"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 011 - Double Z" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

CARDONA closed his eyes. He was visualizing the scene in that room on East Eightieth Street, where
he had observed the lone body of Joel Caulkins. He pictured the bullet-ridden form.

"Wentworth thinks that some gangsters coaxed Caulkins up there," he said. "Wentworth may be wrong.
Let's see that paper he brought you, Inspector."

Reluctantly Fennimann pulled a paper from the desk drawer. Cardona studied it and read it aloud:

"You have one week to live!"

He passed the note to Ward, who stared at the cryptic Double Z signature in amazement. Fennimann
looked questioningly at Cardona, who signaled that all would be well.

"Where did you find this?" asked Ward.

"In the dead man's hand," said Fennimann.

"This ties up Double Z with the murder," was the city editor's comment. "But where does Judge Tolland
come in?"

"That's the question," said Cardona.

"Is this a genuine Double Z note?"

"It looks like one. If there is such a person as Double Z, it is probably genuine."

"What do you meanтАФif there is a Double Z -"

"It may simply be a ruse adopted by different criminals," explained Cardona. "But in this case it may be
Double Z. He had told us of several murders before they occurredтАФbut they may not have been of his
doing."

"I understand that," replied Ward. "Caulkins covered some of the Double Z cases and was working on
them as the Wise Owl. Double Z, I understand, is presumably a fanatic, who has a remarkable
knowledge of what is going on in the criminal world."

"Look here," declared Cardona. "I'm going to give you some theories. But lay off of any wild stuff. Work
with us. This hits home. It's one of your own reporters. Get me?"

Dale Ward nodded.

"A number of people have received Double Z threats," said Cardona. "Now, the way I figure it is this.
Caulkins may have received that note and kept mum about it. But that's hardly likely, eh?"

"Not unless he got it after he went out this afternoon," responded Ward.

"All right, then. Maybe he received it then. Sent to him by the bird that killed him. Now, why did
Caulkins go to that house on East Eightieth Street?"

"Probably he got a tip to go there. He knew a lot of gangsters. Or perhaps he met some one -"