THE STAR OF DELHI......................................................................................................................................1

Maxwell Grant.........................................................................................................................................1

CHAPTER I. THE SECRET SIX ............................................................................................................1

CHAPTER II. BAIT FOR CRIME ..........................................................................................................5

CHAPTER III. CRIME IN REVERSE ....................................................................................................8

CHAPTER IV. HALF AN ANSWER ...................................................................................................11

CHAPTER V. CREEPS IN THE DARK..............................................................................................15

CHAPTER VI. THE WRONG FOEMEN .............................................................................................18

CHAPTER VII. PROOF OF CRIME....................................................................................................22

CHAPTER VIII. REIGN OF MURDER ...............................................................................................26

CHAPTER IX. DEATH FINDS DEATH.............................................................................................30

CHAPTER X. THE STOLEN LINK .....................................................................................................33

CHAPTER XI. THE BATTLER IN BLACK ........................................................................................36

CHAPTER XII. THE FIFTH VICTIM ..................................................................................................39

CHAPTER XIII. DINNER AT NINE...................................................................................................43

CHAPTER XIV. MASTER OF CRIME...............................................................................................46

CHAPTER XV. CREEP OF DOOM .....................................................................................................50

CHAPTER XVI. TRAILS DIVERGE ...................................................................................................54

CHAPTER XVII. A MATTER OF PRICE...........................................................................................58

CHAPTER XVIII. CROME'S WAY OUT ............................................................................................63

CHAPTER XIX. CRIME'S FORCED THRUST..................................................................................67

CHAPTER XX. CRIME'S PROOFS .....................................................................................................71

The man who spoke the words pronounced them with a tone of awe, as well he might. Resting in the white

plush of the opened jewel casket was a magnificent sapphire, the largest that he had ever seen.

It wasn't surprising that he recognized the gem, for it was Raymond Walder's business, as head of Walder Co,

But he hadn't expected to find the Star of Delhi in the possession of Armand Lenfell. Though a financier,

wealthy enough to buy the Star of Delhi many times over, Lenfell had never rated as a jewel fancier in

Hence Walder's thin features, usually drab and expressionless, were registering amazement. He looked

toward Lenfell, saw a smile on the financier's broad, heavyjowled face. Then Walder's eyes returned to the

It was certainly a remarkable gem. Domeshaped, its curved surface smooth, the Star of Delhi was large

enough to fill the space between Walder's thumb and forefinger, had he placed them tip to tip. But color and

Deep within the gem, Walder saw straight lines, streaks of light that radiated like the spokes of a wheel.

Those scintillating shafts were the marks of the true star sapphire, a muchprized type of gem.

His breath returning, Walder began to express congratulations. Lenfell cut him short with booming tone.

"Convince yourself, Walder!" he said. "Make sure that this is actually the Star of Delhi."

Walder lifted the sapphire from its plush nest and calculated its weight. He produced a jeweler's glass and

studied the gem through the magnifying lens. He held the Star to the light for a time, and finally returned it to

Then, quite suddenly, Walder became nervous. He glanced at the windows of Lenfell's study as though

wondering if the shades were fully drawn. He stared over his shoulder toward the door, which was closed. He

even gave a doubtful glance at Lenfell's modern safe, which stood behind the desk.

"I know what worries you, Walder," he said. "There have been many jewel robberies lately. But that is no

cause for alarm. No criminals know that I have the Star of Delhi; hence they will not come here to find it."

Walder's eyes were still on the door. His face looked strained, for he was sure that he heard creeping

footsteps in the hallway outside. He remembered his surprise when he arrived at the house a short while

before, to find only one servant on the premises where usually there were many. Moreover, Walder recalled

Yet the creeps from the hall were real! They had increased too noticeably, to be the product of Walder's

"I know it," interrupted Lenfell. "They are friends of mine. I want you to meet them, Walder. But first, you

Lenfell stepped to a corner of the room. From a closet, he brought out a long dark coat, which he put on.

Then, from a shelf, he produced a black hood that had two eye slits cut in it. Lenfell slid the hood over his

Instead of the broadfaced financier, he had become an ominous figure from which Walder instinctively

shrank. Then, feeling Lenfell's friendly clutch upon his arm, hearing the familiar voice from within the hood,

"Come, Walder." said Lenfell, his tone reduced to mildness. "There is nothing to fear, I assure you."

The jeweler gave a pinchfaced smile. He wasn't going to be frightened by a mere masquerade. Lenfell was

his friend, and was merely taking Walder to meet others who wanted to see the Star of Delhi, for Lenfell had

closed the jewel casket and was bringing it along. The friends were obviously in Lenfell's library, for the

Then, on the very threshold of the library, Walder gasped with horror and would have sagged to the floor if

Lenfell's strong hand had not stayed him. Within the dimly lighted booklined room, Walter saw Lenfell's

friends. To a man, they were hooded like their host, and there were five of them!

With Lenfell, the group formed a secret six, as forbidding as a semicircle of inquisitors. Eyes glistening from

hood slits, were fastened upon the slumping jeweler, as though accusing him, judging him, and condemning

AIDING Walder to a chair, Lenfell placed the jewel casket on a table and opened it. Walder saw the gleam of

the Star of Delhi, like a great blue eye, shining up to greet the strange band of hooded men.

Lenfell's voice, modulated to a kindly tone, gave Walder a vestige of relief, enough for him to glance upward.

Then his courage returned. One man of the throng had unmasked: Lenfell. Sight of the financier's smiling

"Be tranquil, Walder," said Lenfell. "I tried to ease the shock, by letting you see me in full regalia before

meeting the rest. These men are friends, but of the group, I am the only who can unmask. I shall explain

Walder listened. He was getting used to the eyes about him. No longer did he imagine that they glared. They

were becoming milder each time he studied them. All the while Lenfell's voice, easy but emphatic, was

"We are a syndicate of six," Lenfell explained, "who have contributed our wealth to buy gems from foreign

refugees. Our purpose is to convert those jewels into cash, through private sales, giving unfortunate persons a

"Of the six, I alone am known to the other five. Since they meet here in my house, I can unmask when

"We have met with an obstacle," proceeded Lenfell. "There have been so many jewel robberies of late, that

wealthy customers are doubtful of our bona fide gems when approached, confidentially, by my associates.

Buyers fear that the refugee story is false; that we are trying to unload stolen gems.

"Since we must do something to prove our status, we have decided to cut the Star of Delhi, one of our most

important purchases, into six parts. Each of us will wear a ring containing a star sapphire from the famous

Star of Delhi. That fact, alone, will mark us men of integrity. However, we do not care to take such a step

Drawing himself together, Walder looked about the group; then stared at the Star of Delhi. He shuddered, not

through a return of terror, but at the thought of cutting such a rare gem into smaller ones. Then, slowly, a

canny look spread over Walder's features. His business sense outmatched his love of gems.

"The Star of Delhi is unique," conceded Walder. "It might be worth half a million dollars, to the proper

buyer. But I doubt that you could find anyone nowadays who would pay more than a mere fraction of that

"Cut into smaller stones" he eyed the great gem appraisingly "each a perfect star sapphire in its own right,

the Star of Delhi would be more salable. Each of the six rings would be worth at least fifty thousand dollars

Buzzes came from five hooded men; all those buzzes were approving. Lenfell heard them and took the

Still staring at the great Star, Walder was thinking of another factor. Quite accustomed to the hooded men by

"You must find some way," he said, "to let people know that the Star of Delhi is in America, and that it has

"We are counting upon you to help us," said Lenfell. "You have seen the Star of Delhi, Walder. Your word is

beyond reproach. We have hoped that you would see fit to exhibit the six ring's, stating their origin, without

THE idea startled Walder for the moment. As he looked about, he fancied again that eyes were glaring at him

from the hoods. But Walder's business acumen came to the fore. He visualized the publicity that such an

There was a wave of Lenfell's hand. One by one, the members of the hooded group departed, until all were

gone save Lenfell. Walder could hear their creeping progress down the stairs some by the front, others by

the back, one by a side stairway that was little used. Then, back in Lenfell's study, Walder gave a smile of

real relief to find himself alone again with Lenfell, the Star of Delhi lying on the desk between them.

"You may entrust the cutting of the stone to the proper man," he said. "I would say that there is only one such

Lenfell paused while opening the safe, where he intended to replace the Star of Delhi.

"I mean Sherbrock," replied Walder. "Of course, there are foreign experts here better men, perhaps, than

Sherbrock. But they are men who have lost fortunes and might prove bitter. They would be dangerous. You

"I shall see Sherbrock" decided Lenfell. The safe was open; he put the jewel casket in it. "You will hear from

me later, Walder. Meanwhile, accept my thanks for your kind cooperation. It is hardly necessary" he was

extending his hand "for me to add that I sent the servants out tonight so they would not happen to see any

Lenfell personally conducted Walder to the front door. Outside, the jeweler looked back at the large

oldfashioned mansion and gave another shudder at sight of its gloom and bulk. Into that shiver, Walder put

memories of the creeping sounds that he had heard, those weird indications of the advent of Lenfell's hooded

There were creeping sounds again in the old mansion. Armand Lenfell was making them himself as he

returned to his study. He didn't mind them; indeed, he rather enjoyed the weird sound, for Lenfell was

smiling, more noticeably than before. His smile had become a leer of an insidious sort, as he stooped at the

Then, with the Star of Delhi again on his desk, Armand Lenfell sat back and waited, his leer taking on a

satanic touch as he gazed at the blue gleam from the great Star of Delhi. His head was tilted, for Armand

Creeps that would announce another visitor, less fearsome in appearance than the members of the secret six,

but one who would understand Lenfell better. Lenfell had spoken truly, in stating that his hooded associates

were banded together in a cause of good. His one lie had been his inclusion of himself in such a worthy

Alone, unobserved by either Walder or the secret throng, Armand Lenfell could relax and reveal himself for

what he really was a man with crime at heart. He was waiting for another of that same ilk, that together

THE exhibit of the six star sapphires, when announced a week later, was promptly heralded as the event of

the New York jewelry season. Raymond Walder, true to his word, surrounded it with integrity and mystery.

Walder's statement that he had seen the Star of Delhi, was something unimpeachable. His declaration that he

could not name its owner, provided the mystery. He added, of course, the news that the Star of Delhi had

been cut into six parts, and other jewelers agreed that the process would render the gem, or segments of it,

But Walder did not state who had cut the sapphire. He simply invited the public to view the sextuple result.

Few persons in New York were more interested in Walder's coming display than was Lamont Cranston. A

millionaire collector of rarities, including jewels, Cranston seemed disappointed only because the Star of

Delhi had been reduced to a sectional form. He tried to treat the matter lightly, but he did not deceive Margo

She could tell Lamont's mood, when they lunched together on the day of Walder's exhibit, and from remarks

he dropped, she was quite sure that he would have prized the Star of Delhi for his own collection. It was too

bad, Margo thought, that Cranston had not learned that the great Star was for sale before it was hacked to

chunks. Calmmannered, his hawkish face often masklike, Lamont Cranston seldom revealed his inner

thoughts, even to an attractive and sympathetic brunette like Margo Lane. But it was plain, on this occasion,

Mere sight of six lovely star sapphires, in place of one unblemished marvel, would certainly pain him. Margo

That was because Margo also knew that this man who posed as Lamont Cranston was actually The Shadow,

master fighter who battled crime. As The Shadow, he couldn't afford to miss the Walder exhibit, because it

The newspapers were full of jewel robberies. A few had occurred in New York, despite the vigilance of The

Shadow, but the rest had happened in other cities. Though the mob, like the master mind who handled the

game, was probably in New York, no leads were yet available. Stolen stuff, if peddled, had been artfully

fenced without being traced; all the more reason why The Shadow should be on the job.

Therefore, Margo was quite sure that Cranston wanted to visit Walder's to look over the customers as much

as the sapphires. He knew that crooks couldn't resist the lure that the exhibit offered.

It was fairly late in the afternoon when Cranston and Margo finally arrived at Walder's. The exclusive jewelry

store was under heavy guard. Armed guards stood outside, and others were posted at strategic spots inside the

All other jewelry, the usual Walder stock, had been put away for safekeeping, except for cheaper items that

The stones that represented the famous Star of Delhi were in a special burglarproof case in the exact center of

the store. The box, bolted into a stone pedestal, had a top surface of bulletproof glass, protected by

Sometimes, such cases had lights inside them. This one did not. The sapphires scintillated under the beam of

Even in sixes, the sapphires were marvelous to view. They were the size of large peas, and quite as much

alike. Each had its identifying touch the star formation and all were set in rings of the same type: heavy,

People, passed along the rail that fronted the display and gave gasps of appreciation, so that the vaulted space

MARGO was pleased to observe a flicker of passing interest on Cranston's immobile features. The perfect

match of the six sapphires intrigued him, as did the provisions taken for their custody.

But when he had finished looking at the gems and drawn away to the outskirts of the throng, his mind went

back to the persons present. Close beside him, Margo caught Cranston's undertone.

"Look for others who are staying around. People who seem too sure of themselves."

Margo looked. If her opinion had counted, The Shadow would have had about fifty suspects. Knowing there

"I'm no good, Lamont," she confessed. "If you can pick any goats from these sheep "

"I see one goat," interposed Cranston. "Look over by that notion counter, Margo. You'll recognize him."

Margo's eyes almost popped as she studied a young man whose face, though somewhat hardened, looked to

be the result of dissipation, rather than crime. She caught herself just in time to keep from exclaiming his

Handsome in his way, blackhaired, with a complexion that would be defined as dark, rather than sallow,

Dwig was the pride of the night clubs. A member of cafe society, he never appeared in public until afternoon,

and from then on, could be seen in what some columnists considered the "best places" in town.

Dwig was in and out, from one spot to another, until the closing hour, which was usually five in the morning.

It hadn't occurred to Margo, until Cranston mentioned it, that such a practice might be Dwig's alibi. Dwig had

a way of being somewhere else, very often. There were many times when he might even have been out of

It could be that Dwig was the mainspring of the jewel mob, so far as actual robberies were concerned. If so,

he was falling for the blue bait. Whether or not he intended to go after the six sapphires, Dwig hadn't been

able to resist the temptation of looking over the situation. The Shadow's theory was right; not only that, it was

Of all people, Dwig Brencott wouldn't be hanging around the cheap jewelry counter, striking up an

acquaintance with a melancholylooking clerk, unless he had some purpose in mind. He would be more

likely to chat with Raymond Walder, who was standing behind the sapphire exhibit, except that Walder was

getting attention from socially prominent visitors, who might remember Dwig if he made himself too

"At seven o'clock," Margo heard Cranston say, in an even undertone, "the sapphires will be removed in an

armored truck. It will be dark at seven, and the truck will be the natural target for an attack. It might be well

Margo nodded. She could think of someone perfectly qualified: namely, The Shadow. Hence, Cranston's next

"Tacking an armored truck would be too difficult," he said indifferently. "There will be no trouble outside. It

would be interesting, though, to know where the sapphires go. Suppose you stay around, Margo. Then you

STILL wondering if her ears were hearing right, Margo forgot to use her eyes. She was looking at Cranston,

not at Dwig. But, in his turn, The Shadow was watching Dwig Brencott. He saw the sleek man turning away

Outside, accumulating dusk promised Dwig an easy departure. It also offered The Shadow an excellent

Before Margo could argue that trailing trucks was not her idea of a pleasant evening, Cranston strolled away

as if the whole matter had been settled. It was then that Margo discovered the coincidental departure of Dwig

In giving her one trail, Lamont was taking up an earlier, and more difficult, one. He was following Dwig

Brencott, on the chance that he might learn enough to stifle coming crime before it even began.

In either event, whether crooks planned to move tonight or not, Margo's task of trailing the truck would be

reduced to a matter of routine. Should any threat of actual danger arrive, The Shadow would be the one to

Of course, Cranston had neither stated nor implied that fact. He had a way of treating The Shadow as a

different personality than himself, even though Margo had long identified them as the same. It was just

Considering how crooks were always gunning for the blackclad avenger who so often crossed their paths, it

Proof of his sagacity was being evidenced outside of Walder's store, where Dwig Brencott, turning to walk

along the avenue, was taking a shrewd backward glance into the jewelry house. Had Dwig even suspected

that Cranston could be The Shadow, he might have noticed Margo's hawkfaced friend strolling out with

As it was, Dwig simply classed them all as curiosity seekers who had seen enough of the sapphire display.

The sleek man was on lookout for persons who might be detectives, and he was quite sure that none such had

In the back of his mind, perhaps, Dwig might have been looking for a stealthy figure clad in black, but the

lighted doorway of the jewelry store could have offered no concealment, even for The Shadow.

When such a figure did appear, he came from across the avenue, where Cranston had gone, unnoticed.

Stepping into one door of a taxicab, Cranston had entered as himself, and come out the other side as The

He was on the west side of the avenue, where the buildings cut off the last rays of sunset. Under the shroud of

dusk, The Shadow was gliding, unseen, from doorway to doorway, keeping pace with his quarry, Dwig

Cloaked in black, a slouch hat drawn down across his eyes, The Shadow wore the famous garb that enabled

him to stalk an unsuspecting prey. With darkness on the increase, every minute was improving the conditions

With nearly an hour until seven o'clock, The Shadow was confident that he could learn the essential details of

That was why a whispered laugh came from The Shadow's hidden lips. It was a tone that presaged trouble for

men of evil, the sort of trouble that The Shadow could provide. As bait for thieves, the six sapphires had

Perhaps The Shadow's tone would have lacked the prophetic touch had he known the full story of the Star of

Delhi and the six blue gems that Raymond Walder was exhibiting as the carved components of the famous

That story could have given The Shadow an index to the startling and unexpected turn that crime was to

produce at seven o'clock; events that even The Shadow would not quite fathom when they came!

It was the fourth time that Dwig Brencott had given those simple instructions from the telephone booth near

the cloakroom in the Club Cadiz, which was one of the night spots that Dwig frequented.

Just past the cloakroom was a stairway, and under its shelter The Shadow was listening to Dwig's

smoothpurred tone, hoping that he would specify further details; but Dwig didn't. Furthermore, The Shadow

From his listening post, he could hear Dwig's voice, but the clicks of the phone dial were not audible enough

to be translated into numbers, a favorite trick of The Shadow's. Hence, when Dwig left the phone booth and

went to the bar to get a drink, The Shadow had gained a rather frugal net result.

He knew only that Dwig had called four men, all obviously tools of crime, instructing them to be outside

Walder's at the time when the six sapphires were to be taken away. Perhaps those four would bring others; in

any event, the thing fitted with The Shadow's previous calculation that Dwig intended to trail the truck that

came for the sapphires, either to take a crack at its contents, or to learn the truck's destination.

At the bar, Dwig was chatting with cronies and building up something of an alibi. He was telling them other

places where he intended to go, even suggesting that some come along with him and make the round of the

hotspots. They were all promising to meet Dwig later, the very point for which he had been playing.

Seven o'clock was drawing close. By then, Dwig would be gone from the Club Cadiz, for the buildup that

he was giving indicated, to The Shadow, that the sleek man intended to be at Walder's, too.

But Dwig was making it very easy for himself to drop out of the nightclub picture for the halfhour between

seven and seventhirty, and yet have friends believe that he had been at one place or another all during that

Gliding out through a littleused rear exit from the Club Cadiz, The Shadow paused near a darkened corner

and blinked a tiny flashlight. Its rays were green, and the flashes caused a parked coupe to come in The

The man at the wheel was Harry Vincent, one of The Shadow's capable secret agents. Sliding in beside him,

The Shadow instructed Harry to drive over to the avenue and park near the corner beyond Walder's.

The Shadow had a purpose in choosing that corner. He was certain that the truck would stop at the side door

of the jewelry store, on a oneway street, where traffic headed toward the avenue.

