The Shadow - The Sledge Hammer Crimes Part 14

"The Century Burglary Alarm Co. received electro-vibrators," returned Petersham. "It installed them in certain places. In the wall of the museum; in the wall of the Channing National Bank. The one at Clayborne's jewelry establishment could have been planted on the outside."

"Quite true." The agreement came from Greel. The inventor was nodding.

"I know at last why the Industrial Mining Corporation did not want my invention to be introduced in North America."

Greel looked toward The Shadow.

"You saw its operation, Mr. Cranston," reminded the inventor. "You can testify to the efficiency of my machine. My creation, intended for commercial purposes, has been misused. I was disturbed because it was used for drilling mine shafts, a purpose to which it was not suited. My word!" He shook his head. "I would have been outraged, had I known the vile use to which some rogue had put my invention!"

Petersham was impatient. He took the floor as soon as Greel had finished.

"JORN knew too much," stated the lawyer. "So did his partner, d.y.k.el. They were in danger, though theyapparently did not know it. Lemand and Moreland were murdered because they knew too much. This evening, when I arrived in New York, I found out that new crimes had been committed.

"The murderer had found out about Jorn's investigation. So he killed Jorn; then d.y.k.el. But the murderer did not know that I had learned so much from Jorn. That left me free to tell all, particularly since my promise to Jorn ended with his death."

"You can name the murderer?"

The anxious query was from Weston. Petersham, towering to his full height, gave prompt response.

"Yes!" The lawyer's tone was fierce. "I can name the man who manipulated two companies to plant the machines in places he wanted them! The man who had Sledge Ringo leave a broken mallet at Clayborne's, to mislead the law! The man who slew Lemand-Moreland- Jorn-d.y.k.el! Who left blind clues at every scene!

"The Aztec mallet," Petersham enumerated. "The table lamp, the telephone, the fire nozzle-all were false instruments. While he deceived the law, the murderer boldly and deliberately carried the real implement everywhere he went.

"It is here. In this very house. Not in this room, but somewhere else." Petersham looked shrewdly about; then turned to Lettigue. "Where is that heavy-headed cane of yours, Mr. Lettigue?"

TOTAL hush followed Petersham's words. Then Lettigue came to his feet with a roar.

"You are accusing me?" he stormed.

"You-you -"

"Where is the cane?" demanded Petersham. "Produce it, Lettigue!"

The millionaire stood fuming. Then he shouted for Daniel.

"Bring my cane!" he ordered. "The large one, Daniel!"

"Yes, sir."

Daniel started away. Cardona bounded after him. They reached the front hall together. When they returned, Cardona was lugging an umbrella stand from which three canes projected. He had stopped Daniel from picking out the canes.

"None of those are the canes," remarked Cardona, puzzled. He looked to see that Markham was watching Lettigue while others crowded about. "These are all light canes."

Greel, more stooped than the others, spied something deep in the umbrella rack. Cardona thrust his arm downward. He came out with two pieces of wood. They represented Lettigue's cane, broken in half.

"d.y.k.el's death did it!" exclaimed Petersham. "Lettigue broke his weapon with the final blow!"

"You fool!" snorted Lettigue. "Fools to accuse me of crime. I was here on Long Island when those men died. I have not carried my heavy cane today."

"Who can prove that you were here?" demanded Petersham. "In the nights when Lemand and Moreland were slain?" "Daniel can," a.s.sured Lettigue. "Ask him -"

"I'll ask him something," broke in Cardona. "Where was Lettigue this afternoon, Daniel. When Jorn was here?"

"Jorn!" bellowed Lettigue. "I never saw the fellow -"

"He came here," insisted Cardona. "Probably to look things over. You spotted him and followed him."

"Nothing of the sort! I was at the boat landing, alone." Lettigue looked scornful. "I go there nearly every afternoon. To-day, I found the place cluttered. Vandals had entered to strew everything about. I stayed there to clear up the boathouse. I like it to be s.h.i.+pshape."

A gargled interruption came from Sanbrook Greel. The outraged inventor was springing forward, shaking an accusing fist.

"YOU rogue!" cried Greel. "You are the one who holds the control of my invention! You grasped my signed agreement. I knew that Brindell was the tool of some one like yourself."

