"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 116 - Intimidation,Inc" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

letters 'L. C.'"
"Why did you do that?" exclaimed Radbourne. "The bag would have been a
clue! You spoiled its usefulness!"
"Not at all," returned The Shadow. "I actually made the bag more easy to
identify, as the scratches cannot be eradicated. Moreover, I made it look as
though I wanted to comply with the full terms of Intimidation, Incorporated. I
felt sure that the crook would think as you did, Mr. Radbourne; namely, that I
had tried to keep the bag from being a clue."
"Good business," put in Elwood Clewiss. The Shadow's reasoning appealed
to
the lawyer. "What else can you tell us, Mr. Cranston?"
"I was watched," affirmed The Shadow. "First, by a slinky sort of man who
was sneaking about in a bell boy's uniform. Again, by a husky-looking fellow
who was disguised as a taxi driver, in a cab outside the hotel. He was
watching
for me; so I went out by another door and took a different cab. The driver
looked honest, so I gave him the message to take to city hall."
Mayor Wrightley was on his feet, tugging at a briefcase that he had
brought with him. As he loosened the straps, he looked toward The Shadow and
demanded:
"Could you identify either of those men by their photographs, Mr.
Cranston?"
"I could," replied The Shadow. "Without difficulty."
The mayor produced a pair of rogues' gallery portraits and passed them
over the desk. The Shadow studied the pictures. One showed the face of Brad;
the other was a photograph of Skeet.
"These are the men," he declared. "This one" - he indicated Skeet's
picture - "was the bell hop. This fellow" - he tapped Brad's photo - "was the
taxi driver. Do you know who they are, Mr. Mayor?"
"A couple of local thugs," replied. Wrightley. "They worked for Nobby
Kilgan, the racketeer who was slain last night on the roof of Judge Noy's
penthouse. I learned this morning that the pair had disappeared about the time
of Kilgan's death."
Elwood Clewiss strode up to the desk and pounded it. As his big fist
echoed on the woodwork, the lawyer stated:
"The whole thing is plain," Sack Balban began, "this racket of
Intimidation, Incorporated. Nobby Kilgan got rid of Sack so that he could take
it over."
"Then who killed Kilgan?"
The question came from Bursard. Clewiss had an answer for it.
 "The man next in line," declared the lawyer. "Dorchester will have a new
big-shot by tonight. When he is named, we will know who murdered Kilgan."
"Fair enough," put in Bursard, "but we won't be able to prove it on the
fellow."
"We don't have to," insisted Clewiss. "We'll know that he is the new head
of Intimidation, Incorporated. We can then take measures to protect ourselves
against him; to finish this whole racket."


CLEWISS struck the keynote. The conference had swung exactly as The