Since Dwig had ordered his men to be in front of Walder's, they wouldn't be in a position to attempt a robbery

until after the truck was under way. Then, they would logically come from the avenue and swing in back of

As for making an attack before the jewels left the store, that would be sheer folly. Dwig had looked over the

Crooks wouldn't get past the front door, if they tried to rush the guards and reach the sapphire display before

anyone came for it. Besides, Dwig had specified seven o'clock, which wouldn't give him time to organize

The hour had arrived. From his vantage point, The Shadow looked back along the avenue and saw a car

sliding into a parking space. Evidently, some of Dwig's men had come by car, while others were to join them

Glancing down the side street The Shadow saw a small armored truck stopping at the delivery entrance. Men

At the front door of Walder Co, guards were moving the last patrons out. The last of the lot was Margo Lane,

and a taxicab wheeled in to take her as a passenger. The driver of that cab was Moe Shrevnitz, another of The

Shadow's secret agents. Margo wasn't surprised to see Moe's cab arrive. It usually showed up whenever

About to enter the cab, Margo paused, as though she had forgotten something. She had a chance to look back

into the jewelry store. The place had cleared, and she saw Raymond Walder superintending the removal of

With Walder were a few other jewelers, taking a last look at the muchprized gems. Though those privileged

visitors had not handled the sapphires, they were quite convinced that the six stones had been cut from the

famous Star of Delhi. To them, the word of Raymond Walder that he had seen and examined the great

sapphire itself was as good as the gold which formed the rings in which the six gems were mounted.

Margo stalled until she saw the case go out through the side door. From his observation point, The Shadow

watched the rapid loading of the truck. Immediately, the armored vehicle moved forward and kept straight

across the avenue, along the side street. By then, Moe's cab was under way. It took the corner and followed

Harry was sliding the coupe into gear. The Shadow's gloved hand restrained the start that the agent was about

Next in order was to be the crookmanned car, and after it passed, The Shadow would follow it. Meanwhile,

Moe would be dropping from the trail, for The Shadow had given him a red blink from the little flashlight

With crooks on the truck's trail, as The Shadow expected them to be, Margo wouldn't be needed. That was

why The Shadow had ordered Moe to come with the cab. Moe, or Shrevvy, as they often called him, would

Like all The Shadow's plans, this one was well laid, but it was destined to go astray. Dwig's car was starting

and the Shadow gave Harry the word to go, but to let the other vehicle swing past him. Then, abruptly, thugs

Before The Shadow could do more than reach for the door of the coupe, mobsters were out of their car and

across the sidewalk, dashing into the jewelry store. There were six of them, all masked, and their leader was

about the build of Dwig Brencott. The Shadow had time only to glimpse the masked crew before they

The whole thing was crazy. Dwig must certainly have seen the armored truck pull away; he surely knew that

the sapphires were inside it. This was the unexpected point that The Shadow had in no wise anticipated.

Dwig's thrust was an attack upon an empty nest, from which the wanted prizes had been removed!

AT least, Dwig had accomplished one thing. Without knowing that The Shadow was on hand, he had beaten

the blackcloaked fighter to his goal which happened to be Walder's store, not the armored truck. Dwig had

gained a margin of only a few dozen seconds, considering that he and his masked companions were at the

store itself, whereas The Shadow was up at the corner ahead. But the time was enough for crooks to get in

Guards were gone from the front door, for, with the truck's departure, their duty was ended. Walder held the

center of the floor, where he was shaking hands with the visiting jewelers. While there were still some guards

in the place, they had gone beyond the counters to change from uniforms to other clothes.

It was Raymond Walder who first saw the invasion and gave a frantic yell to his helpless friends. The other

jewelers went ducking for the counters, easy targets for the guns that masked men brandished, had Dwig and

But they were choosing one victim only, Raymond Walder, and he was even easier than the rest. For Walder,

brave when confronted by the grueling test, was holding his ground, shouting for the guards to return and aid

Six guns spoke almost as one. Walder took the bullets from that firing squad. Riddled by the closerange

shots, the drab jeweler was dead before he struck the floor. Inspired by that show of courage, guards were

springing across the counters, some still in uniform, others not, but all with guns that they had hurriedly

Mobsters were ready for them too. The masked leader gave a snarl, that no one could have identified with the

smooth, affable tone of Dwig Brencott. Wheeling like a welltrained team, the killers were taking

pointblank aim, each at a different human target. They intended to blast the guards as they had finished

It was a moment made for murder, a triumph for these killers who had arrived ahead of The Shadow. But

their very surety was to be the factor that would end their delivery of further doom. They had wasted a few

From the avenue door came a fierce, defiant challenge the mockery that crimedom feared and hated; the

tone that made deepdyed crooks forget all other purposes and seek only to meet the taunter in a duel of

DWIG BRENCOTT and his masked companions had staged crime in reverse, by attempting what seemed a

robbery in a place where booty could no longer be obtained. To that reverse, The Shadow was adding another

twist. Announcing himself with strident, mocking challenge he was inviting enemies to treat him as they had

The trouble was, they couldn't. Though they outnumbered The Shadow six to one, he held advantages which,

taken separately, were slim, but added together made a total that Dwig and his pals failed to calculate.

Foremost of those advantages were The Shadow's guns, a brace of automatics, already drawn, that began a

pointed tattoo while crooks were on the whirl. Two of the masked men ended their spins in sprawls before

Others, too, were at a loss. In Walder, they had found a closerange target who hadn't tried to dive away from

their guns. The Shadow was more distant, and crooks expected him to dive. They fired for the doorway, to

get him when he tried to fade. But The Shadow's momentary twist was only a feint that came with the recoil

Instead of whipping back through the doorway, he took a long lunge forward, striking almost flat, but

catching himself on his elbows as he slid along the tiled floor of the jewelry store. Bullets whizzed above The

Shadow's head, high by feet rather than inches, while from the floor level he used each .45 to blaze answers

The Shadow's shots were quick ones, calculated to make crooks dive, rather than to drop them; but he

succeeded both ways. Dwig and two others managed to do a frantic duck, but The Shadow clipped the fourth

man. Coming up from elbows to knees, he was ready for more target practice with the remaining three; but,

The final factor: namely, the guards who only a few seconds earlier had been facing coldblooded death. Not

only had they rallied, they were right in the paths that Dwig and his two unwounded pals were taking to get

away from The Shadow's fire. Two to one, the guards were pouncing on the hapless crooks, intending to

Unfortunately, the guards were too ardent, as the crooks had been with The Shadow. While Dwig and the

other two were trying to wrest away in among the counters, and losing their guns in the attempt, the guards

Wounded men were supplying them from the floor, and the guards didn't wait for The Shadow to suppress

The Shadow cleared a counter in one long leap, his only way to escape the misguided fire that the vengeful

guards supplied. Dwig and his two unscathed companions dashed for the front door, hoping only for a

Coming up from the counter, The Shadow aimed to stop them, but by then the guards were in the way,

One guard saw the three escaping crooks and yelled. The rest flooded toward the door, firing as they started,

thereby ending The Shadow's last chance of inserting timely shots. Once hurried, the guards were even worse

Two masked men went safely through the door while bullets were cracking show windows on each side. The

third of the fleeing tribe the nervy Dwig actually made a pause in flight, to pick up a gun that a guard had

Speeding to the side door, The Shadow looked along the street, saw Dwig's car make a twowheeled turn

from the avenue. The guards, by then, were shooting from the front door of Walder's, and a single gun was

Coolly, The Shadow aimed at the spurting weapon, intending to put Dwig out of action and therewith

demoralize the escaping pair who accompanied him. Again, The Shadow was forced to stay a timely shot.

Another car whipped around the corner. It was Harry's coupe, taking up the pursuit, and it cut right into The

Shadow's path of aim. The two cars sped along the street, and The Shadow watched them dwindle to a distant

The chase was far beyond The Shadow's range of fire when he saw Dwig's car swerve around another corner.

There were flashes of tiny guns and Dwig's car was gone, while Harry's coupe kept ahead and climbed a curb.

Still watching, The Shadow saw his agent come from the coupe and stoop beside it.

Dwig's shot hadn't clipped Harry; it had taken a front tire instead. But it meant that Dwig was off in the clear,

free to make his round of night clubs, while the two thugs with him could return to hideaways.

Sirens were sounding in front of Walder's, telling that police cars had arrived. With a gloomy departing

JUST as Dwig Brencott moved in a fancier sphere than the ratty crooks who had helped him in a scheme of

murder guised as robbery, so did The Shadow frequent places much more exclusive than the night spots that

As Lamont Cranston, The Shadow was a member of the Cobalt Club, which numbered many millionaires

It happened that Police Commissioner Ralph Weston belonged to the Cobalt Club, and esteemed Cranston as

a bosom friend. Chances were that Cranston would be hearing from the commissioner as he always did when

crime reached up from the underworld and bothered high society. So The Shadow went to the Cobalt Club,

He hadn't long to wait. Notified of a telephone call, the leisurely Mr. Cranston answered it and heard the

brusque voice of Commissioner Weston, telling him about the tragedy at Walder's and asking him to come

over. Indulgently, The Shadow drawled that he would. A while later, he arrived there in the guise of

Instead of six sapphires, there were four bodies on display. One was Walder's; the other three were the crooks

that The Shadow had crippled and the guards had slaughtered. All three had been identified as low characters

from the badlands, which didn't surprise The Shadow. He was quite sure that Dwig Brencott, crook deluxe,

would choose the lowest of companions for criminal forays, just to distract all thoughts from himself.

The man who had identified the three hoodlums was present. He was a swarthy, stocky, police inspector; by

name, Joe Cardona. He rated as Weston's ace inspector, despite the fact that Joe and the commissioner were

Usually they had conflicting theories as the cause of their dispute, and they were running true to form now.

Both were irked because the three thugs had died too soon to be questioned, but except for that point, the

"The case is obvious," growled Weston. "These men belong to the band of jewel thieves who have been

operating so extensively. They are of a low type, and their leader was undoubtedly the roughest of the lot.

They weren't the sort who could show their faces in a store like this, even before they made their attempt at

"So they simply waited outside until they saw that the door was clear of guards. Not knowing that the

sapphires had been removed, they made the thrust, hoping to grab the gems that they had heard about. Walder

The Shadow knew that Weston's theory was even wider than the shots that the excited guards had fired after

Dwig when the crook deluxe departed. Even before they pulled up in front of Walder's, Dwig and his

company had been close enough to see the removal of the sapphires by the side door.

They had even waited until the armored truck went across the avenue before making their thrust at the store

itself. Therefore, The Shadow was interested to learn if Cardona had a different theory.

"I figure it different, commissioner," gruffed Cardona. "These gunzels weren't after the sapphires. They'd

have been dumb to snatch a load of matched gems like those six blue stars. What they were figuring on was a

"They doped it that the guards would unlax as soon as the truck pulled away, which is just what did happen.

It was a crazy time to stage a robbery, with the big swag gone. Only, like I said, this outfit would have laid

off of gems that couldn't be easily fenced. They were pulling a routine job at a time no body figured it would

Recalling Dwig's presence in the jewelry shop earlier, The Shadow could easily have refuted Cardona's

theory. Dwig, had seen for himself that Walder, expecting an influx of curiosity seekers, had locked up all of

his worthwhile stock and left nothing but showcases of cheap trinkets and notions for visitors to look at,

LEAVING Weston and Cardona to argue the merits of their erroneous opinions, The Shadow expressed his

regret over Walder's death, and gave a leisurely good night in typical Cranston style. Still retaining his

lackadaisical pose, he left the store, entered a waiting limousine outside and rode to his favorite restaurant.

Sight of Moe's cab, parked outside, told The Shadow that he would find Margo inside, which he did.

As they dined, Margo kept watching the immobile face of Cranston hoping for some expression that would

answer the questions that she had in mind. None came, but as the finished dinner, The Shadow spoke in

"It's too bad, Margo," he said, "that you didn't follow the truck, as I suggested."

"But I did!" began Margo. "Only, I was in Shrevvy's cab, and he dropped the trail. He said that The Shadow

She stopped abruptly. There was no use in telling The Shadow something that he already knew. Margo

realized that his remark had merely been a statement in keeping with the Cranston pose. It wasn't policy with

"A peculiar chap, The Shadow," observed Cranston quietly. "He usually succeeds; but tonight he bungled

things. He is partly to blame for Walder's death, but I suppose we cannot criticize him. Crime certainly took

Margo arched her eyebrows. So far, she agreed that the attempted robbery at Walder's was unexplainable, but

she was gaining the impression that Cranston had an answer to the riddle. The way to get an answer was to

"Very well, Lamont," said Margo. "Just why did Dwig and his masked crew head the wrong way? We

thought that they would go after the truck; instead, they went into the jewelry store. What was their reason?"

The fact was so simple that it took Margo's breath away. She had racked her brain for the answer, and

Cranston had provided it in a style that left no room for dispute. The explanation brought a flood of ideas, all

Margo realized that the surge of masked men into Walder's couldn't have been a robbery attempt, at all, for

Not being a robbery, it had been a coverup for something else. Dwig and his ugly band wouldn't have

wasted time at getting to their objective. One use of coverups was to make a success look like a failure.

The one thing that the law did not suspect was the fact that unknown men had sought to slay Raymond

Walder, rather than to rob his store or to seize the six sapphires that some wealthy, unnamed patron had asked

The riddle of seveno'clock crime was half answered by The Shadow. But in giving half an answer, the

investigator who posed as Cranston, was making it plain that the rest had not been learned. The Shadow's

regret that Margo hadn't followed the armored truck was real, even though he, himself, had taken her off

the trail. Until the owner of the former Star of Delhi was discovered, the reason for Walder's death would

remain unanswered. Watching the gaze of Cranston's eyes, Margo could tell that they were visualizing the six

No longer bait for criminals, those missing gems had become the object of The Shadow's next quest!

SEATED in his study, Armand Lenfell was resting his folded arms upon the desk, listening intently for

sounds from outside the room. Beside him lay a stack of newspapers, the accumulation of three days. They

showed glaring headlines that concerned the attempted robbery which had resulted in the sudden death of

A wince showed on Lenfell's lips, as his eyes drifted to the newspapers. When alone, Lenfell always let his

real opinions register themselves upon his face. It was plain that he not only regretted Walder's death, but felt

anxious regarding its possible consequences to himself. Lenfell's expression lost none of its troubled air while

A sound brought Lenfell from his reverie. It was the one that he expected, a creeping through the hallway.

Not merely a cautious tread like those that had roused Walder's imagination on the night of the jeweler's visit

to Lenfell's house, but a creak that was actually ominous. The creeping carried its echoes along the hall,

making it impossible for Lenfell to estimate the exact distance of the approaching visitor.

Indeed, Lenfell's eyes were still half closed, his full attention concentrated upon listening to the crawling

Popping upright in his chair, Lenfell stared at the gaping door as though expecting it to devour him. In the

dimness of the hall he saw a whitish face that seemed floating there, until Lenfell recognized it. It was his

familiarity with the smiling countenance that brought the financier to his senses, making him realize that the

Lenfell sank back in his chair, tugged a handkerchief from his pocket and mopped his forehead.

The man from the hallway entered. He came with a pace that was a cross between a shuffle and tiptoe. His

face, as it neared the desk, underwent a variety of changes, due largely to the angles from which the light

From a white blur, with a slitted smile, the face became a withery, lipless visage spread in a fangish leer. Still

Lenfell's visitor was dryishfaced, rather than withery. He had lips, when one was close enough to observe

them. As for teeth, they were prominent, but not ugly when studied in proper proportion to the rest of his

face. Indeed, his smile was friendly, though with a cunning touch that Lenfell, no longer perturbed, could

The visitor's odd gait accounted, of course, for the echoing creeps that had so deceived Lenfell, even in his

own preserves. But it only certified the man as one worthy of Lenfell's confidence. Furthermore, the visitor's

thin white hair marked him as elderly, and therefore lacking any physical superiority over Lenfell.

Keenly, the whitehaired man's shrewd gaze went from Lenfell to the newspapers and back again. The visitor

spoke with slight traces of a rattly wheeze; otherwise, his tone was mild and kindly.

"Still brooding over Walder?" he queried. "Come, come, my friend! You can in no wise be held to blame for

The old man interposed a laugh. He tilted his head as he did, and his merriment was genuine, though its rattly

wheeze carried too much of the macabre for Lenfell to join in it. Then, lowering his eyes, the old man let

"You gave him what he thought were sapphires," the visitor corrected. "The synthetic gems which I, Jan

Garmath, manufactured in my crucible. Not imitations of existing gems" Garmath smiled proudly "but

"At any rate," he said, "I gave Walder gems that passed as the sapphires and made him the target for crime

"Through no blame of yours," argued Garmath. "According to those newspapers" he waved a long hand

toward the desk "the murderers were after Walder's own jewels, not your sapphires. The police have not

GARMATH'S reassurance restored Lenfell's composure. Catching the contagion of the old man's grin,

Lenfell rose from his desk and turned to the safe. It was already unlocked; he opened the door and brought

out two jewel cases a long one, and a square one. He placed them on the desk and opened them.

Set in a row within the long case were the six sapphires that had been exhibited at Walder's. From the square

box gleamed the famous Star of Delhi, as large and as radiant as when Walder had first viewed it. So like the

great gem were the smaller ones, that the eye could almost identify them as one and the same.

"A marvelous job, Garmath," commended Lenfell. "I doubt that any cutter, even Sherbrock, could have

produced as fine a resemblance as you have with these synthetics. They will please my friends when they

Sounds from somewhere in the hall below caused Lenfell to remember that his friends were almost due.

Hurriedly, he closed the case that contained the great Star and replaced it in the safe, spinning the

Then, taking the longer case with its six rings, he stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

Immediately, Jan Garmath rose from his chair and approached the door. Opening it a crack, he listened,

caught the sound of voices. Then, with his creepy stride, Garmath moved toward the library, but no longer

were his footfalls audible. Silent in his creep, Garmath had become a most insidious figure.

Peering between the edge of the library doorway and a curtain, Garmath observed Lenfell and a hooded

arrival. Not having considered it necessary to mask on this occasion, Lenfell expected his lone friend to raise

The two were talking as man to man, Lenfell expressing regrets over Walder's death and bolstering them with

the very arguments that Garmath had provided. Garmath saw the unhooded visitor nod his sympathetic

understanding; then, when Lenfell opened the jewel case, the man took one of the rings.

That visitor was hooded and on the way out, as other footsteps came up the stairs. Squeezing his frail form

deep in the doorway, Garmath waited. He saw another of the hoods enter and unmask to chat with Lenfell.

New footsteps were approaching, when the second man took his sapphire ring and departed.

The same process took place with the third; and after a brief wait, Lenfell received a fourth of the hooded

group. Having seen all their faces and observed the transfer of the rings, Garmath waited patiently for the

After several minutes, Lenfell became restless. Sensing that the financier might return to the study, Garmath

Garmath was seated in his chair, apparently half asleep, when Lenfell arrived bearing the jewel case with two

rings left in it. He removed one and slipped it on a finger of his left hand, grinning toward Garmath, who

"I wonder why he hasn't come. I know that he was out of town, but he promised to return this evening. I

Pausing, Lenfell decided otherwise. He took an envelope from his desk, wrote an address on it, and placed

the ring inside. Then the thought of sending even a false sapphire by messenger troubled Lenfell. He was

shaking his head, when the doorbell rang. Pocketing the envelope, Lenfell gestured for Garmath to remain

Garmath did. But as soon as Lenfell went downstairs, the whitehaired man stretched a long hand to the desk

and picked up the blotter that Lenfell had applied to the envelope. The address was plainly legible in reverse,

and Garmath read it without the aid of a mirror. The blotter was back on the table when Lenfell returned.

"It was his servant," he said, referring to the last man of the hooded six. "He said his master will not arrive

home until midnight, so he called by long distance, telling the servant to come here. I gave the envelope to

TURNING to the safe, Lenfell unlocked it; from a cash box, he brought out a sheaf of crisp bills and counted

"Your fee, Garmath," said Lenfell. "Ten times the value of the rings you made for me, but well worth it.