Weston thrust himself between Greel and Lettigue. Petersham gave a quick suggestion.

"Open Lettigue's safe," remarked the lawyer. "See what we find in it. We want doc.u.mentary evidence.

Lettigue, himself, may be able to supply it. Facts about those companies; Greel's agreement."

Lettigue became indignant. He was about to storm a refusal when Cardona, yanking open a desk drawer, came across a paper with a list of numbers.

"Here's the combination," announced Cardona. "Shall I open the safe, commissioner?"

"Yes," ordered Weston-"if Lettigue gives permission."

"And if he does not," gibed Petersham, "it will be evidence against him." Weston took Lettigue's silence as permission. Cardona went to the safe. The group was tense as Cardona turned the dials. Varied expressions showed on many faces. All were strained except one.

That was The Shadow's. Calm in his guise of Lamont Cranston, the master investigator waited. Though evidence was piling up against Elvin Lettigue, The Shadow knew that twists were coming before this game was ended.

CHAPTER XVIII. THE SHADOW SUGGESTS.

THE safe door was opened. Joe Cardona was piling papers upon Lettigue's safe. Prentiss Petersham was examining them with him. Exclamations came from both.

"Stocks in the Century Burglary Alarm Co.!" informed Cardona. "It looks as though Lettigue hold control of that outfit."

"And here are other securities," added Petersham. "The Industrial Mining Corporation belongs to Lettigue."

Lettigue was blurting incoherently, as Markham restrained him. Weston joined in the search of the millionaire's papers. He found a signed paper; it was Sanbrook Greel's transfer of his rights in the electro-vibrator.

"Is this your signature?" queried Weston, turning to Greel. "Do you remember this paper?" Greel studied the doc.u.ment in the light; then nodded.

Finds were increasing. Among them were transfers of stocks bearing Lettigue's signature. Weston flashed these before Lettigue's eyes. The mustached man became coherent.

"Forgeries!" he stormed. "I never heard of those companies! I never knew of these papers! I could not have told you who Sanbrook Greel was until to-night!"

"You knew Lewis Lemand," reminded Petersham, "and Rufus Moreland."

"And you dealt with Clayborne," put in Cardona. "The evidence is pat against you, Lettigue."

"Cardona is right," nodded Weston. The commissioner turned to The Shadow. "This is positive evidence, Cranston."

"It is unfortunate, commissioner," remarked The Shadow, "that you have not uncovered a sufficient quant.i.ty."

"Not sufficient?" exclaimed Weston. "That is absurd, Cranston! We have reams of evidence here -"

WESTON paused; he saw a smile fixed upon The Shadow's thin lips. The commissioner realized suddenly that The Shadow's quiet tone had carried a tinge of irony.

"I get your meaning, Cranston," a.s.serted Weston, soberly. "You are suggesting that perhaps we have found too much evidence. That the case against Lettigue is too tightly closed. But we are dealing with a schemer -"

"One who covered up his trail."

"Yes. Marvelously! Until we uncovered him and found him holding evidence -"

"For which he has no use."

The Shadow's final words reached Lettigue. The mustached man had swung about; he was staring intently at The Shadow's thin lips.

"I saw what you said!" exclaimed Lettigue. "You are right, sir -"

"Pulling the deafness stall again?" queried Cardona, from across the desk. "Watching people's lips, Lettigue? So you can claim you don't hear sounds like clicks?"

Cardona's words apparently pa.s.sed unheard. Lettigue was shouting his case to Commissioner Weston.

"I never saw those doc.u.ments before!" insisted Lettigue. "I swear it, commissioner! Incriminating papers, with my signature forged- that's what they are! Look at my own cane-broken-placed here to throw more doubt upon me. This man is right"-he shot a grateful look toward The Shadow-"right when he said the evidence was too good."

"Claiming the stuff was planted, eh?" demanded Cardona. This time Lettigue heard him, for Cardona was close. "All right, Lettigue. Who planted it?"

For a moment, Lettigue was at loss. Then he saw The Shadow's lips move. Silently, they formed a name.

Lettigue pounded the desk with his fist.

