The Shadow - Death Turrets Part 2

Three men-Brendaw, Lenley, Fant-formed a strained half circle as they stared at the p.r.o.ne form. Beyond them, almost in darkness, stood a fourth, Kent Allard. His keen eyes were on the faces of the living, not the dead.

For, in the murder of Roderick Talroy, Kent Allard had found a crime to solve. One that promised strange developments before the tall stranger left Five Towers. Across the floor stretched Allard's shadow, a streak of blackness that ended in a hawkish profile.

That silhouette was proof that its owner could delve deep into this mystery. Kent Allard was the master crime-hunter known as The Shadow.

CHAPTER IV.

FACTS FROM THE PAST.

IT was a strained group that a.s.sembled in the big living room, with Sheriff Amos Cravlen in charge. Seated on the arm of a large chair, the sheriff pocketed the key to the bedroom, which he had locked, so no one could disturb Talroy's body.

The sheriff studied two telegrams. One was the message that Roderick Talroy had received that morning. It had been in the dead man's pocket. The other was the telegram that Rufus Fant had received, presumably from Roderick.

"Those telegrams are fakes," defined the lawyer, crisply. "Somebody in this house sent the first to bring Roderick here. The same person sent the second telegram, also, to lure me."

While he spoke, Fant fixed his eyes upon George Brendaw. That young mancaught the inference, but said nothing. George was evidently trying to picture something more definitely in his mind. He was willing to let Fant talk.

Kent Allard noted George's expression. He also noticed Robert Lenley.

The bearded inventor was restless, but at times he steadied, while his beady eyes surveyed the others. Sometimes, Lenley's gaze s.h.i.+fted toward t.i.tus, who was standing, very white, beside the fireplace.

Lucille Merrith spoke suddenly. The girl had remained downstairs, during the discovery of the body. The subject of the telegrams was one with which she thought she might help.

"Roderick Talroy told me that he sent a telegram," said the girl, "but it wasn't one to Mr. Fant. He said that he wired his valet, to let him know that he would be in New York to-night-"

"But he added," put in George Brendaw, "that he was glad he couldn't go there, didn't he?"

"Yes," admitted Lucille, "but how did you know?"

George laughed at the girl's surprise.

"I saw what Talroy was after," he said. "I didn't know why he had landed here, but all he had on his mind was you, Lucille. I figured just what kind of talk he was giving, to make an impression.

Fant was listening, with his big head tilted.

"Hear that, sheriff?" demanded the lawyer. "I insist that you hold this man, George Brendaw, for murder, and the girl as a material witness! Brendaw admits a grudge against Talroy."

"You're crazy!" snapped George, "Do you think I'd murder a man just because he made a sap of himself? This is my house. I could have ordered Talroy out of it."

"But you didn't want to," parried Fant, "because your grudge goes farther back than to-night."

GEORGE BRENDAW looked blank. He didn't seem to know what Fant meant. At last, George turned to the sheriff, to state in a frank tone: "I can't understand what Fant means. I never heard of Roderick Talroy before to-night. Nor, for that matter, did Miss Merrith-"

Fant was on his feet, voicing a triumphant shout that interrupted George's statement. His hand wagging emphatically, Fant was pointing toward Lucille. When he became coherent, Fant demanded: "Is her name Merrith?"

"Of course it is," returned Lucille. She remembered suddenly that her name had not previously been mentioned to Fant. "Why do you ask?"

The lawyer did not answer the question directly. He turned to Cravlen with a request that he be allowed to make a statement without interruption.

The sheriff was agreeable. Silence was tense, expressions puzzled, as Fant began his crisp announcement.

"A full twenty years ago," declared the lawyer, "Lionel Brendaw was acc.u.mulating a fortune, supplying war materials to the United States government. There"-Fant pointed dramatically across to the dining room-"hangs a portrait of Lionel Brendaw. This house, I understand, was once his.

"Old Lionel was a profiteer, and the government learned it. He was convicted and sent to prison for fifteen years. He tried to s.h.i.+ft some of the blame to an innocent man, Artemus Talroy, on the claim that Talroy was his partner.

"I represented Artemus Talroy and cleared his name from blame. When Artemus Talroy died, some years later, I became the attorney for his estate.

Artemus Talroy"-Fant shook his head sadly-"was Roderick's father."

There was a profound silence. It seemed that Fant's statement had finished. George Brendaw leaned back in his chair, to give a hard, wise smile.

"I see the inference," declared George. "Mr. Fant thinks that I, as heir to Lionel Brendaw, would wish the death of Roderick Talroy, whose father was Lionel's enemy. A fine theory, sheriff, except for the fact that I never met my distant relative, Lionel Brendaw. I knew nothing about him, except that heleft me this old house!"

Fant smiled narrowly, when he heard George's statement. The lawyer had not finished; he had purposely waited with his next surprise. Holding up his hand for silence, Fant added the next detail.