Those imitation sapphires had to stand the test of expert scrutiny, though I saw to it that they could not be

Showing Garmath to the stairs, Lenfell was conscious of the creaky stride that old Jan no longer sought to

keep unheard. He was still listening for those creeps as he returned to the study, and Lenfell was at last

satisfied that they had dwindled clear to the front door. After a few moments of silence, Lenfell stepped into

He thumbed the remaining bills in the cash box, counting out a batch which he had promised Garmath as a

bonus after a certain transaction was completed. Then, as he replaced the cash box in the safe, Lenfell stared

He opened the case hastily, saw that it still held the great sapphire. Closing the safe and locking it, Lenfell

Outside Lenfell's door, a man was listening at the crack. The man was Garmath; he had returned, in his silent

"Yes, yes. I still have the sapphire, the original Star of Delhi... The exhibit at Walder's? That was merely for

our mutual protection... Yes, poor Walder supplied imitations himself, to help create the impression that the

"Yes, it was wise, considering those recent robberies... Yes, the fact that crooks sought the smaller gems

proves how they would have coveted the Star... Next Monday? Certainly, I can see you then, Crome "

As Lenfell's receiver clicked upon the hook, Garmath moved away. By overhearing that telephone call, he

had learned what he wanted. Descending the front stairs again, this time in absolute silence, Garmath crept

Quickening his creep into a lengthy stride, Garmath covered a few blocks before stopping in a drugstore to

make a telephone call of his own. Even in a phone booth, Garmath was cautious, something that Dwig

Oddly enough, the voice that Garmath heard from the receiver was Dwig's. Placing his thin lips close to the

mouthpiece, Garmath spoke in a voice much firmer than the rattly wheeze that he had used before.

OUT of a rather tiresome evening at the Cobalt Club, Lamont Cranston had at least gleaned one point of

information through his friendship with Commissioner Weston. In sifting the Walder murder anew, Weston

had called in various jewelers, and the question of the six sapphires had been raised.

None knew who the owner of the gems could be, nor did they consider the matter relative to Walder's death

since the exhibited gems were gone when robbery began. They felt that the owner of the sapphires might find

Inasmuch as the police had traced none of the remaining killers, Commissioner Weston was not anxious to

Mention of the six sapphires, however, had turned the conversation to the Star of Delhi. Before they realized

it, the jewelers were talking shop. It didn't take them long to agree on the very thing that Walder had said

privately to Lenfell that there was only one expert in New York to whom the cutting of the great stone

Whether Sherbrock could have found time for the task was another question. According to the jewelers, the

The technical talk bored Weston, and his friend Cranston walked out in the middle of it. Inasmuch as The

Shadow was interested in tracing the past history of the Star of Delhi, a prompt visit to Sherbrock's had

become a logical step. Before leaving the club, The Shadow telephoned Margo and asked her to meet him

At present, The Shadow's agents, Moe Shrevnitz included, were busily seeking traces of Dwig Brencott, who

had conveniently left town not long after the Walder affair. Upon meeting Margo, who came in her own car,

He wanted Margo to drive him to Sherbrock's and wait outside, while he interviewed the gem cutter. Margo

observed that Cranston was carrying a briefcase. He opened it, to take out a small bag containing some uncut

Margo suspected that the briefcase also contained a slouch hat and a black cloak; but if it did, the garments

Sherbrock's place was on the second floor of a rather old and dilapidated building in a fairly disreputable

neighborhood. It looked like an ideal place for crime, except that the windows were barred. Lights from the

Alighting from Margo's car, Cranston strolled into the building, and just as he passed through the doorway

A bluntfaced husky was in charge of the secondfloor portal. He looked like a janitor, but acted as if he

were Sherbrock's confidential secretary. Impressed by the visitor in evening clothes, he accepted Cranston's

card and took it through an inner door that looked like the entrance to a strong room.

While waiting, The Shadow observed several other small rooms with heavy doors, evidently the workshops

There were large safes around the floor, at least a dozen of them, and when The Shadow was ushered into

It was an office, also, for Sherbrock was seated behind a desk, going over stacks of correspondence. He

ROGER SHERBROCK had a strong, deeplined face that marked him as a businessman, rather than an

artificer; but exacting work had taken its toll of him. Any man who followed the profession of the lapidary

invariably acquired a careful eye, and Sherbrock was no exception to the rule of gem cutters.

Nevertheless, he seemed able to take time out from his professional work to talk terms with customers,

Sherbrock was all business when The Shadow mentioned diamonds; but when the gems came from the

briefcase, the lapidary promptly reached for a magnifying lens, pressed it to his eye and forgot that he had a

customer, in order to examine the uncuts. Meanwhile, The Shadow made a further appraisal of the strong

Behind Sherbrock's desk was a huge door that dwarfed the heavy safes. It was the front of a large vault that

measured at least six feet in every direction, something which could readily be estimated, since the door of

Since the vault was empty, The Shadow assumed that Sherbrock placed the more valuable gems into some of

the smaller safes, and wheeled them into the vault when he closed up shop. A very logical process, since

movable safes could be rolled from one workroom to another, whenever required. Such a practice was the

perfect way to keep rare jewels under lock, except when Sherbrock's assistants were actually working on

The uncut diamonds interested Sherbrock, but he was loath to discuss their merits at so late an hour.

"If you would come back tomorrow, Mr. Cranston," he suggested, in a brisk tone, "I should be glad to

examine these diamonds in detail. If you care to leave them, I can give you a receipt for them. You doubtless

know that some of the most famous gems in existence have been entrusted to our custody."

There was a keen look in Sherbrock's right eye, the result, perhaps, of its recent association with the

magnifying lens. Yet his statement could have been a probing one, an effort to find out if Cranston supposed

that Sherbrock had recently handled the cutting of the celebrated Star of Delhi. Certainly, the words offered

But The Shadow ignored the opportunity. He preferred to have a longer chat with Sherbrock before

discussing sapphires instead of diamonds. Reaching for the chamois bag that contained the diamonds, he

That action, more than a blunt question, produced results with Sherbrock. Following his visitor to the door,

"Some gems are coming in shortly," explained Sherbrock, a trifle nervously. "A very special assortment,

from Baldwin Associates, one of the most reliable wholesale houses in the city. They always insist upon a

"Therefore, I shall be very busy for the next hour, at least. Frankly, I do not like to receive shipments so late

at night. There have been too many robberies lately, and the Walder affair was so shocking that I have felt

Again, Sherbrock was laying a lead that might bring mention of the Star of Delhi. But his tone was such that

It might be that Sherbrock knew much about the great sapphire, and was feeling Cranston out; on the

contrary, Sherbrock gave something of an impression that he knew nothing of the gem's history and hoped

The Shadow's only response was a disinterested nod. He strolled out through the main door, which the

As he descended the stairs, The Shadow saw an armored truck pull up in front of the building. It bore the

It wasn't sight of the truck that interested The Shadow, mostly. The other thing he noticed was a lowbuilt car

that cruised past, for no good reason, and swung into an alleyway that led to the rear of Sherbrock's building.

Observing a rear door on the groundfloor passage, The Shadow stepped toward it, only to find it heavily

locked. At that moment, two uniformed men came in from the armored truck and started upstairs, carrying a

heavy box between them. The Shadow drew back beneath the stairs and heard their footsteps pass overhead.

A third man was overtaking the other two, for The Shadow could hear his quicker, lighter footsteps.

Apparently, the burden carriers waited for him, for The Shadow heard voices; then the procession continued.

Meanwhile, The Shadow was sweeping hat and cloak from his briefcase, intending to obliterate the guise of

Cranston and make a foray to the rear alley. New footsteps caused him to delay; they were very light and

Dropping hat and cloak, The Shadow stepped into sight, as Cranston, just as he heard a girl's low, anxious

It was Margo. The Shadow gave a quiet response as he stepped into sight. Margo clutched his arm across the

banister. She didn't ask why he had gone from sight when the men from the truck entered. Margo had

In a style that was rapid for Cranston, The Shadow took a look out to the street. The truck was a short

distance ahead, and no one in it appeared to be keeping lookout. Drawing Margo from the doorway, The

"Have the motor running," he said calmly. "Others may be along. If they come too close, get started. Circle

Margo smiled despite her tensity. Her car had a musical chime that played "East Side West Side," and very

probably crooks like Dwig Brencott wouldn't be running around with horns of that type, hence Lamont

With Margo gone, The Shadow picked up his cloak and hat in rapid time. He was donning them as he hurried

up the stairs. Though speedy, he was quiet, for he wanted to see where the husky guard was. The fellow had

Sliding into the large room, The Shadow neared the door of Sherbrock's workshop office and was flat against

Peering through, The Shadow saw that Margo was right. The third man from the truck was Dwig. He was

wearing street clothes, and he was leaning over Sherbrock's shoulder while the lapidary sorted a large array of

jewelry that strewed the desk. On either side stood the two guards, watching the process.

A gun half drawn, The Shadow was waiting for a timely moment to move in on the conference, when he

heard a hoarse shout from the guard at the outer door. As The Shadow turned, a surge of men came straight

for Sherbrock's office, hurling the human watchdog ahead of them. So impetuous was their dash, that they

Twisting back across the doorway, The Shadow tried to trick the sudden attackers by a reverse dive in the

opposite direction a move that would have succeeded, had not one stalwart supplied a lucky flying tackle

that carried himself and The Shadow right through the doorway, into the light of Sherbrock's office, where

It was then that The Shadow gave his tackler a further fling and came up, gun in hand, to meet a somewhat

Finger on trigger, The Shadow could have fired, but didn't. He recognized the face of the fellow who had

tackled him and come out worse in the sprawl. It was the swarthy countenance that belonged to Inspector Joe

These men weren't more of Dwig's mob, coming to aid him in some fell work. The Shadow had encountered

It was Dwig Brencott who shouted the warning, and his cry took the attention of the invading detectives.

They knew that Cardona had tackled an opponent they had scarcely seen, but supposed that their leader had

come out winner. For some reason, Sherbrock was the man they had come after, so they surged straight for

But Dwig and his men were quicker. It was Dwig who grabbed Sherbrock and fairly hurled him into the open

door, while the two men with him, mobbies in guard uniform, seized the desk and hoisted it at the invading

Detectives ducked amid a shower of scattering jewels. They fired as they dived aside, but their shots were

By the time Cardona's men had a chance to take real aim, Dwig's uniformed pals were into the vault, too,

hauling the big door shut behind them. It had hardly closed, before bullets from police specials began to bash

Finding that they couldn't drill the heavy metal, the detectives sprang to the door and tried to get it open. It

In their futile effort to overtake four fugitives, the detectives left the door of the room quite clear. On his feet,

The Shadow whisked out through that convenient exit, seen only by Cardona, who lost sight of the cloaked

Then, seeing what the detectives were about, Cardona found his own feet and started to join them, only to

Cardona heard a sound which his excited men did not the rumble of an elevator, coming from the wall that

held the vault door. Joe shouted for his men to stop attacking the steel barrier.

"They've taken a way out!" Cardona bawled. "That's no vault. It's an elevator! They're getting to the rear

Getting to the alley wasn't so simple as Cardona supposed, considering that all the windows in Sherbrock's

place were barred, while the rear passage, downstairs, ended in a heavily locked door.

Bellowing orders as he reached the top of the stairs, Cardona heard responses from officers below: men that

he had left down there. They were trying to get through to the alley, and couldn't.

The only thing was to go around by the front, and Cardona beckoned them toward the stairs. Joe was in too

great a hurry to think of something that would ordinarily have puzzled him: namely, what had become of The

Shadow. Somewhere between Sherbrock's offices and the floor below, the cloaked intruder had mysteriously

It happened that The Shadow had found what Cardona wanted, a short route to the rear alley.

SHERBROCK'S windows were barred, but others on the second floor were not. Cutting out from

Sherbrock's. The Shadow had swung in back of the stairway leading up to the third floor, on chance of

It was narrow, barely large enough for The Shadow to slide his lithe form through. Once the squeeze was

accomplished, he dropped to the ground below, the only token of his arrival being the swish of his cloak.

That sound wasn't heard. Others were making a loud clatter in the alley. Out of a rear door that slid suddenly

open came Sherbrock, impelled to rapid gait by pressure of Dwig Brencott and the two thugs who wore the

There was a car in the alley, the lowbuilt sedan that The Shadow had seen earlier. The fugitives dived into

The car was in motion when The Shadow turned and aimed low, swift shots at a rear tire. The answer was a

clang, repeated with each bullet. The Shadow's fire had found an intervening fire plug, invisible against the

fenders of the moving car. It was a squatty fire plug, wide enough to stop two shots, though The Shadow

Those blasts brought a jolt from the car, as though it had been hit. The driver veered across the street and

zigzagged back again, putting all his weight on the accelerator. Off at a wild speed, taking a crazy course, the

car was roaring away in a fashion calculated to offset the efforts of any marksman.

The Shadow held his next shots until the car swung the corner. There, the zigzag couldn't help. He ripped a

rear tire broadside, and saw the car take a real jounce under the impetus of the bursting rubber. The car

disappeared around the corner, but it wasn't going far. The Shadow started on the run to overtake it.

From the sharp crack of the first shots, Cardona recognized that he had heard them through an open window.

Still on the second floor, Joe dived beyond the stairs and thrust his head and shoulders out in time to see the

Unable to wedge his stocky form through the narrow opening, Cardona decided to go out by the front way

a wise choice, considering that the fugitive car was no longer in the rear street.

Downstairs, Cardona found police cars and sprang into one, ordering a rapid chase.

Meanwhile, The Shadow had reached the rear corner, where he paused only to pick a darkened course across

the side street to the wrecked car, which was tilted high upon the curb. Resuming his dash, he arrived at the

A passageway between two buildings explained where Sherbrock and the crooks had gone. It was very short,

and led to a wide street that cut through this neighborhood at an angle. Looking for a car, The Shadow saw

With a long leap, The Shadow hooked the door of the coupe, opened it, and dropped in beside the girl, so

suddenly that she could only give a breathless gasp. Margo had been looking for Cranston, but by the time

In sharp, whispered tone, he was questioning if she had seen the fugitives. She hadn't, but she had spotted

"The armored truck!" Margo exclaimed. "It started away before I did. It was gone when the police arrived.

THE SHADOW ordered a chase. As Margo put speed into the coupe, she realized that the armored truck

must have picked up the fugitives that The Shadow was after. A few turns and she saw the truck once more,

as did The Shadow. It was taking a corner and guns spouted from its loopholes. Wide shots, that didn't

Leaning from his window, The Shadow responded, aiming for the tires. His aim was accurate, but the truck's

tires were bulletproof, as The Shadow expected, though he considered it worthwhile to test them. Then The

Shadow's free hand, lunging to the left, shoved the wheel from Margo's control and sent the coupe skewing

Margo caught the idea as The Shadow let her resume control. He wanted to pursue the truck along a parallel

Across their path flashed a police car. Rapidly, The Shadow yanked the wheel again, thus informing Margo

The police car was speeding for a corner where the armored truck was due, but The Shadow didn't wait for

the fugitive vehicle to arrive. He blasted shots at the rear tires of the police car, and, fortunately, they didn't

stand the gaff. The police car hit the curb at the corner just as the armored truck zoomed across.

If The Shadow hadn't halted them, Cardona and his companions would have been juggernauted by the

It was The Shadow who resumed the chase alone, telling Margo to keep a respectful distance behind the

armored truck, since it was impregnable, whereas her coupe was not. Gaining a big lead, the truck went

Had Moe been at the wheel, and this car his specially geared cab, he might have followed through; but Margo

and her coupe were not equal to the job. Halted by the traffic, Margo turned to The Shadow and began words

At Sherbrock's, half an hour later, The Shadow arrived as Cranston, to find Weston in charge. He had called

the Cobalt Club and learned that his friend, the commissioner, had left a message for him.

Order was restored in Sherbrock's office, and Cranston showed some surprise to find Weston sorting batches

of jewels which lay on Sherbrock's desk. They happened to be the same lot that Sherbrock had been pawing

"It was a tipoff, Cranston," informed the commissioner. "Someone called the club and told me that

Sherbrock was fencing stolen gems. I have an idea that the person who called me might have been one of the

The Shadow didn't comment on that point; in fact, he rather doubted it. But the gems couldn't be overlooked.

Weston had already checked them as loot that unknown crooks had acquired in the recent robbery of a

"Very clever, Sherbrock was," continued Weston. "He had deliveries made in regular jeweler's trucks. The

one that came tonight, bringing mobsters as its crew, bore the name of Baldwin Associates. We've called

them, and learned that both of their trucks are stored for the night. The one that came here was a fake."

"A fake, all right," put in Cardona, who was standing by. "It ducked away before we got here. We ran into it

"He was here," replied Cardona, laconically. "We ran into him at the office door. He slid out, and later he

"Not at all," returned Cardona. "He was probably after Sherbrock, too. We met up with him by mistake. I

THE explanation suited the commissioner. He reverted to the subject of Sherbrock.

"Here is full proof of crime," asserted Weston. "Stolen jewels in Sherbrock's possession; his flight through a

secret rear exit; use of a fake truck that offered battle when it fled. Roger Sherbrock is unquestionably the

head man behind the mob of jewel robbers. As an expert gem cutter, he was equipped to unload stolen goods

It was a strong indictment, one that The Shadow considered in detail when he was riding back to the Cobalt

Club with Weston. But through that chain ran one important thread: every whit of evidence against Sherbrock

Dwig Brencott could have brought the truck on his own. On such short inspection, Sherbrock couldn't have

known that the jewels were stolen ones. The elevator in the big vault might well be a device that Sherbrock

had installed as a way out if crooks invaded his premises, more logically than something that he had planned

As for his flight, Sherbrock hadn't any choice. He'd been rushed by Dwig and the uniformed mobbies, men

that he might have supposed were actually from Baldwin Associates. They hadn't given Sherbrock time to

The Shadow could readily take that view, inasmuch as he had built up a circumstantial case against himself

by first blocking Cardona's squad, and later wrecking a police car. Weston had dismissed those facts, because

he regarded The Shadow as a foe to crime. Had it been anyone else, the commissioner would not have been

Maybe Sherbrock's case deserved the same consideration that The Shadow's had received. The Shadow,

deeply involved in the matter and a witness to occurrences at Sherbrock's, was definitely of that opinion. He

wasn't willing to concede that Roger Sherbrock was the real head of the jewelrobbing outfit.

The Shadow's trail remained the same as before: to find Dwig Brencott and seek facts concerning six

ALL during the next day, The Shadow kept in touch with Commissioner Weston. It didn't surprise the

commissioner that his friend, Lamont Cranston, should drop into the office in the morning, suggest that they

lunch together and, later, ride back to the office again in Weston's car. Contrarily, it rather pleased the

Weston was a social climber and regarded Cranston as a good friend to have. Since Cranston was indifferent

toward furthering acquaintances, it was usually Weston who insisted that the two go places together. Thus, on

those rare occasions when Cranston cultivated Weston's company, the commissioner took it that his

Never did Weston guess that these periods really indicated Cranston's deep interest in some criminal

investigation that the police were conducting; yet such was invariably the case. As Cranston, The Shadow

It was to Margo Lane that the quiet Mr. Cranston expressed the purpose of his frequent meetings with Weston

during this important day. Cranston met Margo in a cafe lounge during the cocktail hour, and smiled

approvingly when she ordered a Mirage, a pinkish drink that looked quite powerful, but did not have a drop

"Exactly!" Cranston glanced at his watch. "He will be at the Cobalt Club at halfpast five. I want to be there

"Because of Sherbrock," replied Cranston. "I think that he may be innocent. If such is the case, crooks are

holding him. Therefore it is important to check anything that the police learn about Sherbrock."

"So that you may get a trail to the guilty men for instance, Dwig Brencott? Is that it, Lamont?"

"I can leave the guilty to The Shadow," was Cranston's laconic reply. "I merely felt that I, in my feeble way,

Margo was still thinking that one over, when she saw Cranston stroll out to keep his appointment with the

police commissioner. She approved Lamont's policy of discussing The Shadow as a distinct personality, but it

did not deceive her. Margo had learned enough to understand the full extent of the present case.

