had hoped to have four - Duncan, as well as yourself. Even now we outnumber the two who are at the old ruin. I doubt that they have others with them, although there might be one extra man."

  "The ape-man is powerful," interposed Vincent. "Do not forget that. I have encountered him."

  "Why not go to-night?" questioned Cooper.

  "We must abide by the decision of the man who is directing us. We are following our chief's plans."

  Garrison Cooper nodded. Then he addressed Major Weston.

  "It is fortunate, after all," he said, "that you kept the messages which bore Prince Samanov's seal. I destroyed mine for a very definite reason. I had received a letter from Prince Samanov some time after the Russian Revolution. It was a very personal letter, and in it were instructions to destroy it and all similar communications. I considered these last messages as similar communications."

  "What was your connection with my friend, the prince?" asked the Englishman.

  "I met him in France," said Cooper. "I loaned him a considerable amount of money, with no security other than his word. I supposed that at this meeting the debt would be repaid. I could see no danger in coming, but I did realize that there was need for secrecy, as Prince Samanov's agent might have had difficulty leaving Russia."

  "Have you come far?"

  "From Providence, Rhode Island."

  HARRY VINCENT was busy with the wireless. Garrison Cooper was curious as Major Weston peered into the box that stood on the table. He waited until the message had been sent.

  "What is that instrument?" he inquired.

  "A static eliminator," explained Harry. "It was put in here the -"

  "A very ingenious device," broke in Major Weston. "It was here when I came."

  "Yes," agreed Harry. "It was put in here by Duncan and myself the night we first came to the cottage. It was part of the equipment."

  He threw a thankful glance at Weston. Harry had caught himself just in time. Had he finished his sentence by saying "the night that Duncan disappeared," he would have revealed the fact that The Shadow had paid a mysterious visit to the cottage.

  Bruce Duncan had described his adventure to Harry and Weston, during the rational moments that he had had. They realized the part that The Shadow must have played, and the wireless message the next day had explained why the new instrument had been added to the wireless set.

  A reply came to Harry's message.

  "Same instructions," announced the young man. "Let matters rest to-night. The fact that Cooper does not appear will not change matters in the least. The big event will be to-morrow night. Chefano must remain there to meet the agent of Prince Samanov."

  "But when will that man arrive?" asked Cooper.

  "We don't know. Possibly in advance of midnight. We are to receive our final orders to-morrow afternoon."

  The three men drove to a town on the other side of the mountains for dinner. Harry advised against going to Culbertville. After they had made their trip, he urged his companions to remain in the new town during the evening. As a result, they did not get back to the cottage until after midnight.

  "Well, that's over," said Harry as they entered the house. "I'm glad we were away from here at midnight.

  I was afraid one of you might have become venturesome - as we presume Duncan did."

  "Poor Duncan," said Major Weston. "If he did fall into the trap, Chefano probably supposed that it was I. He may have been the fifth man that died."

  Garrison Cooper shuddered.

  "I was to have been the sixth victim," he murmured. "I am glad it is past midnight!"

  Cooper was to sleep in the room which Duncan had occupied. Major Weston went upstairs, leading the way. Harry Vincent remained by the wireless instrument, apparently to make a final call.

  He remained there for a full hour. Then he tiptoed noiselessly upstairs. He listened at the two closed doors - first at Cooper's, then at Weston's. Assured that both men were asleep, he retired.

  CHAPTER XXXVI. THE SURPRISE

  WEDNESDAY was a day of waiting. After one o'clock in the afternoon, Harry sent a few calls, but did not receive a response until nearly six. He repeated the message to his companions:

  "Further instructions will follow soon. Unless you are notified differently, follow this plan. Move at eleven o'clock, with Weston and Cooper. Surprise Chefano and the ape-man. Watch out for a third man called Frenchy. He may be in hiding. Wait outside the gates from nine o'clock on, in case the agent of Prince Samanov arrives early. Attack at eleven whether he has come or not. Then wait to meet him. You will not be aided. You three should be sufficient. Circumstances make assistance difficult. Report immediately after operations."

  Harry still kept the ear phones on his head in response to a "Stand by" that had followed the message.

  Code words came again, bringing unexpected instructions. Harry repeated the message aloud:

  "Send Major Weston to look at the cabin in the woods. He must go immediately. Tell him to make sure that it is deserted."<
br />
  The Englishman left the cottage. Presently another message came.