"I'll tell you who planted it!" he cried. "The man that you saw here, Cardona. Clinton Jorn!" LISTENERS stood stunned. Lettigue saw that he had won a point. He concentrated on Cardona.

"You are my witness!" he boomed. "The best one that I could seek. If I had chosen to slay Jorn, why did I not do so while he was here? Bah! I never heard of Jorn! Daniel will tell you that I kept all intruders away from my premises."

This time, Cardona made no objection to Daniel as a witness; nor did any other listener.

"Jorn came here to make trouble for me," insisted Lettigue. "He must have known my ways. He disturbed the boathouse, knowing that I would stay there to clean up. He opened my safe-it is an old one that I bought cheaply-and he placed those papers there. He could have easily found my cane, to break it."

Petersham jabbed a doubt.

"Jorn broke your cane?" he queried. "As evidence in d.y.k.el's death? Before d.y.k.el was slain?"

"Not in d.y.k.el's death," retorted Lettigue. "It would have served as evidence in Moreland's murder."

"Quite right," agreed Weston. He turned to The Shadow. "Good logic, in my opinion. Do you agree, Cranston?"

"It is possible," stated The Shadow. "But if so, Jorn slipped, which is also not unlikely."

"How did Jorn slip?"

"Surely some one must have seen the cane intact since Rufus Moreland was murdered."

"Jorn did slip!" shouted Lettigue. "There you have it! I can tell you who did see that cane." He swung to Cardona. "You saw it after Moreland had died."

Cardona had suddenly become Lettigue's ally. The ace explained his reason. His s.h.i.+ft had logic.

"Jorn was a fox," admitted Cardona. "Planting evidence was his specialty. Forgery wasn't beyond him.

We never pinned it on Jorn; he wasn't known as a crook-but he was slippery. He worked for big dough -"

"Which a crook would pay him," added Lettigue. "A crook-a murderer-one who wanted a scapegoat."

Prentiss Petersham was standing beyond Lettigue's desk. The attorney was purple as he delivered violent accusations.

"Lettigue is the crook!" denounced Petersham. "Don't let him get away with this trumped-up story! The evidence is against him! Jorn was in his pay. That is why Jorn was here."

"Jorn looked like he was doing a sneak," recalled Cardona. "Burke was with me, commissioner. He saw Jorn, too. I'd like to know who Jorn was working for."

"For me!" roared Petersham. Then, suddenly, he stopped. "No. Jorn was working on his own."

Petersham realized that he had made a slip. Lettigue caught it and glared triumphantly.

"JORN worked for you," he reminded, facing Petersham. "You have admitted it." Then, scornfully: "You were lax in your knowledge of the museum's affairs, Petersham. Odd that you should have been so active in pus.h.i.+ng this case against me." "It was Jorn who -"

"Jorn who worked for you?" Lettigue was triumphant in his sarcasm. "That's so, Petersham. You were close to him, weren't you? Where were you the night that Lemand died?"

"At the theater," began Petersham. "I was -"

He stopped again.

"Alone?" queried Lettigue. "Of course. Alone, too, when Moreland died. Keeping facts to yourself, weren't you? When did you get back to New York, Petersham? At what time this afternoon?"

Petersham restrained himself. He showed a sudden dignity. He faced Commissioner Weston and spoke steadily.

"This afternoon," he declared, "I arrived in New York from Was.h.i.+ngton. I intended to come in by the Royal Blue; but decided to take an earlier train. I was probably in town at the time Jorn died; but I doubt that I could have reached his office in time to slay him.

"Lettigue, however, would have had time to come out here after performing double murder. That is for you to judge. I ask you to examine both cases. That is why I am stating facts impartially. I have told my story. Lettigue has told his. Choose for yourself, commissioner."

The situation was tense. Joe Cardona stood pondering; Sanbrook Greel was looking from Lettigue to Petersham; Commissioner Weston was wordless. Matters had changed about. Dispute had certainly been thrown into the consideration of the evidence just found in Lettigue's safe.

The broken cane lay on the desk. Even its status was uncertain. If Petersham spoke true, that cane might be the death instrument. If Lettigue's claims held, the cane was a blind clue.