With agents still on the hunt for Dwig Brencott, who had ducked away again without being recognized by

Cardona and the detectives, The Shadow was personally keeping tabs with developments from the Sherbrock

It was true that Cranston wanted to aid Sherbrock; equally certain that The Shadow could uncover mobsters if

Sherbrock happened to be found. Hence, Margo could find no flaw in Lamont's statement.

Cranston would search for the innocent, and The Shadow would find the guilty. One and one made two

Another point occurred to Margo. If Sherbrock happened to be the real head of the jewel mob, as the police

believed, The Shadow through his Cranston guise would get to the guilty, anyway. But Margo accepted

Lamont's opinion of Sherbrock at its face value. She only wished that she had asked him something else: his

Margo had come to the adamant conclusion that those gems, when located, would provide the complete

MATTERS promised well, as soon as The Shadow reached the Cobalt Club. He found Joe Cardona there,

and the inspector was glad to see Weston's affable friend, Cranston, who was one man who often sided with

Soon after, Weston arrived in a hurry, steered both men to a corner and spoke brusquely to Cardona:

Inferring that Weston wasn't keeping secrets from Cranston, Cardona produced the message, explaining it as

"It's a letter," said the inspector. "It came into Sherbrock's office today, in the last mail. Sent last night,

It did look like a message. It was a half sheet of paper, folded twice, and its brief statement was typed in

capitals that bore no signature. Weston read it, then showed it to Cranston. The message stated:

He put the question to Cranston, but it was Cardona who answered. Joe already had a theory.

"I'd say it meant five minutes to the hour," declared the inspector. "But which hour that's the question.

Unless the guy that wrote it was smart and tried some double talk. He might mean fivefifty. That would be

"Ridiculous!" snapped Weston. "Fiftyfive is an address. Probably a number on some street right here in

"There's more streets than there are hours, reminded Cardona. "With only twelve hours to pick from "

"That's right," agreed Cardona. Then: "But there's two sets of streets, too east and west. It doubles up on

The Shadow smiled at the final quip, but his face was turned away. He was going to a phone booth; he called

Margo and suggested that she meet him promptly, outside the Cobalt Club in her coupe. Of course, his tone

He was still Cranston as he stepped from the booth to find Weston and Cardona beckoning to him. From

Weston's manner, The Shadow guessed that the commissioner had won out despite Cardona's neat dig.

"We're going on a tour," declared Weston. "We're going to zigzag across Fifth Avenue looking at all places

"It would take too long a time," he said, as he strolled with the others toward the door. "Besides, I'm

expecting Miss Lane. We're going to have dinner at a night club. I don't know just which one "

They had reached the street when Cranston's tone took its pause. His companions stared, wondering what had

Another pause, during which Margo's car swept into sight around the corner. Then Cranston added:

Weston shook his head; then, observing Cranston's fixed expression, the commissioner demanded why his

"Because fiftyfive would then mean Fiftyfifth Street," was The Shadow's reply. "As I recall it, there is a

night club up there that took its name from the number of the street. It is called Club Fiftyfive."

That was enough for Weston. He exclaimed the name, "Fiftyfive!" and Cardona echoed it. Both were

anxious to get started, but since Margo had by then arrived, Cranston decided to go in her car, saying that

BOTH cars reached Club Fiftyfive at the same time. By then, Cranston had explained matters to Margo;

Joe was so enthused that he started into the night club ahead of the others, flashed a badge at a startled head

"Why... why everything's jake!" the head waiter began. Then, properly comprehending the query, he added:

There was just one barkeep on duty, a beefy man who was serving a drink to a rather drowsy customer

perched on a stool, with head tilted against his arm. Cardona was about to start toward the bar, when

"Perhaps it would be better," suggested The Shadow quietly, "if one of us stopped there first. Myself, for

With Weston nodding, Cardona agreed, realizing that it would give him a chance to cover Jake without the

barkeeper knowing it. The Shadow turned toward Margo in Cranston's polite manner. With a smile, the girl

Reaching the bar while the others watched, Margo took a stool and ordered a drink. She was trying not to

stare at Jake, hence her eyes went to the tipsylooking customer who was slouched upon the bar.

She saw the drink that Jake had served the fellow, just beyond the reach of the man's outstretched hand.

Rather fascinated, Margo watched the man's hand move automatically toward the waiting glass, as though he

saw it without lifting his eyes. The horror of the thing didn't grip her, until that moving hand had slid past the

drink without touching it. By then, his shoulders were on the move, slumping downward. His head turned as

Margo shrieked even before the toppling body hit the floor, for on the way, she saw the tumbling man's face

The face was bloated, its lips spread in a frozen grin. Eyes were glazed and glaring, like objects of stone.

Cranston, Weston and Cardona were springing toward the bar, when Margo loosed the scream. But they were

Cardona had been repeating the same words for nearly half an hour, but without result. Jake, the barkeeper,

had done all the talking that he could. Jake had tried to bolt when the dead man hit the floor, but he claimed

It was the sight of others coming to grab him that worried Jake. He had something of a criminal past he

Cardona wasn't convinced, which was why be kept on quizzing Jake; but The Shadow, silent as he posed as

The dead man had been poisoned, which made it look bad for Jake, though the beefy bartender swore that he

hadn't slipped anything lethal into any of the three drinks that the man had taken.

"This is a reliable place," Jake insisted. "We wouldn't even hand a tough guy a Mickey Finn. What would I

That was just it. What would Jake have gained? Nothing, in The Shadow's silent opinion. He saw what lay

It was a fake tipoff, like the one that the police received the night before. Real murderers had known that a

victim would die at Club Fiftyfive, and were trying to plant the job on Jake because of the bartender's

The dead man's name was Howard Jorton, which fitted the initials "H. J." mentioned in the note. He was

welldressed, had plenty of money in his pocket, and was fairly wellknown at Club Fiftyfive, where he

Jorton was in the rug business, as evidenced by cards found on his person, but his office was closed when

Weston tried to reach it by telephone. Apparently, Jorton had lived at some hotel, because there was a big key

in his pocket with the number 331 on it; but it didn't bear the name of the hotel.

Having called headquarters to make a general checkup on hotels, Weston began an examination of Jorton's

effects. Money, cards, and other items were spread along the bar, when Cranston called attention to a ring

It was a gold ring, with a fairsized stone that had no color. Weston drew it from the man's finger, which was

rather difficult, since Jorton's hands were swollen. The police surgeon, recently arrived, attributed the

"A cheap stone," declared Weston, as he held the ring to the light. "Too sparkling to be glass, but not good

"A variety of quartz," identified The Shadow. "Such stones are often sold under the name of Brazilian

diamonds. You are right, commissioner they are very cheap, though persons are sometimes deceived by

A telephone bell was ringing. Taking it to be a call from headquarters, Weston answered. His voice

"Yes, yes!" he exclaimed. "Mr. Jorton is here... He's to call Mr. Bayle? Which Mr. Bayle?... I see, Moreland

A second later, Weston was hammering at the receiver hook. The speaker at the other end had hung up very

suddenly. Pouncing for the phone book, Weston was trying to find the name of Bayle, when Cranston

After the name, Weston repeated the number from the directory. But when he called Bayle's number, he

received no reply, not even from the mysterious butler, a point which troubled The Shadow. The call had all

the earmarks of another socalled tipoff, designed by crooks. It produced the sinister picture of further

THERE was nothing to do but go to Bayle's, so Weston started, taking Cranston and Margo along in his

official car, while Cardona remained at Club Fiftyfive to clear up what little he could in the Jorton case.

Bayle's address turned out to be a small apartment house, a converted dwelling, and Weston was pressing at

It was The Shadow who stepped out to meet it, when he saw the driver give a puzzled stare into the rear seat.

The act brought another shriek from Margo, who was standing by, though she managed to stifle the cry

somewhat. However, it was enough to bring Weston full about in time to see the reason.

A body was rolling from the cab, to hit the curb and stretch flat before The Shadow could stop the force of its

dead weight. Arriving at Cranston's side, the police commissioner stared down at a horrible, grinning face,

The Shadow was correct. Examination of the victim's pockets proved him to be Moreland Bayle, traveling

representative of a large paper company. The gulping cab driver declared that he had picked up his fare at the

It was plain to The Shadow that murderers had not cared just where Bayle died, though they would probably

have preferred him to fall from a cab, the way he had. The pressing question was whether or not Bayle's death

No other name was indicated among Bayle's effects, but the man was wearing something which, to The

The object was a cheap ring, but its stone was Spanish quartz, rather than Brazilian. Almost colorless, the

socalled gem had a faint tint of amber, which might have led a person of credulity and imagination to accept

it as a topaz. It wasn't in keeping for Bayle to be wearing such a ring, any more than Jorton.

Accepting Cranston's suggestion that they go up to Bayle's apartment, Weston was going through the door of

the house, when his friend stopped him. In the slit of Bayle's mailbox The Shadow observed the mere corner

The paper had a calling card attached to it by a paper clip. It bore the printed name: "Arthur Halden." Down

It wasn't far to Halden's hotel. Having hailed a patrol car and putting the officers in charge of Bayle's body,

Weston suggested a quick trip to the Marwood. The place turned out to be a small one, and an affable clerk

"Mr. Halden is in," the clerk said. "He called me a while ago. At least, he started to, and then hung up. I'll

THEY reached Halden's room. While Weston was unlocking the door, Margo stepped forward, only to be

pressed back by Cranston's arm. That left it to Weston to utter the gasp of horror, when he pressed the door

The commissioner voiced Cranston's name, and his friend stepped calmly past him, to view a sight which he

Flat on the floor lay a tall man, his face turned toward the doorway, his features skewed in a onesided smile

that was very far from pleasant. But it wasn't the glimmer of bulging eyes that attracted The Shadow's chief

He had expected to find Arthur Halden dead. More important was the gleam that came from the finger of the

man's stiffened hand, the one that clamped the telephone, which Halden hadn't quite been able to put in use

The gleam was of a slightly pinkish hue, produced by a stone which The Shadow classed as rose quartz, quite

as cheap as the settings in the finger rings worn by the two previous victims, Jorton and Bayle.

Murder still reigned, how many more victims it would take was a matter for conjecture, even by The Shadow.

He, the inspector who had so often run down crime, could only hope that the toll of dead men would stop

THE clerk at the Hotel Marwood was a better informant than either the bartender who had seen Jorton die, or

the cab driver who had brought Bayle's body home. The clerk knew quite a lot about Arthur Halden. The

dead man, he said, was a former stock broker who had retired during a flush period of more than ten years

Halden was quite wealthy and still had dabbled in the market, advising friends, as well. However, he was

living on his investments, which weren't paying the oldtime dividends, hence he preferred a reasonably

In trying to recall the names of Halden's friends, the clerk promptly remembered one. The man in question

was Kirk Raft, who had a realestate office on upper Broadway, not far from the Marwood. The clerk

remembered Raft, especially, because there had been a phone call from the realtor's office while Weston and

Since Raft's office was near, Weston suggested an immediate trip there. On the way, he confided:

"This is horrible business, Cranston, but we're getting to the heart of it. I wouldn't be surprised if this man

The Shadow deemed quite otherwise, but did not express his real opinion. As they were alighting from the

"A good idea," returned Margo. "I'll walk to the corner, Lamont, and get some cigarettes."

A gesture of The Shadow's hand had given her the cue. As Margo stepped away, she heard Cranston's

Margo knew how that could be accomplished. It meant a call to a man named Burbank, who always seemed

to be on duty. He was a contact with Harry Vincent, Moe Shrevnitz, and other agents. If they were available,

Burbank would summon them. But Margo really felt sick as she walked toward the store.

She'd received her first indication that Cranston did not consider the chain of death ended. She realized that

he was hoping for another link from Raft's, further on, and that this time he would seek some pretext to get

away from Weston and speed ahead of the commissioner, in an effort to forestall some other tragedy. That

Meanwhile, Commissioner Weston was striding into Raft's realestate office with an air of selfsatisfied

importance. He saw a girl seated at a desk and introduced himself, along with Cranston.

The girl said that Mr. Raft was working late and didn't like to be disturbed, but that she would ring his private

office. Stopping her, Weston said that he would go into the other office without such unnecessary formality.

The commissioner drew a gun as he opened the door. Just why he pictured Kirk Raft as a hand in crime, was

something that Weston couldn't explain afterward. His mistaken confidence, however, reversed itself in a

fashion that jarred him worse that at Halden's. Half into the lighted office, Weston actually dropped his gun

KIRK RAFT was a worse sight than any of the former victims. He was a scrawny man, with tightskinned

face, and the effects of the poison had changed his dead face into a human skull.

Lips were scarcely visible above and below his grinning teeth. His eyes seemed sunken in their sockets, but

small though they were, they carried the ugly death glisten that Weston had viewed before.

One of Raft's hands, his right, was stretched so far across the desk that it dangled from the edge. Its fingers

were spread like a starfish, but none of them wore a ring. However, the left hand was still to be considered. It

Helping Weston to a chair, The Shadow rounded the desk and started to draw the doubled left hand into sight.

"No, no, Cranston!" he exclaimed, rising. "Touch nothing for the present! I must call Inspector Cardona and

have him catch up with us, bringing the police surgeon. Four deaths within a halfhour! They are more than I

The Shadow could have suggested that Weston get over his weakness and prepare for further shocks, but he

was more interested in the ring, that now showed on Raft's partly raised left hand.

It was another specimen of cheap jewelry, a smooth, roundish stone like those that had adorned the other

victims, but this one had a trifling lavender tinge. It was a poor variety of domestic amethyst, nothing more,

and as The Shadow tilted a light toward it, what little color the stone had faded very promptly.

The girl was corning from the front office. The Shadow stopped her on the threshold. He used Cranston's way

of breaking the news calmly, but he was glad when Margo appeared, for Raft's helper had gone white and

Margo produced some smelling salts, but before bringing the stenographer from her fainting spell, she

Back in Raft's office, The Shadow found Weston rummaging through the realtor's desk. He'd reached

Cardona by telephone, and the ace inspector was on his way. When things became desperate. Weston

sometimes relied on Cardona's hunches for which Joe was famous; though, ordinarily, the police

Being in one of his hunchaccepting moods, Weston still insisted that Raft's body be left untouched, on the

The wait actually worried The Shadow. He was looking at Raft's right arm; beneath its elbow, he saw

something that appeared to be a memo pad. It was very possible that such a pad would show a notation

leading to someone else. However, since The Shadow was depending upon Moe's cab, it was as well to wait.

Had Moe arrived first, The Shadow might have done some deft work, sneaking the telltale pad from under the

dead arm. But it happened that Cardona was the first man to appear. He entered the office and stared glumly

at Raft's body. The Shadow was about to point out the memo pad, when an interruption came.

A telegraph boy had entered the realestate office and was arguing with officers outside. They sent him in to

He was an oldish chap, the messenger, well over twentyone, of the jockey type that never seemed to

outgrow the job of delivering telegrams. He handed the telegram envelope to Weston, mentioning that it was

The telegram wasn't very important. It was from an upstate realestate concern, quoting prices on some lots.

Cardona crowded in to have a look at it, while the commissioner was showing it to Cranston.

The messenger inquired drearily if there was a reply. When Weston told him no, the fellow shambled from

Looking outward, The Shadow saw Moe's cab pulling up in front. Officers were going out to order it away,

He motioned Margo toward the outer door as the messenger passed through; then, following, The Shadow

HELPING Margo into the cab, The Shadow was about to tell her to have Moe cruise around the block, when

a better idea occurred to him. In this weird trail of death, the merest trifles might prove important. Certainly,

At the corner ahead, The Shadow saw the telegraph messenger turning from sight, whistling as he went. On a

Returning through the outer office, The Shadow indulged in one of the slight smiles that sometimes showed

themselves on the usually immobile lips of Cranston. He'd supplied another little touch, to dispel Margo's

Sending her with Moe along the route of a sauntering messengerboy wouldn't strike Margo as worthy of

The Shadow. She would regard it as real stupidity on Cranston's part, when the trail wound up at a telegraph

Of course, the cab would then return, and The Shadow would have it later; at least, so he thought, until he

reached Raft's private office again. He came just in time to see Cardona reach for the dead man's right arm,

Only one person could have taken it: the telegraph messenger! Small wonder that he had looked so old; the

fellow was a fake, a crook disguised in uniform, like the men in the truck at Sherbrock's!

The Shadow recalled instantly how Cardona had blocked his view of the messenger while the fellow was in

Raft's office. That was when the pretended messenger had snagged the memo pad and slipped it into his cap!

Like other planted clues, the memo pad had been a link arranged by murderers to carry the death trail farther.

For some reason, men of crime had found it necessary to eliminate that lead. But the stolen link still existed,

It was fortunate that she was in Moe's cab, for Shrevvy was a very clever hackie, a good man at dodging

trouble. Nevertheless, The Shadow promptly told Weston, in Cranston's calmest manner, that four deaths

Thus did The Shadow manage to be on his way, to again become a figure clad in black, a hidden crime hunter

who would be in readiness for whatever word might reach him, regarding the trail of the stolen link to death!

MARGO LANE was more than ever convinced that Lamont Cranston was The Shadow. Only The Shadow

could have snapped up so innocent a trail as that of a loitering telegraph messenger and picked it as a prize.

For two blocks, Margo had felt herself upon a stupid quest, wondering why Moe, the patient hackie was

Then, when the messenger looked back from another corner, Margo's opinion reversed itself. He didn't spot

the cab, for Moe had it out of sight between two other cars that were parked on the street. But Margo saw the

messenger's face, with its ugly, triumphant leer. She also spied him start into a run as he took the corner.

Moe followed after him. Around the corner, the fake messenger was peeling off his uniform jacket as he

sprang into a waiting car manned by other thugs. From then on, Margo was glad that she wasn't at the wheel

of her own coupe, trying to trail the group ahead. Shrevvy was much better qualified for that very ticklish job.

He let the other car get out of sight before its passengers could notice the cab behind. Then, taking cross

streets, mingling with traffic, Moe picked the right car from a dozen others and was back on the trail again.

Not only on the trail, but free to follow closer, because the men ahead did not suspect his cab. Of all vehicles,

taxicabs, the commonest type in Manhattan, were the best to use in work like this.

Margo was gradually piecing facts together. She knew that each murder had been the lead to the next, and

reasoned that, in this case, something different had occurred. It could only be that the fugitive messenger had

But Margo couldn't quite figure why crooks had planted something and then removed it. She felt sure,

however, that The Shadow could answer that question, and probably would through Lamont Cranston

Events caused Margo to drop that problem. The trail was leading into a rather sinister portion of the East

Side, where shabby old buildings ranged on each side of an elevated line. Such neighborhoods were all right

When the car ahead rolled into a side street that stretched, dark and gloomy, toward the river, Margo felt that

She was right. Crooks halted their car and disembarked, while Moe deftly extinguished the cab lights and slid

into a parking space some distance behind. Margo watched slinky figures cross the sidewalk and sneak into a

The fact pleased her. It meant that the sidewalk was dark enough for her to do some stealthy work on her

own. She opened the rear door of the cab, caught a warning gesture from Moe. Coolly, Margo said:

"They may have a lookout," voiced Moe, shrewdly. "Those guys can konk you quick. I ought to know."

He rubbed his head, as though recalling a few such experiences. Margo laughed lightly, though she was

MARGO was true to her word. She was wearing a dark dress, which enabled her to keep nicely unobserved

as she moved along the line of basement fronts. But, as she neared the one where the crooks had entered, she

It was well that she did. As Margo waited, one doorway short, she saw a huddling man shift from the

Drawing back, Margo felt quite secure, though annoyed because she couldn't get closer. This was really a job

for The Shadow, and Margo realized it. There was just a chance that luck might come her way and it did.