  If Weston has gone, call me to that effect. Be sure that the static eliminator is working. Tell Cooper to watch it.

  Harry reached for the sending key. He motioned to Garrison Cooper and pointed toward the box on the table.

  "Look in there," he said. "Be sure that the lights change regularly. The static must be bad."

  Cooper followed instructions while Harry called. Receiving the reply, he gave the information that Weston had left to investigate the old cabin. The answer came quickly: O.K. Stand by. Important.

  Harry waved Cooper from the instrument on the table. He removed his ear phones as he noticed the man's lips were moving.

  "I'm worried about Weston," said Cooper nervously. "Suppose I go out on the porch and watch for him?"

  "All right," said Harry. "But stay there until I come. There's no danger at the old cabin. This is just a precaution, I suppose."

  He clamped the ear phones on his head as Cooper left by the front door. A few minutes elapsed. Then came another message:

  Important. The stated time of operations remains the same. But immediately upon the return of Major Weston, tell Cooper that -

  The message ceased suddenly. Something seemed to have gone wrong with the receiving apparatus.

  Harry removed the ear phones and began an investigation. Then he went to the door. Cooper was standing on the steps, looking toward the woods.

  "Something has gone wrong with the wireless," said Harry.

  "Have you found the trouble?" asked Cooper anxiously.

  "No," replied Harry. "Have you seen Weston?"

  "Not yet."

  "I guess he'll be back any minute now. I'll try to locate the trouble."

  "Maybe it's the aerial."

  Harry went out to see. Cooper's surmise was correct. One end of the aerial had dropped from the side of the house. The other end was attached to a tree. A moderate wind was blowing, and Harry supposed that the swaying of the tree had caused the damage. He obtained a ladder from the back of the cottage.

  Cooper went in the house for a pair of pliers. As he arrived with them, Major Weston appeared from the woods.

  "Can I help?" he asked.

  "I'll have it fixed in a few minutes," said Harry from the top of the ladder. "Cooper can help if necessary."

  THE Englishman went in the house. He was smoking his pipe in the corner when Harry entered with Cooper. There was more difficulty with the wireless. Harry made a thorough inspection before he finally mended the trouble. He had wasted nearly an hour.

  He began to call, but received no response. He joined his companions at a cold supper, then returned to his operating, with no result.

  "It's nearly nine o'clock," observed Major Weston.

  The Englishman was right. The time had arrived for them to start, and Harry had not received The Shadow's final message! He wondered what it could have been. The accident to the aerial and the trouble with the set had been a strange coincidence.

  Yet Cooper had been on the porch when the first occurred, and Weston had been indoors on the second occasion. No one could have approached the cabin to tamper with the equipment without having been seen. There might be some reason why either Weston or Cooper could have wished to stop the wireless message, but certainly both men would not have desired it.

  Harry Vincent's mind was filled with absurd doubts. Then he realized that The Shadow had planned tonight's operations, and that the mysterious director had included both the Englishman and the newcomer in his instructions.

  The set was working now, yet there had been no response, which evidently signified that the interrupted message had been of minor consequence.

  It was dark outside. The night was clear, and the moon had not yet risen. Harry calculated that it would not become bright until very late - perhaps after midnight. It was imperative however, that they should start at once.

  He produced three automatics. Each of his companions took a pistol. Harry extinguished the lamps in the cottage.

  They arrived at the gates in silence. Two hours to wait. They were long hours during which the three men were impatient, although Weston passed the time rather easily by smoking his pipe, keeping his hand around the bowl to prevent the sparks from blowing. The wind sobbed eerily through the trees.

  "Eleven o'clock!"

  At Harry's announcement, the trio entered the gates and stole up the driveway. The moon was rising; the corner tower of the old ruin was plainly visible in the dim light. Harry led the way, keeping well in the shadow of overhanging trees.

  It was pitch-black in the shelter of the old ruin. All was quiet; the wind had ceased its low moaning with the rising of the moon. The three men reached the stone steps that led to the cellar. They could see the light from the passage.

  "I'll go first," whispered Harry. "Cooper next. Weston last. We must watch the rear. Keep by the steps here, major. Do not enter too far. Keep in touch with us."

  They huddled in a silent group.

  "Do not fire unless absolutely necessary," whispered Harry. "Capture them, if possible - Chefano and his ape-man. But we must guard against a third - in case there is another here."

  He did not explain the reason to Cooper, but the Englishman grunted affirmatively in the darkness. Major Weston was familiar with the details of Bruce Duncan's experience.