"The man who convicted Lionel Brendaw," declared Fant, "was an army officer, who acted as a special prosecutor. He was a colonel in the regular service, who died a few years ago. His name was William Merrith."

Fant paused abruptly. His gaze had s.h.i.+fted to Lucille. The girl's voice came with a gasp: "My father!"

Fant nodded. The big lawyer was on his feet, his arms spread toward Sheriff Cravlen, as if that official represented a jury. Coolly, the attorney concluded his theory.

"George Brendaw, heir to Lionel," declared Fant, "has brought to his home, as unwitting guests, the two persons whose deaths he might logically desire. One, Roderick Talroy, has been murdered. The other, Lucille Merrith, is threatened. I ask you, sheriff, in behalf of justice and this girl's safety, to arrest George Brendaw!"

SHERIFF CRAVLEN stroked his chin.

Kent Allard saw him look at George, who sat stolid. Then the sheriff turned to Lucille. He seemed to feel that the girl could decide the matter, since she was the person whom Fant declared to be in danger.

"What do you say, Miss Merrith?" asked Cravlen. "Shall I arrest George Brendaw?"

Lucille's eyes met George's. The girl shook her head. In a firm, low tone, Lucille spoke a single word: "No."

Rufus Fant began to clench the air with his fists. He was outraged because of Lucille's loyalty to George. Furiously, the lawyer tried to convince the girl. His voice was a bellow as he denounced: "I tell you, George Brendaw is a rogue!"

A harsh contralto tone intervened from the hallway. Fant swung about. On the threshold stood Lucille's aunt, Augusta Merrith. Forgotten after the discovery of murder, Aunt Augusta had come downstairs to learn the cause of the commotion. She had listened to most of it from the hallway.

"Rufus Fant!" Augusta Merrith spoke the name with contempt. "A fine man to speak of justice! Colonel Merrith was my brother. He told me all about your defense of Artemus Talroy. In his opinion, you and your client were greater crooks than Lionel Brendaw!

"You were the ones that gorged the profits. That is why the government regained only a mere fraction of the huge funds that Lionel Brendaw acc.u.mulated. Bah! Where did the Talroy millions come from? I know, and you know. From those government contracts!

"My brother knew it. His greatest regret was his inability to prove it.

Of three crooks, my brother convicted but one. If there is evil in this house"-the old lady wagged a bony finger-"I can name one man who is certainly concerned in it. That man is yourself: Rufus Fant!"

AUNT AUGUSTA'S accusation hit Fant like a bombsh.e.l.l. The glowering lawyer subsided to a chair, his hands trembling as they clutched his big cane.

Fant had not been ready for this surprise. His very manner marked him as the crook that Augusta claimed he was.

There was a keen glow in the eyes of Kent Allard. Circ.u.mstances had taken the very turn that The Shadow wanted. He knew of those past facts that Augusta Merrith had reviewed. They were, indirectly, the reason for The Shadow's presence at Five Towers.

Lately, there had been some curious complications with certain estate funds managed by Rufus Fant. On that account, The Shadow had been keeping tabs on Fant's activities. To-day, the old attorney had suddenly left his office,in response to a telegram. The Shadow had learned that his destination was a place called "Five Towers."

Fant had gone by train. The Shadow, starting later, had driven by car, as Allard. Ordinarily, he should have arrived before Fant, but flooded roads had forced a roundabout route. That was why Allard's appearance had been a later one than Fant's.

The Shadow had not supposed that it would matter. He knew that Roderick Talroy was at Five Towers, for he had seen a copy of the telegram that Fant had received in New York. The telegram, however, had not given any inkling of threatened murder. In fact, its purport was quite the reverse.

a.s.suming that Fant was manipulating the Talroy estate as he had others, the logical a.s.sumption was that Fant did not want Roderick to get interested in the purchase of an invention. That might require the use of funds that Fant had intended to appropriate.

The discovery of Roderick's body, therefore, was a surprise, even to The Shadow.

During the chaos produced by discussion of the past, The Shadow concentrated upon the most important subject: the murder of Roderick Talroy.

The eyes of Kent Allard were keen as they moved, unnoticed, about the circle.

Some one in that group was the killer.

Who?

The Shadow still sought the answer. More facts would be needed before it could be found; facts concerning tonight, rather than the remote past, although those almost-forgotten events could definitely be concerned.

There were two men whose positions The Shadow balanced. They were George Brendaw and Rufus Fant.

The motive of vengeance was a strong one. Fant had built it strongly against George Brendaw. Fant could do it well, for he saw things from a crooked standpoint. The Shadow, himself, saw vengeance as a powerful factor; one which ordinarily would have been most acceptable.

The fact that both Lucille Merrith and Roderick Talroy had come to this house was highly significant. Direct descendants of the honest prosecutor and the false partner of Lionel Brendaw, there was reason why old Lionel's heir might seek revenge upon them.