The reason that the lookout had shifted was because a door was opening. Men emerged in a shaft of dim

light, and Margo was able to overhear their voices. Not only that, she saw a face exceedingly like the sleek

"A couple of you lugs cruise around," he said. "The Shadow has got wise to too much, and even when The

Shadow learns too little, he knows too much. So keep cruising for a halfhour; then duck out. I'll call you

As the door closed, Margo worked away. She was trembling during the return trip to the cab, fearing every

moment that hands might fling from a doorway and grip her. Straight opposite the cab, she was afraid that

some clatter from her high heels might betray her, so she took off her shoes and carried them as she stole

In the cab, her nerve returned. She was putting on her shoes again, as she leaned to the front seat and said:

It was then that a real horror overwhelmed Margo. The cab no longer had a driver!

Sinking back, the girl opened her purse and tried to draw out a small automatic that she had there; but her

Not that Margo was short on nerve; she could take care of herself in a pinch; otherwise, she wouldn't be

working for The Shadow. But the belief that she might first have to rescue Shrevvy from the clinches of a

Someone bounded into the cab from the street side and took the wheel. Margo caught a grip on the gun and

A voice answered. It was Moe's. He thought that Margo meant the cab, not himself.

"They may be." Margo slid the gun back into the bag. She was glad Moe hadn't spied the weapon. "Only

"Dwig is in the hideaway," replied Margo. "He'll be there for the next halfhour."

With that, Moe started the cab. It dawned on Margo that he must have called Burbank, saying that he thought

Guesswork on Moe's part, but the sort The Shadow liked, because it could be promptly countermanded if it

turned out wrong. Otherwise, it would stand, and was a great timesaver, for, if right, such guesses would

There was one point, however, that Margo couldn't fathom. As they turned into an avenue, she questioned:

"To keep your date," was the reply. "The one you made with Mr. Cranston. He said to meet him at the Hotel

Lamont hadn't said anything of the sort, but Margo did not dispute the matter. She was sure that Moe had

been told to remind her of the imaginary date. Since it was certainly time for dinner, Margo relaxed, while the

As they swung a corner sharply, she landed half around in the rear seat and had a look through the back

WHAT she saw, worried Margo. A coupe was jabbing past the same corner, acting very much as if on the

cab's trail. Thoughts of the cruising car rang home to Margo. She exclaimed to Moe:

Taking a look in the mirror, Moe certified Margo's statement and sped the cab ahead. He was neatly in

Instead, Moe whizzed past, went along the darkened street and swung around the block. He went by so fast,

A man was lounging there: Lamont Cranston. He not only saw the cab, he observed that a suspicious car was

Things happened while those cars were rounding the block. Cranston became a figure in black: The Shadow.

He signaled some blinks with a tiny flashlight; they were seen across the street. The Shadow had merged with

This time, Moe slackened, and Margo thought that he intended to stop; but, instead, he kept on. Of course,

A door yanked open on the driver's side of the coupe. Something hit the thug and sent him clear across the car

into his companion's lap. Before the other hoodlum could get rid of the burdening driver, his head took a hard

By then, there were three in the car, and the driver was The Shadow. He pulled to the far curb and stepped

out. Harry Vincent promptly joined him; The Shadow blinked the flashlight on the faces of the stunned men.

Seeing that they would stay put awhile, he turned the car over to Harry, who drove away.

Finishing another tour around the block, Moe stopped at the Metrolite and let Margo out. Very anxiously, she

looked back toward the corner, then decided that Moe must have managed to slip the trailing car. Margo went

into the hotel, while Moe was looking at a green blink from a flashlight, farther down the street.

Wheeling over, Moe picked up The Shadow and made a brief report. The Shadow ordered a prompt return to

"Sorry about Miss Lane," informed Moe. "She's expecting to meet Mr. Cranston at the Metrolite."

The Shadow's tone ended with a whispered laugh that carried nothing more significant than the fact that

Margo Lane might have a very long wait before she dined with her friend Lamont Cranston.

IN his squalid basement hideaway, Dwig Brencott was talking on the telephone, while other men stood by.

Sleek, suave of tone, Dwig was a contrast to his companions. They were husky, but dumbfaced, recruits that

Dwig had signed to take the place of the lamented gunzels who had suffered, permanently, from meeting with

Except for the telephone, the hideaway had no furnishings other than a table and some brokendown chairs.

It was quite apparent that Dwig, when he gestured for his tribe to follow him, intended to abandon the place.

Peering through a partly opened door, he heard Dwig say: "Let's go!" Then, followed by his small but tough

Even though he glanced back, Dwig did not see The Shadow. Motionless in the other doorway, the cloaked

observer had benefit of darkness; but that was not all. It was unlikely that Dwig could have seen The Shadow.

Using the system of remaining absolutely immobile, with even his thoughts fixed, The Shadow was

It was their belief that such concentration could produce the equivalent of invisibility. Through experience,

The Shadow had demonstrated that complete immobility did reduce an observer's chances to almost nil.

It produced the semblance of a power through which he could cloud men's minds; and many of The Shadow's

enemies had sworn that he had suddenly appeared in the midst of a lighted room before their startled eyes.

Only a few could claim that they had seen The Shadow vanish, for the simple reason that it was much more

difficult the other way about. Though The Shadow could fade rapidly into darkness, he required ideal

conditions if he sought to remain on the very ground, unnoticed. Once crooks saw The Shadow, their minds

If Dwig had any suspicions that The Shadow might be about, they were so vague that they did not bother

Had The Shadow spoken at that moment, in ventriloquial style, he could have startled Dwig into absolute

bewilderment. In fact, Dwig would have imagined The Shadow almost anywhere except at the spot where he

But The Shadow did not speak; nor did he choose to reveal himself. He simply waited, motionless, until

Dwig had followed the others outside. Then came the slightest stir amid the darkness, the merest swish of a

Moe's cab was waiting in the next street; from then on, it became the medium whereby The Shadow kept

The fact that his cruising bruisers had not returned was proof sufficient to Dwig that the way was clear. He'd

told them to go their way, and it didn't occur to him that The Shadow might have put them out of the picture

by virtue of a surprise attack. Hence, Dwig was going his own way also and providing The Shadow with a

Analyzing the matter of the stolen message more deeply than Margo had, The Shadow reduced it to but one

solution. Mobsters had been forced to remove the link to a fifth murder because, somehow, that particular

crime had fallen through. If the police had found the name on the memo pad beneath Raft's elbow, they might

The very oddity of the four deaths all by poison, and striking almost at an appointed hour indicated

definitely that they were prearranged. Therefore, Dwig had probably supposed that the fifth man was dead,

too, until some lastminute information had indicated otherwise. Naturally, since a murder scheme had

Dwig and his mob were actually leading The Shadow to the fifth victim before death was delivered.

Somewhere along this trail, The Shadow would have to pass the killers and be the first to reach the helpless

THE trail narrowed suddenly, as the car ahead stopped near an elevated railway station. Moe parked on the

other side of the avenue and The Shadow glided from the cab, prepared to follow an elusive course beneath

Crooks were watching the steps that came down from the elevated station; it might be that they intended to

A man appeared from that direction. He was welldressed, fairly tall, and with an intelligent squarejawed

face. His lined features marked him past middle age, but his gait was agile. His expression was a troubled one

that of a man who was bound upon an unpleasant duty; but The Shadow noticed no trace of fear.

Reaching shelter beside the el steps, The Shadow pointed an automatic for the window of the sedan in which

The mere glint of a revolver barrel would have meant a bullet for the man who showed the gun; but no one in

the car tempted The Shadow's aim. Dwig and his watchers let the squarejawed man go past them, but when

It appeared that they preferred to trail their prospective victim to some place where they could kill him with

Back in Moe's cab, The Shadow had his driver proceed along the same trail. Lights extinguished, the cab

The walking man had stopped at a dingy brick house. Abruptly, he went up the steps and into the place.

Dwig's car started away, but The Shadow told Moe to wait. He foresaw what the crooks intended. They were

Inadvertently, they were giving The Shadow the very chance he wanted. By using the front door, The

Swiftly, The Shadow left the cab; fleetingly, Moe saw him on the house steps. Then, entering a gloomy hall,

The Shadow heard creaks from the floor above and went directly for a flight of stairs.

By the time he had reached the second floor, the man ahead was on the third. As The Shadow neared the top

There was no answer. The man rapped again, spoke louder. His tone had an accusing note.

"Glevin!" he repeated. "This is Mr. Talney. Louis Talney. I want to speak to you!"

There was no response. For the first time, Talney exhibited actual hostility. Clamping his left hand firmly on

the doorknob, he prepared to drive his shoulder forward, while his right hand drew a small, stubby revolver.

Turning the knob, Talney jabbed his shoulder hard. Whether he expected to crack the rather flimsy door, or

merely alarm Glevin, was difficult to tell. In fact, The Shadow did not have time or need to decide the

question. The door was unlocked, something that Talney had not suspected. Swinging inward, the door

Talney must have caught himself as he gasped. But it wasn't his near sprawl that brought the odd sound from

his lips. The word that Talney gasped was proof of some different sort of shock. The word was a name:

FROM the doorway, The Shadow viewed the sight that had so horrified Talney. Small wonder that the tall

man was aghast, for it was his first view of the sort of death that The Shadow, as Cranston, had seen on

Upon a cot that stood beyond a strip of frayed green carpet lay a dead man who stared straight toward the

ceiling a corpse with staring, glassy eyes and bloated features that bore only a grotesque resemblance to

anything human. Yet Talney had managed to recognize the face as Glevin's, which proved he must have

Standing beside the cot, Talney reached gingerly and lifted Glevin's left hand. From it, he removed a finger

ring, which he held toward the gaslight. The ring had a roundish stone, as colorless as a chunk of glass.

"I trusted you, Glevin, as a faithful servant. Yet you stole... a worthless ring."

Had The Shadow been acquainted with plans of Armand Lenfell, he would have known that Louis Talney

was the fifth member of the secret six; also, that Glevin was the servant who had come in Talney's stead to

Jorton, Bayle, Halden, Raft they were the four hooded men who had received rings. Talney was the fifth.

Yet none of those rings bore the blue hue of a sapphire, whether real or imitation; nor did any show the

Talney's bewilderment proved The Shadow's present theory: that all five of the worthless rings had once been

valued as precious. So stupefied was Talney, that The Shadow ended his immobile vigil and moved into the

Once in motion, The Shadow ran the risk of detection; but it seemed slight, considering that Talney was still

It was the flickering gaslight that betrayed The Shadow. Fanned by a breeze that came through the open

window, the flame stretched and wavered, lengthening the streak of approaching blackness that preceded The

Staring past the ring, Talney saw the weird, hawkish silhouette that was cast upon the cot where Glevin lay.

Roused from his stupor, Louis Talney uttered a savage cry. Wheeling, he aimed his stubby revolver

pointblank for the cloaked figure that was swooping in from the door, and fired!

The Shadow's swoop had become a dive when Talney opened fire. The first shot, therefore, whizzed a full

Knowing that he had missed, he shoved his gun downward, intending to score at least one hit upon the

unknown invader, who, in Talney's opinion, must be a foe. Talney's second aim was good, but he didn't pull

The Shadow's dive was toward the stretch of carpet on which Talney stood. Grabbing the green weave, The

Shadow gave a hard yank. Talney somersaulted as the carpet went beneath him, his gun flying to the ceiling.

The Shadow was on his feet, picking up the revolver, by the time Talney struck the floor.

It wasn't luck on The Shadow's part. He wouldn't have moved in on Talney if he hadn't seen that the carpet

was rightly placed for emergency. In fact, the breaks were all against The Shadow. He had counted upon

plucking away the carpet before Talney managed to fire at all. The shot, even though it missed, was

Heard below, Talney's gun blast was bringing men up the stairs as fast as they could come. Dwig and his

crew, in through the back way, knew that something had happened and they didn't intend to let Talney, their

Coming to his feet, Talney launched for the door, not knowing that death was hurrying up to meet him. The

Shadow reached the door first, slamming it across Talney's path. Twisting about, he blocked off the tall man

Something thumped the door and exploded with a smash that reduced the barrier to kindling. It was a bomb,

chucked by one of Dwig's henchmen. That bunch was out to get rid of Talney without finesse or ceremony.

The door took the shock of the explosion, but before Talney could congratulate himself on escaping one

death, he was confronted by another. Headfirst, he was going through the open window, propelled by The

Talney thought it would be a thirtyfoot plunge to a cement court below. He overestimated by twentynine

feet, and he was wrong about the cement. Instead of taking off on a long plunge, Talney simply flattened on a

The Shadow had noticed the ironwork of the fire escape, even though Talney hadn't. Rolling through the

window, The Shadow flattened beside the tall man just as another "pineapple" scaled through the shattered

door, zimmed across the smokefilled room and landed beneath the cot that held Glevin's body.

The second bomb took powerful effect. Glevin's cot was hurled to the ceiling; his body, already bloated

beyond normal recognition, was mangled by the blast. Walls cracked great chunks of the ceiling showered

down with Glevin's form. The windows ripped outward, showering Talney and The Shadow with a deluge of

glass which cascaded from the fire escape, for the iron framework tilted outward at a crazy angle when the

In time to catch Talney before he rolled from the canted platform, The Shadow, instead of restraining him,

steered him to the steps. Badly shaken, Talney no longer offered opposition. He wanted to get away from the

Reaching the ground, The Shadow helped the stumbling, horrormaddened man around to Moe's cab. At

intervals, Talney faltered as if paralyzed, and during that slow journey The Shadow recognized that there

They had gone down the front stairway, after hurling the bombs. They couldn't have seen who was in the

bombed room, for the first of their explosive missiles had struck the closed door; the next had sailed through

Having heard the shot, they might suppose that someone was in the room with Talney; but that was

It meant that Louis Talney was marked off the book. His servant, Glevin, if even considered, was written off,

too. But Talney was the one that counted; he was the fifth link in the chain of death. Whether the chain went

on from there, was the next point to learn. Already sure that it did lead farther, The Shadow now held the

Talney's bewilderment over the cheap ring that Glevin wore fitted with The Shadow's own curiosity

concerning the rings on the fingers of previous victims. Those rings should have had sapphires as gems.

Furthermore, the fact that they did not contain sapphires pointed to the rings themselves as bearing

The servant had died instead of his master, Talney, and it was doubtful that human poisoners had made the

mistake, since Dwig, very active in the chain of crime, knew what Talney looked like.

However, further speculation was hardly necessary, since The Shadow now held a valuable informant:

namely, Talney. Should there be a sixth man listed for death, Talney might be able to name him; but there

Indeed, rush was impossible with Talney. Getting sense from him was equally difficult, as The Shadow

Beside him, Talney sat staring, muttering useless words. His mind was still numbed by his recollection of

Glevin's body and the startling events that had succeeded it. He didn't even see the blackclad battler who sat

beside him. At moments, Talney's eyes lighted, when he opened his hand to stare at an object that he had

It was the dull, glassy ring that he had taken from Glevin's finger. Momentarily, Talney's eyes would

brighten, then fade. This ring was not the one that he expected to see. He couldn't understand it.

The cab pulled up at an address around a corner from Park Avenue. It was the side entrance to the office of

Dr. Rupert Sayre, who happened to be Cranston's own physician. Sayre was there, and lost none of his

professional calm when he saw the cloaked figure of The Shadow bringing in Talney as a patient.

They helped Talney to a couch and let him lie down; hearing The Shadow's version of the patient's ordeal,

The Shadow, meanwhile, sat at Sayre's desk in another corner. Coming over, the physician stated:

"Our patient will need about an hour. Nothing serious; the combination of mental shock and physical exertion

Pausing, Sayre stared at the ring that The Shadow held between the fingers of his gloved left hand. It was a

very cheap ring, and The Shadow had been examining it with a powerful microscope on Sayre's desk. At

present, however, The Shadow was doing something that made Sayre think he might be a better candidate as

Having laid aside the microscope, The Shadow had picked up an eye dropper and filled it with ink from

Sayre's inkstand. He was carefully inserting the point of the eye dropper beneath the colorless quartz that

"This stone is hollow," spoke The Shadow, quietly. "It is cut en cabochon, as jewelers say, meaning

domeshaped. The microscope shows a special mounting beneath the hollow. Watch this effect, Sayre."

AS The Shadow squeezed the bulb of the eye dropper, the hollow space in the quartz sucked up the blue ink.

Only a small quantity, but the effect was splendid. Filled with blue, the worthless gem took on a gorgeous

luster. Nor was that all; as The Shadow raised the transformed jewel to the light, Sayre saw scintillating

"A starolite," informed The Shadow. "The trade name for imitations of star sapphires. Usually a starolite is

easily detected; but this one is different. The liquid deepens the color and magnifies the marked mounting."

It happened that Sayre had stopped in at the exhibit at Walder's. He couldn't fail to recognize the amazing

"One of the six sapphires!" Sayre exclaimed. "Those that were cut from the Star of Delhi!"

"Supposedly cut from it," corrected The Shadow. "No one examined them. They were in a sealed casket that

had no lights beneath its top of unbreakable glass. Let us try another experiment."

He held the ring to Sayre's desk lamp. As the blue stone heated, little dribs of ink began to ooze from it. Sayre

watched The Shadow wipe the blue dabs away with his glove, while the slow flow continued. Fading

"You can answer the next question," The Shadow told Sayre. "Suppose the ink to be a virulent poison, oozing

because of the heat of the finger that wore it, working its way into a man's pores "

Sayre interrupted. He defined the very poison by its Latin name. The Shadow listened while Sayre gave more

facts; how such a poison, slowly administered, would be absorbed through the entire blood stream, bringing

eventual death. In the form of blue crystals, the poison, made into a solution, would have the same hue!

Much, however, remained. Foremost was the tracing of the master murderer. The Shadow reached for Sayre's

telephone; the physician heard him call the Cobalt Club and ask for Commissioner Weston. For the first time,

The Shadow was using Cranston's tone. He seemed startled by what he heard over the phone.

"Another death?" he queried. "A man named Louis Talney killed in an explosion?... What? Someone called

Raft's office... The last, you think! Well, that is helpful. I see. No other leads beyond Talney... I'll drop in

"When he comes around," spoke The Shadow, in the whispered tone that suited his cloaked guise, "send him

to the Cobalt Club. Tell him not to give his name; he is merely to ask for Cranston."

"It will be the last place in the world" The Shadow's tone was a whispered laugh "where Commissioner

The Shadow was gone while Dr. Sayre was considering the unimpeachable merits of that particular plan.

It took ten minutes for Moe's cab to get from Sayre's office to the Metrolite. When The Shadow alighted at

the hotel, he was Cranston again. Inside the Metrolite, he found Margo waiting, and quietly apologized, as

any gentleman would have, for coming to dinner at nine when he should have arrived at eight. Margo

accepted the apology and asked no explanation. But while they dined, she gained the definite impression that

Lamont Cranston, though as leisurely as ever, expected to keep further appointments before this night was

COMMISSIONER WESTON was very disappointed by the sudden way in which his friend, Lamont

Cranston, lost all interest in the strange chain of quintuple death. Dropping into the club at about ten o'clock,

Cranston listened to all that Weston had to say; then he yawned and decided to go home.

"But these are unexplainable riddles!" Weston exclaimed. "Men slain by a subtle poison administered in an

unknown manner. We must solve these deaths! Think of the menace of a type of murder that never fails!"

"It failed the last time," reminded Cranston, "in Talney's case." The statement carried far more truth that

"Talney died!" he insisted. "He was blasted out of existence. Don't you realize it, Cranston?"

"Of course I realize it. Again, I say the perfect murder failed. They had to bomb Talney, instead of poisoning

Accompanying Cranston out through the foyer, Weston stopped impatiently while his friend paused to shake

hands with a man who was waiting for him. Cranston didn't bother to introduce his acquaintance. He just

The commissioner noted that the man had a solemn, squarish face, but soon forgot it. As yet, Weston had

seen no photographs of Talney, a matter on which The Shadow had checked while chatting with the

In Cranston's limousine, Talney showed quite plainly that Sayre had brought him fully around. He was very

voluble in describing all that had happened, including his recollections of The Shadow.