  "Remember," cautioned Harry, "that the Russian may be here soon. If he should hear shots, he might be alarmed. Hence we must work silently if possible. We are not expected. We can make a surprise attack."

  He entered the passage, moving noiselessly. Cooper followed, and as they neared the end of the passage, Harry made signs for the man to watch the door at the end. Cooper nodded that he understood.

  When he reached the turn to the right, Harry crouched cautiously. Then, with sudden action, he leaped into the lighted room. He saw Chefano at the table, the ape-faced man lying on the floor beside him. As the two rose, Harry covered them with his automatic.

  Consternation appeared on Chefano's twisted lips. The ape-man snarled at the sight of the gun. The creature had leaped upward; now it sank back as Chefano raised his hands.

  "Come on!" called Harry.

  Cooper rushed into the room, and Weston appeared at the end of the passage.

  "Watch that door, major," ordered Harry. "See if there's any one behind it."

  The heavy-set Englishman turned on a flashlight. He opened the door and threw the gleam beyond.

  "It's a small room," he said. "Two steps down. Empty."

  He made an investigation and returned.

  "Solid walls," he declared. "It's a regular vault. No other entrance."

  "Good," decided Harry. "We'll put them in there."

  He ordered Chefano to stand.

  "No foolishness," he declared. "Go down in that room and call your creature with you. Any false move -

  by either you or the ape-man - and it's bullets for you, Bernardo Chefano."

  The twisted lips were ugly as Chefano arose and obeyed. He hissed his commanding whistle. The cowed ape-man followed. Weston stood in the passage, his automatic ready, as the prisoners entered the vault.

  Harry was at the head of the steps, covering the scene with his flashlight. The Englishman joined the prisoners and calmly searched their clothes; the ape-man cowered during the operation. Weston took a revolver from Chefano's pocket.

  "No trouble from them now," he said calmly.

  He closed the door of the vault; it had a heavy hasp which the Englishman attached to the staple on the doorway, wedging the fastening in place with a bolt that was there for the purpose.

  COOPER smiled in a relieved way.

  "You fellows have nerve," he said. "I'll admit I was scared. You handled them as easily as if they were babies. Well, we have them now. But maybe there's some one else near by."

  "We'll watch for that," declared Harry. "Two of us can remain in this room, which is evidently the meeting place. T
he third must stand guard in the passage."

  "I'm willing," said Cooper. "What shall I do?"

  "Keep your back against the door to the vault. You can hear anything that happens there. Have your automatic ready. Then keep looking down the passage. The moment that you hear any one, come in here. If it is an enemy, we will be ready for him. If it is the messenger that we expected, we can explain everything to his satisfaction."

  "Good," agreed Major Weston.

  Harry sat beside the Englishman at the table. He held his automatic in readiness for a sign from Cooper, who had taken his place on guard.

  "There must be only two of them to-night," remarked Vincent in a low voice which only Major Weston could hear.

  "Duncan said there was a third," replied the Englishman quietly.

  "Yes," affirmed Harry. "A man called Frenchy. I don't think he's here. He's not needed. Chefano has the insignia. He should receive the money without question."

  "The insignia!" exclaimed the Englishman in a louder tone. "Chefano didn't have it when I searched him! It must be somewhere in the room!"

  Harry examined the table. It had no drawer. His eyes roamed about the room. There was a coffinlike box in one corner; opposite it were two smaller boxes.

  He laid his automatic on the table and went to inspect. Inside the top box of the two he found some envelopes and a small wooden case.

  "Look at these," he exclaimed.

  Major Weston glanced to make sure that Cooper was on guard. The man was looking in the room.

  "Watch the passageway," cautioned the Englishman. "You can look at these later."

  Cooper obeyed. Weston laid his automatic on the box upon which he had been seated and joined Harry.

  "Well!" came the voice of Cooper from the doorway.

  The others turned. They were staring into the muzzle of Cooper's automatic. A jeering laugh came from the man in the doorway.

  "Easy, eh!" he exclaimed. "You thought Chefano, and Jupe were easy! You are the easy ones! You thought there might be another man in the gang, but you never suspected he was with you all the time!"

  Harry Vincent and Major Weston were as motionless as statues. The unexpected climax had rendered them powerless. Transfixed with amazement, they watched their former companion stride to the table and pick up their pistols. He still covered them with his own gun.