"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 114 - The Strange Disappearance Of Joe Cardona" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

inspector knew that the commissioner was actually using his office to curry
favor. With all his efficiency, Weston had that one fault. And it antagonized
Cardona.


THE taxi stopped in front of an old building on a secluded side street.
Alighting, Joe looked up at the darkened windows. He shrugged his shoulders,
deciding that Tabor must have already gone home. But when Cardona turned
about,
his taxi was gone. The driver had received his fare, and had pulled away while
Cardona was staring at the building.
There was a small lunch room several doors away. Muffling his face
against
the slicing sleet, Cardona strode in that direction. Entering, he sat down at
the counter, threw back his coat collar and ordered a cup of coffee.
"I'm looking for an architect's studio," Cardona told the man behind the
counter. "The fellow's name is Tabor. I thought maybe I'd picked the wrong
building, because I didn't see any lights there."
"You want Mr. Tabor?" returned the lunch room man. "You'll find him
there,
probably. His studio's on the third floor at the back. That's why you saw no
lights. Mr. Tabor must be there. He didn't bring back his coffee cup."
"His coffee cup?"
"Yes. Every time he works at night, he comes here with a big thermos
bottle. I fill it up with coffee and give him a cup with it. When he leaves
the
studio, he stops here to leave the cup."
 "He stopped for coffee here to-night?"
"Yes. At eight o'clock."
Cardona gulped his own coffee and left the lunch room. He entered Tabor's
building, went up two flights of stairs that were lighted by a small
incandescent on the second floor; a glow that had not been noticeable from the
street. Reaching the third floor, Cardona saw a door that had a glass pane,
illuminated by a light from the other side. On the door, was the lettering:

FREDERICK TABOR ARCHITECT

Cardona rapped lightly on the door. There was no response. Cardona rapped
more loudly. Still, Tabor did not answer. Cardona shrugged. Probably, Tabor
was
working in an inner room and could not hear the knocks.
Cardona tried the door. It opened. The inspector stepped into a little
anteroom. There, he saw two chairs and a table, which supported a lamp. On the
table Cardona observed the corked thermos bottle. Beside it was a cup that
contained a half-inch of coffee.
There was a door beyond, marked "Private." It apparently explained why
Tabor had not heard the knocks. Joe rapped against the inner door. There was
no
response from the studio. Deciding that he had wasted enough time, Cardona
opened the inner door.