"Dr. Sayre said that you might help me," concluded Talney. "He spoke of previous deaths and told me that

you knew something about them, since you were a friend of the police commissioner."

"I do," returned The Shadow in Cranston's tone. "Five men died, all wearing rings with colorless gems.

"No. Rings like the one you said your servant wore. Wait I think I can recall their names "

He spoke off the list, keenly watching Talney. Though the man recognized none of them, he was definitely ill

"Yes!" Talney was trembling. "He said it might account for them changing from blue to some other color."

"There is much I have to tell you!" he confided. "Dr. Sayre preferred that I should talk to you, as he is very

With that, Talney unfolded the history of the secret six, the group that Armand Lenfell had sponsored for the

worthy purpose of selling refugee gems, at proper prices, throughout the country. Talney, of course, was a

"Only Lenfell." Talney's tone was hollow. "The same was true of the others. Until tonight, I had no idea who

the rest might be. But from what you tell me, I am sure that they were four of the men who died so

Those had been a problem, even to The Shadow, but now he understood. It showed the craft of a mighty mind

behind the reign of murder. Except as members of the secret six, Talney and the four victims had been

It was a move that led the law in the wrong direction, not the right. It made it seem that they had known one

another, instead of being men who met only incognito. In Cranston's deliberate style, The Shadow suggested

it to Talney, and the living dead man responded by ejaculating the very name that The Shadow expected:

"Who else could be?" demanded Talney. "He knew us all, he alone. It was his idea to cut the Star of Delhi

into six portions and have Walder exhibit it. But he kept the real Star for himself, and had five poisoned rings

"Yes," interposed Talney. "Lenfell kept one, but obviously, he would not have filled it with the same deadly

liquid. That ring, however, will prove Lenfell to be a murderer! We must stop and call the police at once!"

Talney saw Cranston stare idly from the window of the slowly rolling limousine, which was piloted by a very

"We are in Central Park," came Cranston's tone, "with no phone booths near. But it would be unwise to call

"And make yourself a target again?" Cranston's head shook slowly. "Quite unwise, Talney. The Shadow

"To accuse him?" interposed Cranston. "That would be dangerous. You would be giving away the fact that

you live, straight to the man that plotted murder. He wouldn't have to wait for the police to proclaim the fact."

The Shadow nodded, as he pretended to give the statement deep consideration. Then, in Cranston's slowest

"I shall go," he said. "Lenfell will not suspect me. Stanley, my chauffeur, will take you to my home in New

Jersey, and you can remain there, Talney, as long as it is necessary to play dead. I shall tell you later how I

SOON after sending Stanley home, with Talney as a passenger, The Shadow approached Lenfell's gloomy

house, but not as Lamont Cranston. The Shadow was cloaked, the proper guise for this occasion. In a way, he

Since hooded men had moved in and out of Lenfell's practically at will, a cloaked visitor should find the same

process satisfactory. But The Shadow was not taking this expedition as a sinecure.

From Talney's account, he inferred that Lenfell had given the servants evenings off whenever he expected his

Lenfell's house was an index to that fact. It was not as gloomy or formidable as Talney had described it. The

Shadow saw lights that appeared to be in the kitchen; others, on the third floor. Unquestionably, there were

servants about. But when The Shadow glided to the side door and tried it, he found it unlocked.

The Shadow paused just inside. If Lenfell expected no more visits from his five companions in the secret six,

Probably Lenfell locked the doors himself; otherwise the servants, in the past, might have unwittingly

blocked out the hooded visitors. It wouldn't be wise for Lenfell suddenly to change that policy over night,

Finding Lenfell's study was doubly easy. Talney had mentioned its location; from outside, The Shadow had

seen a light in the room. Of all mysterious visitors who had entered Lenfell's house, none moved with more

stealth than did The Shadow as he took the side stairway to the second floor. None, that was, except Jan

Garmath, on the occasion when the elderly gem maker had returned to eavesdrop at Lenfell's study.

So far as the servants were concerned The Shadow's stealth was superfluous. None was close enough to

overhear his approach to the study. The Shadow was thinking purely in terms of Lenfell, and when he

reached the study, his gliding arrival gave proof of dividends. Through the door, which was ajar, The Shadow

Only a lamp gave light. It was on the desk, and its rays were directed toward a sheaf of letters. Lenfell was

leaning forward in his chair, one elbow on the desk; his face, though away from the light's glare, was plainly

directed toward the stack of letters. His other hand gripped a fountain pen, ready to affix a signature.

Easing the door open, The Shadow performed a quick, roundabout glide, skirting the desk in darkness. An

automatic drawn, he approached Lenfell and stopped short of the seated man's shoulder. One nudge of the

But The Shadow did not touch Lenfell with the muzzle. He did not even brush the back of the chair. He did

feel a floor board give loosely beneath his foot, but he suppressed its creak by adding pressure.

That same board ran beneath a leg of Lenfell's chair. It might have jarred the chair a fraction of an inch, but

not enough for Lenfell to have noticed it, because a slight shift of his own body would have produced the

same motion. In fact, Lenfell did not notice the effect at all; nevertheless, the result was large.

Lenfell's pen hand slid across the desk. It flopped past the edge, and its weight carried him with it. Rolling

from the chair, the financier struck the floor and stretched there. His broad face, though turned upward, was

not in the light, but his left hand was. It lay across his chest, and upon the third finger The Shadow saw a

Not a ring with a sapphire, real or synthetic. The ring contained a specimen of very pure glass, as colorless as

Normally broad, Lenfell's face did not look bloated away from the light, but when The Shadow tilted the

The Shadow had come to meet the master of crime. He had found Armand Lenfell. The two were not the

same, however deep Lenfell's schemes, no matter what part he had played in the strange plot of murder. For

Armand Lenfell was stone dead, struck down by the same virulent poison that had taken the lives of others

A low, grim laugh whispered in the darkness above the dead figure on the floor. It was still The Shadow's

UNDER the lamplight, Lenfell's face seemed to grimace upward at the eyes above it, as though the man

enjoyed the death that had come his way. Certainly, Lenfell had more cause to grin in death than in life. Had

There wasn't a doubt that Lenfell had betrayed the trust that others had placed in him. But his crimes did not

include murder. Lenfell, alone, could point the finger upon the master plotter who had gone still further, to

Lenfell's knowledge, however, was locked as tightly as the teeth that gritted from the midst of his wide death

The trouble was that Lenfell had known too little. Had he known enough, he would not have been lying dead.

Thinking in terms of the unlocked door below, The Shadow came to a new conclusion. There was another

reason why that door was open, and a good one. It could mean that Lenfell still expected visits from members

of the secret six, not knowing that death was to befall them. A good explanation, since it gave a plausible

Considering the complexities that Lenfell's death produced, The Shadow turned toward the large safe that

stood at the rear of the financier's study. Catching the glow of the lamplight, the glistening bulk added

Like its owner, Lenfell, the safe refused to talk. But it might be possible to pry facts from the safe, instead of

Lenfell's grinning jaws. Stepping to the safe, The Shadow crouched, pressed his gloved fingers against the

Before he could test the intricate combination, The Shadow was attracted by a sound outside the study. It

came as a slow creeping, and it was close, yet elusive, as it traveled along the hall.

Having heard no creaks from the stairs, The Shadow was sure that the creeping arrival must have been

cautious while coming up from the ground floor, only to drop the guarded manner as he neared Lenfell's

Such logic was perfect. In his own approach, The Shadow had moved silently all the way. The newcomer had

done the same only as far as the second floor. He was taking pains to avoid being heard by servants in the

kitchen, but once near Lenfell's study, he did not care what sounds he made. It meant that the approacher

Properly translated, the facts proved that this was Lenfell's murderer. If not, the creeper would still be using

Turning from the safe, The Shadow sidled into darkness, drawing an automatic, to await the appearance of

the creeping criminal who was in the hall. Yet, even to The Shadow's skilled ears, the approaching sound was

elusive. At moments, it seemed close, then far away until, when The Shadow did not actually expect it, a

Even when close, the creeping man's face could not be distinguished. The Shadow, himself, was partially to

blame. He had turned the lamp so it no longer shone toward the door. Creeping footsteps entered, their maker

with them, and the huddling man kept looking toward the desk for a sight of Lenfell. The action turned his

Of one thing only was The Shadow certain: that this was not Dwig Brencott, nor any of the slick crook's

crew. This was the master criminal, in person, the conniver who had somehow managed to pass death along

So far, the chief criminal had not shown his hand on other scenes of death, but he obviously had business

Drawing still farther into darkness, The Shadow watched. He saw the crouched man reach the safe and begin

to thumb the dial without the need of extra light. Evidently, the interloper knew the combination, which

What the murderer was about, The Shadow did not fully know, though he could guess. To substantiate his

Never before had The Shadow sought to trap an intruder who possessed such sharpened senses. Only the

most suspicious of eyes could have spied the glide of darkness across the already dimmed floor. Few ears

Perhaps the crouching safetapper possessed some uncanny ability to recognize the approach of a challenger.

LIKE an uncoiling snake, the crouched man unlimbered. Spinning around, he flung himself straight for The

Shadow, whipping out a revolver as he came. There wasn't time to sight the man's face, for the light was

behind him. All that The Shadow could do was meet the lightning attack by as quick a counterthrust.

Swinging his gun hand in a wide arc, The Shadow outdid his foe in point of speed. Guns clashed, automatic

against revolver, before the unknown man could give a trigger tug. The force of The Shadow's stroke slashed

With the blow, The Shadow delivered a low but recognizable laugh a taunt that would have fazed an

His gun lost, the creeper simply took advantage of his weaponless condition. In bashing the revolver, The

Shadow had swung himself off balance, and quick eyes noted the fact. Long arms shot forward; one hand

caught The Shadow's wrist, while the other sped to his throat. His own gun forced upward, The Shadow

He did the next best thing. A quick twist, a backward fling, and The Shadow was starting his opponent on a

jujitsu flip that should have carried him to the wall. But the master criminal performed an amazing gyration

in midair and did a side twist of his own. Though he struck the floor, the twist that he gave The Shadow's

Undaunted, The Shadow drove anew for his foe. By then, they were halfway to the door, well distant from

In this first battle with Jan Garmath, the creeper who had come to Lenfell's study, The Shadow was meeting

with surprising opposition. But it wasn't the sort that could continue. Clutching his snakish adversary, The

A quick choke and Garmath would be helpless, his identity revealed as soon as The Shadow could drag him

to the light. But Garmath, tugging at the gloved hand's that throttled him managed to raise an outcry. He

In the midst of his cries, Garmath managed a side twist toward the desk. He was still wrestling hard against

The Shadow when Lenfell's servants arrived. They came with a promptitude that The Shadow had not

Piling through the door, they saw a writhe of blackness blocking off the light from the desk lamp. Hurling

themselves upon The Shadow, they tried to haul him from a victim that they thought must be their master,

The servants were only half successful, but Garmath supplied the rest. Out of The Shadow's clutch, he ducked

around the desk leaving the cloaked fighter in the hands of Andrew and George. They were too ardent in their

Only The Shadow saw the running man who scooped up the revolver from the floor and kept on his way. But

The Shadow had no chance to spy Garmath's face. The smart crook did not show it.

Flinging Andrew in one direction, George in the other, The Shadow recovered his automatic and went after

Garmath, with George and Andrew following. Garmath was at the bottom of the front stairs when The

Shadow reached the top; he was slamming the front door when his cloaked pursuer arrived at the bottom of

Having a similar lead on Lenfell's servants, The Shadow seemed free for uninterrupted pursuit; but he was

due for unexpected opposition. Garmath was across the street by the time The Shadow sprang from the front

door, and from an arriving car blockers sprang up to cut off The Shadow's course.

Had they been mobsters, like Dwig and his outfit, The Shadow would have dealt them a proper dose of

bullets. But these weren't crooks; they were detectives, backed by none other than Inspector Joe Cardona!

GUNS talked, as The Shadow jogged the hands that held them. Recognizing The Shadow, Cardona was

shouting orders that the barking revolvers drowned. From the doorway of the house, Lenfell's servants were

shouting: "Get the man in black!" Their cries were louder than Cardona's, after the roar of the guns ended.

Tripping one detective and tumbling him across the other, The Shadow made a dive for darkness, hoping that

Cardona wouldn't suddenly change his opinion and decide that, for once, The Shadow might be in the wrong.

Joe didn't decide so, but he wavered, and that was why The Shadow took to the darkness of the side passage

Out back, The Shadow found Moe's cab and sprang into it, ordering the speedy hackie to round the block and

Garmath was gone when Moe made the circuit. The only car that hove into sight was the official one

belonging to Commissioner Weston. Sight of that bulky vehicle was cause enough for Moe to veer off in

The scene that Weston viewed in Lenfell's study was not a great surprise. The commissioner had come to

Lenfell's in response to another tipoff. Weston was puzzled merely by the statements of the servants and the

detectives. They all insisted that a blackcloaked fighter had fled the house, one who answered far too

When Cardona listened to those statements, he caught a glare from Weston. Remembering the alibi that he

had given The Shadow at Sherbrock's, Cardona was definitely perturbed. With Lenfell's body in plain view,

and The Shadow the only intruder on the premises, the cloaked investigator's reputation was encountering a

Joe only hoped that Weston would not think back to the Sherbrock case. To forestall such a prospect,

"Maybe we'll find the answer there," he said to Weston. "Whoever came here might have been after

The idea appealed to Weston and took his full attention, for it wasn't easily accomplished. None of the

servants knew the combination, and Weston's guesswork at the dial proved quite unavailing.

Cardona, meanwhile, was consulting a little book that contained the phone number of a specialist in safes.

It took the legitimate cracksman fifteen minutes to arrive; another quarterhour to solve the combination of

Lenfell's safe. When the big door came open, Weston poked head and shoulders through and pounced upon

Opening the box, Weston was too surprised to speak. Cardona had to look over his shoulder to observe what

Gleaming from within the box, catching the focused lamplight with radiating streaks, was a giant star

It was little wonder that Weston was surprised. Had Lenfell's body come suddenly to life, it couldn't have

amazed the commissioner more. For the Star of Delhi, according to the unimpeachable word of Raymond

Walder, the nowdead jeweler, had been divided into the six gems that Walder himself had exhibited in his

SUCH astonishment was something that Weston had to share. When he arrived back at the Cobalt Club, he

made a call to New Jersey and spoke to his friend Cranston, who answered in a very sleepy tone.

"Another murder, Cranston!" exclaimed Weston. "With it we have found the Star of Delhi!"

"Good!" was Cranston's reply. "So you've solved everything. Good work commissioner."

"But that only increases the mystery," Weston insisted. "The Star of Delhi was supposed to be cut up. But

"Too bad," responded Cranston. "I thought it was cut up. Saw it myself, all in pieces. How are you going to

A click interrupted from the other end. Evidently, Cranston was too opinionated to give any credence to

Weston's statement. At his end of the phone, the commissioner fumed and muttered a few comments

regarding Cranston's obstinacy. He was sorry that he had bothered to call his friend at all.

At his end of the line, The Shadow stood with halfclosed eyes, picturing the possible results to which the

finding of the great sapphire might lead. Then, from the fixed lips of Cranston, came a grim but softly

It was the laugh of The Shadow, presaging new and curious quests along the trail to strangely hidden crime.

IRKED by Cranston's indifference to the finding of the great sapphire, and desirous of showing some success

on an evening when murder had reigned, Commissioner Weston lost no time in informing the press that the

The news created a vast sensation, and somewhat counteracted public criticism over the matter of six

It was the sort of story that the newspapers liked. Every great gem had some curious past history, and the Star

Once famous as the principal gem in a Hindu rajah's crown, the Star of Delhi had undergone a century of

travel and transfer, leaving slaughter and rebellion in its wake. Reaching the possession of a European

collector, it had brought him ill luck, including the forced sale of the prized blue jewel.

The jinx was still at work, and the fact that it had cost the lives of six men could be attributed to the greed of

all. Each man, it so seemed, had shared a sinister secret that of six false sapphires which had passed as

How much Walder, the dead jeweler, had known; how deeply Sherbrock, the missing lapidary, was involved,

Certain it was that six smaller gems had been exhibited as parts of the great sapphire, stones so well matched

that they must have been of the same origin. The question of the false gems led to a discussion of synthetic

At late breakfast in the quiet of his New Jersey home, Lamont Cranston read the newspaper reports and made

"They seem more stirred by the finding of the Star of Delhi," said Cranston, "than by your death, Talney, and

"Six others," Cranston corrected. "You are forgetting your own servant: Glevin. It seems that his body was

Talney's face showed an expression of relief. As circumstances stood, he preferred to be counted as dead.

"You mean The Shadow?" queried Cranston, glancing at the newspaper. "No. They aren't sure that he's to

"He may have gone there investigating the chain of crime. What does surprise me is the matter of the

"No." The Shadow shook his head in a leisurely fashion. His steady tone was Cranston's. "I can't quite

"I understand," expressed Talney. "There wasn't any need for Lenfell to murder us. We trusted him too much.

But whoever else wanted to steal the Star of Delhi, had to kill Lenfell in order to get the gem. That meant

"Probably Roger Sherbrock. Maybe Lenfell made a deal with him, to fake six sapphires instead of cutting the

large one. When the police found out that Sherbrock was the brain behind the jewel robberies, it put

The Shadow nodded, even though he knew that Talney's theories were very wide of the mark. In The

Shadow's opinion, Sherbrock was quite innocent, though the police, like Talney, thought the opposite.

Sherbrock was the scapegoat for the crimes of others, which The Shadow could appreciate, since he was

"I'll drop into town," The Shadow decided, "and have a chat with my friend, the commissioner."

"The sooner you come back," returned Talney, "the better I'll like it, Cranston. I'm eager to know what else

DEVELOPMENTS were under way while Cranston's limousine was starting to Manhattan.

In his office, Commissioner Weston was receiving a delegation of prominent jewelers, all eager to see the

Star of Delhi. Among them was a dryishfaced man named Jan Garmath, known as an expert on artificial

"Synthetic sapphires are quite common," declared Garmath. "They are produced by fusing aluminum

sesquioxide and the necessary chemical coloring. Only under the microscope can they he told from natural

"Ah!" Weston exclaimed. "Then we could detect the six false sapphires, should we regain them!"

"You could," agreed Garmath. "You must look for the structural lines. You will find them curved, instead of

straight. Furthermore, synthetic sapphires contain bubbles. Look at the Star of Delhi, commissioner"

Garmath provided a powerful lens "and you will see straight lines, but no bubbles."

The commissioner was idly laying down the glass and replacing the Star of Delhi in its plushlined box. He

Garmath couldn't complete it. Others were pouncing for the Star of Delhi, all bringing out their magnifiers. In

half a minute, Weston's office was teeming with confusion. The great sapphire, seen under the glass, had

Theories were popping thick and fast, all to one conclusion. Facts had been reversed, with but one possible

Roger Sherbrock must have cut the real Star of Delhi into six matched gems. That was the really clever part

of it. Small sapphires were more apt to be suspected than one so well described as the Star of Delhi.

Probably Sherbrock had sold the imitation Star, a wonderful replica of the original, to Lenfell. He had then

disposed of the six matched gems to Walder, who had probably learned that they were the portions of the real

Threatened with exposure by Lenfell, the man he had swindled, Sherbrock had been forced to murder his

dupe and other men who knew about the crooked sale. It was a sound theory, and one that pleased Weston as

Undoubtedly, Sherbrock had come to Lenfell's last night to steal back the fake Star of Delhi, thereby

disposing of evidence against himself. The Shadow had been on hand, crossing Sherbrock's trail again, as on

a preceding night. Weston was mentioning this in an aside to Cardona, when The Shadow himself appeared

Of course, he came as Cranston. Out of the hubbub, he learned of the recent discovery, and looked at the Star

"I did!" bragged Weston. Then, noting glances from some jewelers: "Thanks to Jan Garmath."