The question, though, was whether so remote a relation as George Brendaw would be interested in vengeance for Lionel's sake. It was doubtful, too, that he would choose his own abode for murder, particularly with the portrait of old Lionel in view on the dining-room wall, glaring its own desire for vengeance.

Unless George Brendaw proved to be a fanatic, the case against him was so exaggerated that it was doubtful.

AGAINST Rufus Fant stood more subtle facts. Lucille's Aunt Augusta had denounced Fant, but the lawyer could fight down those accusations. A government court had failed to establish them, so Fant had no real worry. What Fant really needed to cover was the fact that he was adept at robbing estates he represented.

If that came out, the case against Fant would soar. It was possible that he had found it necessary to murder Roderick Talroy, to cover up some shady work with that young man's fortune. If such were so, Fant would have chosen this house as a scene for murder, to throw suspicion upon George Brendaw.

The Shadow's brain weighed those possibilities. Meanwhile, his eyes fixed upon a third man, whose status seemed so clear that The Shadow wanted to know more about it. That man was the bearded inventor, Robert Lenley.

Despite his neutral position, Lenley was uneasy. He was covering himself well, but The Shadow, keen in his a.n.a.lysis, could see through Lenley's sham.

Crime at Five Towers was anch.o.r.ed far deeper than its surface showed.

The Shadow was to see that proven, within these gray, stone walls.

CHAPTER V.

DEATH'S SECOND TOLL.

RUFUS FANT was finally able to regain his self-control. The lawyer's glare showed contempt for Augusta Merrith as the elderly woman stepped firmly across the room and took the chair close to the moose head. Perhaps Fant noticed Augusta's resemblance to the moose, for his lips compressed into a depreciating smile.

"What the elder Miss Merrith has told us," declared Fant, "is a matter that substantiates my statements. Apparently, persons have labored under the delusion that Artemus Talroy was implicated in the same profiteering practices as Lionel Brendaw.

"That, I insist, would add to the motive of vengeance, not detract from it. It would account for a Brendaw murdering a Talroy, even more than an ordinary grudge. Therefore, sheriff, I again declare myself."

Fant paused. His eyes fixed firmly upon George Brendaw.

"Roderick Talroy," a.s.serted Fant, "was murdered by some one who was lurking in this house!"

George Brendaw smiled.

"That eliminates me," he told the sheriff. "I was outside, trying to find my way down to the gates, at the time when young Talroy must have died."

"A weak alibi," sneered Fant. "You could have entered the house from outside. Therefore, I insist that you be held under the same suspicion as all others who cannot prove their exact whereabouts."

"Good!" returned George. His smile showed that he had awaited Fant's suggestion. "That puts you under suspicion, too, Mr. Fant."

"I wasn't in this house-"

"You were outside, as close to it as I was. Lucille, Lenley, t.i.tus-all heard your own admission that you were around by the side door."

Fant winced as the others corroborated. The lawyer tried to sputter a protest, but Sheriff Cravlen overruled it.

"If I hold George Brendaw," he told Fant, "I'll have to hold you, also, on this evidence. We'll see about the others."

THE sheriff questioned them. Since t.i.tus had shown Roderick up to the bedroom, and was forced to admit himself the last person who had seen the victim alive, the sheriff decided to hold the servant.

Robert Lenley testified that he had remained in the dining room, working over pages of formulas. There was no one, however, who would say that they had seen him there, so Sheriff Cravlen cla.s.sed him as another suspect. Lenley forced a smile to his bearded lips, as if to indicate his indifference.

Lucille said she had been in the living room, but her Aunt Augusta had gone upstairs soon after t.i.tus had shown Roderick to his room. That left both Merriths with unsupported alibis. The sheriff said that he would have to hold them also.

After that, the sheriff turned to Allard, with the wry comment: "Possibly I ought to request you to stay, too, Mr. Allard. After all, you were alone somewhere at the time Roderick Talroy died. But the time element makes it seem impossible that you could have left your car somewhere on the road, to come on foot through the woods, here to the house. You would have had to go back again, in addition."

All the others seemed willing to grant the sheriff's exception of Allard; even Fant was so inclined, although he looked as though he wanted to suspect every one possible. Allard, however, settled the matter himself.

He was willing to remain, he told Cravlen, on the chance that he might supply some slight testimony later, since he had been with the group when they found Roderick's body. The road was blocked; it would be impossible for him to continue his trip. Furthermore, his car, being on this side of the broken bridge, could be of use to the sheriff.

Cravlen was pleased at that offer. Moreover, the sheriff found anotherreason to have Allard here. Cravlen had just begun to realize that he had a lot of suspected persons on his hands, since he had added Lucille and her Aunt Augusta to the list. Cravlen would be needing deputies later, so he swore Allard in as one for a starter.

That done, the sheriff began a search for weapons. None of the suspects was carrying any, but George Brendaw admitted that he had a revolver in the house. He seemed to have forgotten the fact, until Lucille mentioned it.