"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 101 - The Gray Ghost" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

should the missing secretary be captured.

Culden had come to Holmwood to find out if Hiram Windler intended to keep his appointment with
Martin Debrossler. That fact learned, Culden had left Windler's house with promptitude. He had
contacted another person, the real criminal, who intended to masquerade as the Gray Ghost.

Then Culden had set out to establish an alibi. The Gray Ghost did not intend to murder Windler until after
the victim had dined. Culden's job, therefore, was to be aboard the seven twenty-six, riding into New
York at the time of the murder.

Robbery was the Gray Ghost's next step—requiring a prompt visit to Debrossler's, following the murder
of Windler. Culden's alibi would be good almost until nine o'clock. But the alibi itself was a tricky
proposition. To be sure that it would hold, Culden needed two things to back it.

First: an excuse for having come to Long Island, to make the visit at Windler's seem innocuous. Second:
witnesses who would positively remember that he traveled all the way into the Pennsylvania Station on
the local train.

The dog served both purposes.

Culden had stopped somewhere to obtain the dog during the hour between his departure from Windler's
and train time. He could say, if questioned later, that he had come to Long Island to get the dog.

Because of the dog, he had found an excuse to ride into New York in the baggage car. He had rendered
himself so conspicuous that the baggage man and other members of the train crew would remember him,
if called upon to identify him later. At the same time, Culden had not found it necessary to mention his
name to the men in the baggage car.

That proved much to The Shadow.

It showed that Culden had wanted to avoid questioning, if possible. There were reasons why he held
such preference. Though his alibi was solid, Culden was probably squeamish about explaining himself to
the law; it would be better to dodge that ordeal, if possible. Moreover, since he was working for the
Gray Ghost, he was doing a service for the murderer by his policy aboard the baggage car.

Since the train crew did not know that they had carried Culden, the police had naturally picked the
secretary as the man they wanted. Weston and Cardona had chosen a blind trail. They were after the
wrong man.

Real clues to the Gray Ghost might still be found at Holmwood. That was why The Shadow had
remained.

MINUTES passed. A train slithered into the station. Several persons alighted and walked away. The
conductor extinguished the platform lights. Soon a man approached The Shadow's coupe. The Shadow
spoke in a whisper; the man stepped aboard the car.

The arrival was Harry Vincent, an agent of The Shadow's. He had caught the last train from New York,
in response to a telephone call that The Shadow had made immediately after leaving Debrossler's. Harry
had arrived at eleven-fifty. A distant clock was at present chiming midnight.