Looking about, Weston couldn't find Garmath. It turned out that Garmath, like some of the other jewelers,

had supposed that the conference was ended, and was therefore gone. When Weston asked where Garmath

could be reached, no one knew. Garmath, it appeared, had a large fortune which he had brought from Europe,

"It sums up to this, Cranston," declared the commissioner, no longer interested in Garmath. "Six real

sapphires have gone back to their original owner, whoever he may be. We believe that those stones were cut

by Sherbrock from the actual Star of Delhi. We shall try to find the owner and question him confidentially,

"Naturally, the owner of the six sapphires may be loath to declare himself, for fear of death. Nevertheless, we

LATER that afternoon, Lamont Cranston met Margo Lane and calmly told her how Louis Talney was a guest

at his residence, sent there by The Shadow. After piecing Talney into the picture, Cranston remarked:

"I shall have to call him later. He will be interested to hear about the Star of Delhi."

"How it was really cut into six smaller gems," nodded Margo. "I read all about it in the early afternoon

editions. Clever of your friend, the commissioner, to find out that the large sapphire was an imitation. Well,

Seldom did The Shadow put so much emphasis into the tone of Cranston as he did on this occasion, in

"It was Garmath, not Weston," he said, "who exposed the great sapphire as a synthetic stone. After that,

Garmath conveniently disappeared. It is Garmath who must be found. I believe that he manufactured the

"No. Lenfell already had it. He wanted to keep it and dupe Talney and the rest into thinking that it had been

"Which Garmath did not!" Cranston interposed. "He made six poisoned rings, instead. Knowing that Lenfell

had a sale for the real Star of Delhi, Garmath naturally kept it. He made the large synthetic sapphire to dupe

Lenfell. The poison worked too soon for Lenfell to ever take it to his customer."

It all struck home to Margo. Trails had diverged; the one that the police sought was quite different from The

Shadow's quest. The law was after six real sapphires, whereas The Shadow wanted to uncover a single stone,

the great Star of Delhi itself. The law's trail did not exist, but The Shadow's did!

Arriving late at the commissioner's conference, The Shadow had lost his opportunity to trail immediately the

daring supercrook, Jan Garmath, who had personally given Weston the wrong start. But The Shadow would

It wouldn't be through the two thugs captured the night before. At dusk, when The Shadow, fully cloaked,

appeared within his sanctum, the hidden room where he formulated campaigns against crime, he found blank

reports awaiting him. Harry Vincent and other agents had been unable to locate Dwig Brencott through the

But there were other sheets of consequence, supplied by Rutledge Mann, an investment broker in The

Shadow's service. Those sheets listed the names of wealthy men who were investors in gems, as well as

Less than an hour after he had left Margo Lane, The Shadow completed a checkup of the lists.

The Shadow had rated them in order of importance, intending to investigate them, each in turn. He felt sure

that one of the first four would prove to be the man who could supply muchneeded information.

In that surmise, The Shadow was correct: Second on the list was the name of Uriah Crome.

WHILE The Shadow was still busy in his sanctum, Uriah Crome was receiving a visitor, which was

something very unusual. Though he lived near the center of Manhattan, Crome was twin brother to a hermit.

His penthouse, located on the flat roof of an antiquated eightstory office building, might well have been a

Old, dyspeptic, as bald as an eagle and beaknosed as a vulture, Crome had only two delights in life: jewels

and milk toast. He liked gems because they glittered, and appealed to his miser's sense of ownership. He

preferred milk toast because it was the only fare that did not cause him indigestion.

Crome's penthouse could only be reached by an elevator that had a night operator especially for service to the

top floor. Since Crome owned the office building, it was impossible for anyone to come upstairs without his

permission. The night man always telephoned up first, to make sure that Crome would receive any candidate

On this evening, Crome was seated in an oakpaneled room which he termed his den, when one of his

several servants entered with a note. After reading it, Crome placed bony fingers to his thin chin, pondered

The visitor was Jan Garmath, and Crome received him alone. While he finished his milk toast, the vulturous

man kept surveying his dryfeatured visitor with a look that would have suited a bird of prey.

Crome's gaze, however, was actually defensive. He regarded Garmath as the vulture; himself as anything

from a worm to a fatsized guinea hen, or whatever sort of tidbit a vulture might choose.

"I have brought the Star of Delhi," returned Garmath in the mild tone he so often used. "I thought that you

Producing a small jewel case, Garmath exhibited a great blue gem, which, to all appearances, was the

synthetic replica that Commissioner Weston had taken credit for detecting that afternoon. Crome had

evidently read the newspapers, for he shook his head as he held the jewel to the light.

"It happens to be real," returned Garmath. "The synthetic stone is now in the possession of the police."

"There could be another imitation," agreed Garmath, "had I chosen to manufacture two, instead of only one.

But one" he gave a dry cluck "was all I needed. This is the genuine Star of Delhi!"

BUSY with a microscope, Crome was learning for himself that Garmath spoke the truth. He pressed a button

on his desk. One of the wall panels swung about, becoming a jewel case with shelves of resplendent gems

"Bah!" Crome pressed the button again, to turn the shelves away from sight. "I must have these buttons

marked. I pressed the one that controls the emerald showcase, by mistake. Here is the sapphire button."

He pushed it. A block of shelves swung from another panel, creating a bluish shimmer as they came.

Hobbling over to the display, Crome compared the Star of Delhi with other large sapphires. The comparison

was in favor of the great gem that Garmath had brought. Coming back to the desk, Crome planked the Star in

"Of course you want it," chuckled Garmath. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have made a deal with Lenfell. Let me

see" Garmath faked a tone of recollection "what was the price he wanted? Three hundred thousand

Garmath was simply making an estimate, for he had not heard Lenfell mention price to Crome during their

phone conversation. Garmath calculated that if six smaller sapphires would have rated fifty thousand each,

Lenfell certainly would not have set the price for the Star of Delhi as less than the sum of the smaller stones,

Garmath's own deals with Lenfell had been strictly limited to the providing of six small synthetic sapphires;

nothing more. But he wanted Crome to think that there had been a closer association.

The estimate was near enough. Early in negotiations with Crome, Lenfell had mentioned three hundred

thousand dollars as a suitable price. Hence, though Crome shook his head, he did it slowly.

"Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars," Crome told Garmath. "That was the most that I would have paid

Lenfell. But my present offer" he dug clawish fingers into the desk and leaned across with a triumphant

Garmath's eyes showed surprise, so well feigned that Crome was deceived. His beakish face agleam, Crome

"I knew Lenfell's ways," asserted Crome, "the measures that he was taking to acquire the Star of Delhi as his

own. He was betraying his associates; more than that, he was actually swindling them! That, of course"

Crome shrugged "was not my affair. It was Lenfell, not I, who had to cover up what he had done.

"Nevertheless, his failure to do so could have caused me certain difficulties, should it become known that I

owned the real Star of Delhi. I insisted that Lenfell take that into consideration, and he did.

"Now, in your case, Garmath, men have not merely been swindled; they have died! Too bad" Crome was

clucking as though really sorry "but it means that you will have to give some extra consideration to the

Crome meant "extra" to the tune of fifty thousand dollars, which he expected to retain, at Garmath's expense,

in return for silence regarding Crome's own suspicion of the murders that Garmath had maneuvered. He was

reaching to a desk drawer, bringing out crisp currency in bills of a thousanddollar denomination and higher.

"Ten, twenty, thirty " Crome had come down to the mere thousanddollar bills, when he finally said: "Two

hundred." He extended that sheaf to Garmath, while he put other bills away. Garmath merely folded his arms.

"Not at all," remarked Garmath mildly. "I reason rationally, not the other way about, as Lenfell did. The

Crome swept back the money and dumped it in the desk drawer. Garmath was not at all annoyed. He simply

THE words crept home to Crome as insidiously as the creep of Garmath's footfalls had once impressed

Lenfell. Crome's hand had made an involuntary gesture toward the telephone. Garmath waved for him to

"Call the police," suggested Garmath. "Tell them that you intended to buy the Star of Delhi. When you do so,

you will implicate yourself, not in five swindles, but in six murders! The police will find you, Crome, but

"No police?" queried Garmath. "Then call your loyal servants and, have them eject me, while you keep the

Star of Delhi for yourself. That is as far as you would dare go, Crome, for neither you nor your servants are of

"But I specialize in murder, Crome!" Garmath's tone had as snap a pronounced as the glint from his eyes. "I,

and the men in my employ. Remember that, Crome, if you do not buy the Star of Delhi. Should you buy it"

his tone was easing "you can remember that I also give protection to those that I think deserve it."

"You mean that if I buy the Star of Delhi at your price, no one will ever know of the transaction?"

"Not through me," returned Garmath. "Moreover, should anyone learn the fact" his chuckle became raspy

"I can guarantee that they will never tell. Whatever service you may need from me goes with the sale, as a

The paradox struck Crome hard; nevertheless, he felt forced to take Garmath's word. His numbed expression

showed that Crome was reasoning matters slowly, but he was coming to a sound conclusion.

Good will or evil, Garmath's word could be relied upon. It would have to be so; otherwise, he couldn't have

kept the confidence of murderous accomplices to the extent that he undoubtedly had.

With trembling hands, Crome reached for the money drawer, brought out the cash and began to count it. He

made up a total of some three hundred and sixty thousand dollars, and looked worried about the remainder,

"Your check will do, or better checks for some odd amounts, made out to cash. I understand that you

often purchase jewels in amounts up to fifty thousand dollars. So keep the various checks below that sum."

Crome wrote out the checks and handed them along with the cash After counting up to the total and finding

that it made exactly half a million, Garmath arose with a gratified smile. He pointed to the Star of Delhi, then

"Put it with your other sapphires," Garmath said. "You can feast your own eyes upon the prize as often as you

wish. But do not let others see the Star of Delhi. I spoke of protection. I have already given it. The police do

"Hence, you are quite safe while they are looking for six sapphires, matched ones that can never be found.

However, as part of our bargain, I shall call you occasionally, beginning with tomorrow night. Good evening,

Rising, Garmath went to the door and Crome noticed the creeping sound of the murderer's departure,

recalling, numbly, that his visitor had entered in the same style, though Crome hadn't regarded it as insidious,

A servant was outside the door; hastily covering the Star of Delhi with one hand, Crome gestured with the

When Garmath reached the ground floor, he went out by the back way, as there were two exits from the

office building. His creeping walk, which he did not try to hide, echoed uncannily back through the passage,

bringing shivers to the elevator man who was seated in the car with the door open.

FROM a limousine that had just stopped out front, a tall man in evening clothes was entering the building. He

was Lamont Cranston, coming from a chat with one millionaire jewel collector, to call upon another. With

The Shadow heard Garmath's last evasive creeps just as they faded, with a quickened touch, from beyond the

closing rear door. Before he could snap from Cranston's leisurely pose and move in the rapid style of The

Shadow, he was confronted by the elevator man, who, hearing new footsteps from the front, was peering out

Easing into Cranston's manner, The Shadow nodded to the elevator man and announced himself, saying that

he had come to see Mr. Crome. He knew that the name of Cranston would carry weight with the old collector,

for, though they had never met, Cranston had sometimes outbid Crome's representatives when they appeared

As one collector to another, Crome couldn't afford to entirely ignore Cranston. Within a few minutes, they

were chatting with each other over the telephone, and though The Shadow detected a tremolo in Crome's

tone, it was one that could have been attributed to his advanced age as the old man, himself, was smart

But The Shadow, having heard the creeping below, had quite another explanation for the wavering tone that

he heard across the wire. In his turn, he did not drop one whit from Cranston's quiet form of speech;

The old collector was saying that it was too late for him to receive a visitor; that he would be glad to have

Cranston call some other time. Pressing the point, The Shadow set the meeting definitely for the morrow;

"I am calling on behalf of a friend," he stated. "One who is very anxious to meet you, Mr. Crome. I may not

be able to come tomorrow, but I would appreciate it if you would receive my friend."

"Of course, of course," interposed Crome, hastily, his voice betraying only a slight touch of its quiver. "Any

"He is deeply interested in gems," came Cranston's interruption, "particularly in rare sapphires. He hopes that

some wellinformed person, like yourself, can give him the advice he needs. Good night, Mr. Crome."

Upstairs, Uriah Crome was half slumped at his desk, his shaky hand barely able to replace the telephone on

its stand. He had an idea who Cranston's friend might be: Police Commissioner Ralph Weston. The very

thought horrified Crome; he wished with all his might that Jan Garmath had still been around when

Then, gradually, Crome's nerve returned; he managed to force a laugh between his trembling lips. Let Weston

come! As Garmath had said, the police were thinking in terms of six small sapphires, not one large gem. He'd

talk in terms of small sapphires, too, Crome would, and thus veer the trail still further from himself.

Nevertheless, as he stared at the great Star of Delhi, with its rare radiant streaks gleaming up from the jewel

case upon the desk, Uriah Crome could find no happiness in possession of the gem that he had so long

IT was singular, to Margo Lane, the way that Lamont Cranston suddenly lost interest in the Star of Delhi and

the chain of murder which the famous gem had caused. For all of Cranston, the police could keep on hunting

for six lesser stones that didn't exist, while he kept his own opinions to himself.

That, at least, was Margo's conclusion while she lunched with Lamont. He was so totally indifferent to the

case, that when he did glance at the newspaper, he turned to the sporting pages. There he found something

"Well, well!" exclaimed Cranston. "Another old friend has arrived for the matches. I'll have to drop around

He passed the newspaper to Margo, who expected to see a photograph of some wealthy polo player from the

Argentine, since Cranston was well acquainted with many members of South American teams. The picture

She saw a handsome, darkish man who wore a turban; the rest of his attire was a military uniform, well

sprinkled with medals. Beneath the picture, she read the name: "Rajah of Lengore."

"Fancy the rajah being in New York," chuckled Cranston. "With all his palaces and possessions you'd

suppose he would never leave India. I remember his great jungle estate, so large that we were lost for three

With sharp gaze, Margo tried to pierce Cranston's impassive front. When looks failed, she tried words.

"What rajah hasn't?" queried Cranston calmly. "I saw his rubies, the real Oriental kind, as large as marbles.

"Sapphires?" Cranston gave an indulgent headshake. "Too common. Only the rajah's servants would wear

Cranston was reaching for the newspaper again. Margo couldn't curb her patience any longer.

"What about sapphires like the Star of Delhi?" she demanded. "Wouldn't such stones interest this all

The question actually took away some of Cranston's calm, but Margo recognized that his sudden interest

must also be a pose. He'd just been waiting for her to bring up the question that was already in his mind, and

"A real thought, Margo!" Cranston exclaimed. "I'll speak to the rajah about the Star of Delhi, and tell him that

it was your idea. He'll be so pleased that he'll want to meet you. So there's your reward, Margo a meeting

During the afternoon, while still waiting to hear further from Cranston, Margo tried to convince herself that

rajahs meant nothing in her life; but despite such efforts, she had to concede that a meeting with the

When Cranston called up, later, and said he'd arranged it for early in the evening, Margo couldn't control the

"The rajah will call for you," Cranston told her. "By the way, I sent a package over to your apartment, along

with a note. Sorry I can't see you, or go along, this evening. The commissioner insists upon my meeting him

AT her apartment, Margo found the note and the package, and didn't know whether to be irked or intrigued.

It seemed that Cranston had arranged some scheme with the rajah that probably involved the Star of Delhi,

though the note did not specify it. At any rate, the rajah was going somewhere with his niece, a Hindu

Not having a niece who was a Hindu princess, the rajah had been stumped, until Cranston elected Margo for

the part. So the package contained the costume that the girl was to wear, and with it, Cranston had sent along

a bottle of makeup dye which he guaranteed would furnish Margo with a delicately dusky complexion.

At first Margo rebelled; then, having intended to get dressed for the evening anyway, she decided to try the

Hindu costume. Having put on what there was of it, she took a look at the effect in a fulllength mirror.

Except that it made her feel like a prospective guest at an artists' ball, Margo rather liked it.

The costume had very ornate slippers, a pert jacket studded with real jewels, and a split skirt that gave the

effect of bloomers. The skirt was filmy, even away from the light, and though not exactly daring, wouldn't do

However, Margo decided that a Hindu princess would probably be privileged to wear a fur coat in a cool

Margo met her escort in the apartment lobby. He was as handsome as his photograph, and quite tall.

His smile of greeting was a bit troubled by sight of Margo's fur coat, but when she explained that she was

wearing the Hindu costume, too, he gave a pleased nod. The rajah, himself, was wearing his uniform and a

They stepped into a waiting limousine, and as they rode away together, the rajah produced an array of rings

There was an anklet, too, the most expensive item among all the jewelry. Of gold, studded with diamonds and

rubies, it was so heavy that when Margo crossed her knees, she found it more comfortable to keep her left

When they reached their destination, Margo was rather surprised to find it an oldfashioned office building.

A man stepped from an elevator to give the Oriental visitors a curious look, but when the rajah announced in

slow but perfect English that he was Cranston's friend, the elevator man took them up.

At the top, Margo saw an elevator door which had a pane of thick bulletproof glass. Peering through, a

They were ushered into a room of paneled oak, where a crabby old man sat behind a desk on which rested a

tray with a halffinished bowl of milk toast. The servant was already helping Margo remove her fur coat,

when the old man looked up. The expression of annoyance that Uriah Crome was showing to impress

Openmouthed, Crome scanned the uniformed Rajah of Lengore, then, let his widening eyes take in Margo

from head to foot. The rajah was introducing himself, and announcing that the lady was his niece, which

Margo's complexion looked about the same hue as the rajah's, and her bizarre Oriental costume revealed a

shapeliness that suited the specifications of a Hindu princess. But the feature that overwhelmed Crome, and

won him to immediate belief, was the display of jewelry that Margo flashed for his especial benefit.

The rajah had placed a necklace of emeralds and diamonds around his niece's neck, and those gems made a

wonderful splash. Bracelets and rings attracted Crome's downsweeping eye, and when he saw the anklet,

The bitter flicker to his lips was just a recollection of the half million dollars that he had spent, under forced

IF the Rajah of Lengore intended to pawn his niece's gems, and had asked her to wear them here for the effect

on Uriah Crome, it was certainly a case of supersalesmanship. Already, Crome was wishing that he could

Catching the covetous glint in the old man's eye, Margo began to picture herself peeling off layers of jewels

and dropping them on Crome's desk, while the rajah would be counting money in return.

It made her angry at Lamont, and at the rajah, too. Cranston's helping the rajah to sell jewels to Crome was

fair enough, but Margo didn't like the idea of being used as an attraction to raise the price. She could imagine

how a real Hindu princess would feel if called upon by an avaricious uncle to make a public sacrifice of her

She intended to tell Lamont what she thought of him, when she met him. Meanwhile, she'd act the part that

she was playing, even though it was helping the very cause that she considered detestable.

Then, as the Rajah of Lengore spoke in a slow, musical tone, Margo was overwhelmed with remorse for

The rajah, too, had observed Crome's gaze and was politely telling the old collector that none of his niece's

jewels were for sale. Instead, the Rajah of Lengore had come to buy gems from Uriah Crome, and had

requested his niece to accompany him, that she might compare with her present adornments whatever items

Indeed, the rajah's tone implied a doubt that Crome had many jewels that the princess would care to own.

It was the right way to deal with Crome. Testily, the old collector pressed buttons on his desk and started

panels spinning all about the room. Bobbing about like a jackinthebox, he pointed his visitors to one

display case after another, trying to impress them with his marvelous collection.

They went from topazes to opals, past shelves that teemed with specimens of turquoise and amethyst. On

beyond an array of diamonds, to emeralds and rubies, finally stopping at a case of sapphires. It was there that

"I had hoped to find the one gem that I wanted," he announced. "The great Star of Delhi."

Margo looked quickly at the old collector, saw his face go as purple as the shelves of sapphires. Crome's lips

were wagging, but no words came from them. It was the Rajah of Lengore who spoke.

"In my land," said the rajah sagely, "we regard no gem as worthy of importance unless men have died in

quest of it. Every great ruby can be said to own its color from the blood of those who have warred for its

possession. The green of emeralds comes from the grass that grows above the graves of those whose lives

"Seldom has any sapphire brought murder to its owner. But the stars of the sky have now looked down upon

six scenes of death. I would like the Star of Delhi, itself, to speak its story, like the stars of the firmament. In

my land, we believe in the stars. They have told me that the Star of Delhi was not destroyed "

"No, no!" interrupted Crome. "It was cut, I tell you, into six smaller sapphires!"

"Such could not be," inserted the rajah, while Margo stared, enraptured by his manner. "No man like yourself,

Mr. Crome, would have allowed such a crime to happen. Such a crime, I mean, as the ruin of the priceless

Star of Delhi. I would only like to see the gem, to know if it could have a price."

THE rajah's definition of crime was the point that made Crome capitulate. He felt, at last, that he had found a

friend in whom he could confide. Weighed down by the secret of the Star's true story, craving to be rid of the

purchase that Garmath had forced upon him, Crome staggered to a safe and opened it.

Not only did he show the rajah the Star of Delhi, he poured out the whole history of Lenfell's swindle and

Garmath's double cross. With it, Crome swore that he had known nothing of impending murder until after the

deaths had been delivered. Garmath's visit had been his first meeting with the master killer.

Margo believed him, as did the rajah. Finding them sympathetic, Crome added to his tale of woe.

"If I sell the Star of Delhi," he said hoarsely, "Garmath may kill me! He knows that I am worried "

The telephone bell began to ring. The start that Crome gave convinced Margo that the old man expected a

call from Garmath. The Rajah of Lengore was of the same opinion. He stepped close to Crome.

"Tell Garmath that you are glad you bought the Star," advised the rajah. "Say that all you want is a way out,

"Garmath made one replica of the Star of Delhi," returned the rajah. "Ask him to manufacture another. It will

be your alibi. You can produce it, upon demand; when it is examined and found to be synthetic, you will be

His lips tightening in a wise smile, Crome picked up the telephone. His voice firmed as he chatted with

Garmath. In the course of conversation, Crome put the request that the rajah had suggested. His call finished,

"It will take fortyeight hours," he declared. "Then, Garmath will deliver the replica. After that, I can sell you

the Star of Delhi. I shall put the false stone with my other sapphires, where anyone can view it, while I smile.

Margo thought that the visit was completed, but she was wrong. For the next fifteen minutes, the Rajah of

Lengore continued to talk terms with Uriah Crome regarding the future sale of the real Star of Delhi.

When she left with the rajah, Margo felt nervous. As they rode in their limousine, she was sure that another

A word from the rajah to the chauffeur, and the big car pulled suddenly into an obscure parking place.

Looking back, Margo saw a car round the corner and roll past. After it came a taxicab that looked very much

like Moe Shrevnitz's. Margo turned to speak to the man beside her. Her new friend, the rajah, was gone!

The cab was slowing, but only for a moment. As it picked up speed, Margo saw blackness within its door,

which had opened, and now was closing as if of its own accord. It was Moe's cab, and it had picked up a

Alone in the limousine, Margo Lane, the erstwhile Hindu princess, realized very suddenly that Lamont

Cranston couldn't have gone to the Cobalt Club this evening. Instead, he had come to take her to Crome's.

For Lamont Cranston had played the part of the imaginary Rajah of Lengore; now both Cranston and the

IN a little boxlike room, Jan Garmath sat at a desk studying an array of gems. He recognized the knock at the

door and spoke for his visitor to enter. Dwig Brencott stepped into sight. Without looking up, Garmath used a

"How do you like it?" queried Garmath. "I fused it from three smaller stones. One good way to dispose of

"Is it Sherbrock again?" snarled Garmath. "We've been too lenient with the fellow. Maybe he realizes that we

are feeding him well, and keeping him in good health, so they will not believe him should he claim that he

"We can put Sherbrock back in circulation soon enough," affirmed Dwig. "He's the fellow to take the rap for

"Listen, chief," Dwig insisted earnestly. "You've got to take this seriously. Only two nights ago, I tried to trail

"Yes," Dwig, conceded, "I failed. But suppose The Shadow was around. What if he trailed me back here?"

"If The Shadow had located us," declared Garmath, "he would have attacked at once. Calm yourself on that

"I called our lookout over there," replied Dwig. "He says that Commissioner Weston just dropped in for a

There wasn't a flicker of alarm on Garmath's dryish features. Rather, the situation intrigued the master

He shrugged, as though a trifle disappointed. Then, gathering his fused gems into a box, Garmath considered

"I had intended to let you deliver the synthetic sapphire that Crome wanted," Garmath said. "Partly as a test;

also, so that you could get a good look at his premises. Had he decided to sell the Star of Delhi to the Rajah

of Lengore, it would have meant the end of my promise to protect him. I planned to wait and see."

"And send me to Crome," reminded Dwig, "if you found out he'd doublecrossed you."

"Precisely! His receiving the police commissioner is the equivalent of a double cross. It gives us the privilege

of reprisal. Go there at once, Dwig, with your crew, and settle scores with Crome."

"Of course! By this time, Crome is probably telling him the whole story. Bring back all of Crome's jewels,

With Dwig, Garmath walked from the tiny room into a larger one. Lights showed a stonewalled passage just

ahead. This hideaway was underground. Dwig started out through the passage, then paused.

"Anything unknown is safe," interrupted Garmath testily. "Try to forget The Shadow, Dwig. However, you

may leave one man, to answer the signal when you return. Of course" he nudged toward a narrow stairway

Dwig didn't dispute the question. He went out by his own route, taking along five men who were waiting in

another room. Cautiously, they left by a steel door and came up to the level of the sidewalk. Sending four

"We're going on a job," Dwig informed the guard. "Three raps two quick, then a slow one" Dwig

illustrated, by clanking a revolver butt against the door "means we're back. Don't waste time letting us in.

Dwig waited until the guard had gone back into the hideaway and bolted the door, then he joined his

companions, glancing along the street as he crossed to the alley. He didn't observe the long, black form that

QUITE in variance to Garmath's theory, the cloaked investigator had attempted no invasion, even though he

had discovered the hideaway two nights before. Garmath had disregarded one very vital point: the fact that

Perhaps Garmath thought that The Shadow didn't know it. Possibly, Garmath's own disregard for human life

was so inbred that he couldn't credit The Shadow with changing vital plans on the slight chance that a man

But The Shadow was gambling much on that possibility. He was making himself a double task, just on

Having reasoned that Garmath would treat Sherbrock well if he kept the prisoner alive at all, The Shadow had

seen no need to hurry a rescue. He wanted to make the rescue sure, and the departure of Dwig's crew

Yet there was something else to do before attempting to aid Sherbrock. Gliding in the other direction, The

Shadow passed beneath the abutment of a great East River bridge. He reached a car of his own and started a

The hideaway was on the Long Island side of the river. As The Shadow sped up the approach, he saw

Dwig's car ahead, but paid it small attention. He was more interested in taking another look at the top of

Garmath's hideaway, which squatted just below the bridge, visible in the glow of lights that lined the

It was a squatty, concrete structure, simply the windowless foundation of a building that had gone no further

in construction. In the top was a black square that represented a trapdoor, but from one angle the bridge lights

gave that patch a silvery glisten. The trapdoor was covered with steel, making it too stout a barrier for

Certainly, Jan Garmath had chosen himself an unusual hideaway; a veritable stronghold. Whether or not it

would come up to the conniver's expectations was something that The Shadow hoped to settle later. For the

Giving his car speed, The Shadow whizzed past Dwig Co, who were in another traffic lane. Men of their ilk

never drove too fast across a bridge. Arguments with traffic cops were not to their liking.

The Shadow was the first to reach Crome's. He approached the elevator, gave a low, weird whisper that

Peering out, the fellow met a greeting quite different from the affable one that Cranston had accorded him

two nights before. With a sweep, The Shadow gripped the operator, stifled his cries, and hauled him out to

Some of The Shadow's agents were waiting there. Turning the elevator man over to them, The Shadow

returned into the building accompanied by one agent: Harry Vincent. They went up in the lift. Servants saw

its arriving light, peered through the glasspaned door. They were surprised to find the car empty. One

For the first time, Garmath's servants learned that there were bind spots at the front corner of the elevator that

couldn't be seen through the pane. The Shadow swung from one corner, Harry from the other. Both had guns,

As soon as the three servants had raised their hands, The Shadow marched them to a side room, while Harry

took the car down in a hurry. He had left the building when Dwig and the four thugs arrived.

GARMATH had given Dwig diversified instructions about getting up to Crome's such as phoning the old

collector and putting up a bluff, or threatening the elevator man and make him do the rest.

Neither prospect quite suited Dwig, so he was pleased when he found an empty elevator waiting.

Thinking that the operator had stepped out, Dwig hurried his men into the elevator and ran it to the top. When

he tried the upper door, it yielded. Dwig didn't guess that its catch had been left loosened. Motioning for his

men to follow, he started straight to the room where he knew he would find Crome.

Dwig's spy hadn't mentioned another visitor beside Weston. There was one: Margo Lane. She was listening

while Weston questioned Crome about small sapphires, of the sort for which the police were searching.

All the while, Crome was tossing occasional looks toward Margo, as though he vaguely recognized her. So

far, however, he hadn't identified her as the Hindu princess who had visited him with the Rajah of Lengore.

Margo was beginning to understand the reason for the masquerade of two nights before.

Crome was showing Weston many sapphires, some of the star variety, giving his opinion of how the six

portions of the famous Star of Delhi would look. Though Weston didn't detect Crome's worriment, Margo

did. Knowing that Cranston was a link between the rajah and the commissioner, Crome had a right to be

Strolling over to a large French window, Margo slid her hand behind her and unloosed the bolt, something

that Cranston had told her to do upon this visit. That was just done when Weston turned, to ask suddenly:

"I don't know,"" returned Margo, truthfully. "Lamont simply said that he would meet us here. He insisted that

"The sapphires," croaked Crome weakly. "There are six, Miss Lane. Six star sapphires, each about the size of

He was holding up a small sapphire, to illustrate, when Margo interrupted with a quick cry of alarm and

darted for a corner. Weston, wheeling, flung himself the other way, carrying Crome in a sprawl beyond the

For the moment, Margo thought that The Shadow's plans had missed, particularly when she saw black

emptiness in the doorway behind the invaders. Then, from that very blackness came the challenging tone that

Five guns blasted as one, all for a target that wasn't there. Those shots were but an added signal to The

Shadow's mockery. Amid the gun echoes, the French windows smashed open and in from the penthouse roof

Their guns ripped. The leader of the masked tribe wheeled, saw Cardona and tried to fire. Joe beat him to the

shot and sprawled him to the floor, where the mask, sliding from above his eyes, revealed the face of Dwig

Detectives, meanwhile, were lunging for the other four; whether they'd fare as well as Cardona had, was a

Swinging in from the side of the door, The Shadow nicked a pair of masked men with two neat shots that, to

Margo, seemed simultaneous. They sprawled, those two who might otherwise have done damage. The second

Crome's servants dashed into the room as The Shadow stepped away. He had taken them into his confidence

and told them to await his word. They helped the detectives suppress the wounded strugglers. Seeing that

All that either saw or heard of The Shadow was a vanishing trace of black, a strange laugh that trailed back

uncannily, to end, suddenly, with the clang of the elevator door. That mockery, however, was no tone of final

It told that The Shadow was on his way to some further mission, where he would again summon men of the

EVEN more than the timely arrival of The Shadow, the appearance of Inspector Cardona had amazed

Commissioner Weston. Commotion ended, Weston demanded to know how and when Cardona had arrived at

Cardona explained that he had received a tipoff from The Shadow, who told him to bring his men to the

ninth floor of an adjoining building and stay on watch outside a lighted penthouse. He hadn't known that the

Those details were scarcely explained before Crome interrupted the discussion. In a highpitched quaver, the

old gem collector was giving his story. Knowing that Dwig and the accompanying thugs must have come

Confessing that he owned the Star of Delhi, but swearing that he had played no part in crime, Crome faltered

over to his safe and opened it, to fling the halfmilliondollar jewel on his desk.

It took some time for Weston to get the coherent details, which included Crome's forced purchase of the gem.

Crome was so desirous to establish innocence, Weston so willing to hear such details as Lenfell's proposal of

a swindle that had led to Garmath's reign of murder, that neither the commissioner nor the old collector heard

Cardona answered, held a brief conversation. He was starting toward the door, when Weston saw him.

"Where are you going, inspector?" called the commissioner. "This case is only half complete! We've got to

"That's what I expect to do!" returned Cardona, across his own shoulder. "I've just had another tipoff from

The elevator was reaching the top floor when Cardona and his squad approached. It was being brought up by

a rather dazed operator, who was somewhat surprised to find himself back in the car. Cardona and the

OVER at the hideaway beyond the big bridge, the guard posted by Dwig heard the signaling thumps of a

gun handle. He peered out cautiously, saw the dim lights of a car parked in the opposite alley.

The lights went out, indicating that Dwig's men were about to follow their leader across the street. But it

Gloved hands hooked the guard's throat and lashed him clear of the partly opened door. A sinister whisper,

fraught with mockery, sounded in the thug's ear The Shadow's whisper enough to take the fight from any

man of crime. Into the arms of arriving agents, The Shadow tossed the limply settling figure of his gasping

It was still no time for a massed onslaught. Alone, Jan Garmath would be a difficult foe. He was the elusive

creeper whose footfalls were almost as deceptive as The Shadow's laugh. Once he sensed the approach of

enemies, Garmath would employ uncanny cunning. The only policy was for The Shadow to use lone tactics

Barely started into the passage, The Shadow heard the creep of footsteps and sidled into a darkened corner.

His gloved hand motioned a signal back to the door, where Harry Vincent, just inside, pressed the door shut

From somewhere in the passage, Garmath saw Harry's back and mistook him for the guard.

Footsteps shuffled away. It was impossible to tell their direction, at first; then The Shadow sensed that they

were going upward, which meant that Garmath must have come from a lower room and started to a floor

At the top, he saw a doorless opening into a large room. In one corner was a smaller room, barred like a cell.

The Shadow saw Garmath look that way. Through the bars, a white face peered back.

It was the face of Roger Sherbrock, the kidnapped lapidary. The scene was setting itself as The Shadow

Above, The Shadow saw the glisten of the steel trapdoor, which, as he expected, was double padlocked on

the underside. It was in the very center of the large room, about eight feet above the floor.

There was a doorway in another corner, but Garmath did not go that far. Instead, he stopped at a squatty

contrivance that looked like an electric furnace. He busied himself there so intently, that The Shadow decided

Exacting in everything he did, Jan Garmath was not the man to let one plan interfere with another. It might

be, in his estimate, that Dwig Brencott would return from Crome's with the news that all was well there.

Garmath knew how he had personally thrown fear into Crome, and perhaps the old collector would be

If so, Crome would deserve the synthetic sapphire that he had requested, as an alibi to cover his possession of

the Star of Delhi. That sapphire was ready, in the same mold that Garmath had used to make a similar gem

The crucible had cooled; when Garmath opened it, his eyes sparkled as if reflecting the sight he saw.

Shining from its mold was a blue starolite, as good as the imitation that Lenfell had once mistaken for the

original Star of Delhi, and which now belonged to Commissioner Weston. Its color was perfect, a rich deep

blue. But as Garmath reached for it, he saw the sapphire darken something which he couldn't quite

He stepped to one side, to study it from another angle. Garmath's hand brushed the cloth of a cloak sleeve.

Suddenly paralyzed, Garmath felt the cloth slide forward. A gloved hand intervened between his own and the

brilliant imitation gem that twinkled from the mold. The hand of The Shadow, whose lips were uttering a

There, in The Shadow's reach, lay crime's final proof. It was evidence that Garmath, free in this hidden

laboratory, dealt in the manufacture of great, synthetic gems, while Sherbrock, a prisoner in the same place,

So petrified was Garmath, that he seemed truly conquered. Then, in an instant, his manner changed. He was

whipping away, in snakelike style, uttering a defiant hiss: a new challenge to The Shadow.

Drowning Garmath's tone came a cry from Sherbrock. The prisoner was pointing excitedly to the other corner

Through that space lunged a huge figure, Garmath's ace in the hole, the man called Krem. Garmath had

credited Krem with being stronger than Dwig's whole crew, and Krem proceeded to back the claim.

Swooping before The Shadow could turn upon him with drawn automatic, Krem clutched the cloaked fighter

about both arms. When he found he couldn't keep a grip upon his twisting adversary, the giant flung The

Rolling to his feet, The Shadow looked groggily for Garmath and saw the murderer making for the door that

led below. With a spurt of his old speed, The Shadow tried to head off the fugitive; but Garmath stopped

short of the door and tugged a switch, set in the wall. A steel curtain slashed downward, blocking the door.

Krem was almost upon The Shadow. Knowing he hadn't time to meet the bonecrushing giant, The Shadow

sprang for Garmath, who was drawing a gun. Had The Shadow shot Garmath at that moment, he would never

Instead of shooting, The Shadow spun Garmath about; imitating Krem's tactics, he sent Garmath spinning

across the room, which brought Krem to a momentary halt. Making the most of that interval, The Shadow

Krem caught The Shadow's arm and shoved it upward. Gleefully, he forced his cloaked adversary back

against the wall, expecting Garmath to return and supply the finish with some bullets.

The Shadow was shooting, but his aim was toward the ceiling, and he was foolishly wasting all his shots. So

There were two things that Krem couldn't see. One was where The Shadow's hard fling had sent Garmath

straight, to the door of Sherbrock's cell, where the prisoner had clutched his hated captor through the bars and

was wrenching his gun away from him, a task made easy, because Garmath had hit the cell door with a force

The other thing that Krem missed was the effect of The Shadow's shots. His aim was toward the trapdoor in

Slumping suddenly, The Shadow went almost to the floor, with Krem pouncing after him. A quick twist, and

The Shadow was away. Garmath saw him and wrenched from Sherbrock's grasp, going after the cloaked

Not realizing that Garmath was too dazed even to reach The Shadow, Sherbrock fired all the shots he had.

The bullets sprawled Garmath at The Shadow's feet, just as the cloaked fighter, with a sudden twist, was

drawing a fresh gun to catch the blundering giant, Krem, from an unexpected angle. The Shadow had finally

tricked Krem, though the giant, very shortly before, had seemed too formidable to be allowed his present

PROOF of The Shadow's foresight came in a barrage from the lifted trapdoor. Cardona and his squad had

spotted their goal from the bridge, by following The Shadow's tipoff. With bullets that shattered the

padlock, The Shadow had opened the way for the police, since his agents, blocked off by the steel curtain,

Riddled with bullets that Cardona's squad provided, Krem fell dead before The Shadow could personally

In his fall, Krem sprawled across the body of his dead master, Jan Garmath. Dropped by bullets from his own

gun, served by Roger Sherbrock, Garmath had met a proper fate at the hand of the man upon whom he had

Down through the trapdoor, Cardona and his detectives were finding crime's real proof. In the open crucible,

they saw the false sapphire that only Garmath, free, could have manufactured a fact which fitted with

Crome's recent testimony while Sherbrock, still a prisoner about to be released, was in a position which

While the detectives were cracking open Sherbrock's cell, Cardona looked for The Shadow. Joe saw

blackness, but it was only the open doorway to the stairway that led below. The Shadow had pulled the

switch, raising the steel curtain, and was on his way to rejoin his anxious agents.

Back from the stairway came a sound as strangely untraceable as the creepy footsteps that Jan Garmath

would never again provide as symbols of insidious approach. The sound that Cardona heard was not a token

It was the laugh of The Shadow, fading off into the realm of night, though its echoes seemed to linger, as well

For The Shadow's tone not only signified his triumph over crime. It was a reminder that with such conquest,

he had solved the last riddle connected with the famous sapphire known as the Star of Delhi!