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

the peculiar correspondence that the police had received from a man called Double Z. But this was not
disconcerting.

The sudden departure of a crooked juristтАФthat was the general opinion of TollandтАФwas not likely to
interest The Shadow, who dealt with supercrooks. The strange notes from Double Z, hitherto regarded
as the epistles of a madman, were also beneath The Shadow's notice.

Double Z had predicted certain deaths. Some had occurred; others had not. The few that had transpired
had been minor gang killings. Never had the hand of Double Z appeared as that of the actual murderer.

But now the cry was out. Newspapers considered the death of Caulkins to be a gang killing, and at the
same time suggested murderous work on the part of Double Z. Cardona's description of the case as the
work of an inexperienced murderer had been played up in the Classic. Double Z had become a menace.
Clyde Burke anticipated action from The Shadow. He felt sure that the Tolland connection would bring
it.

WITH his mind occupied on these thoughts, Clyde arrived at the old house on East Eightieth Street. He
studied the place from across the street. He noticed the heavily curtained front windows of the third floor.
He sauntered across the street and ascended the steps. The door was locked.

A gruff voice spoke from the sidewalk.

"Hey, there!"

Clyde turned. He found himself staring at the squat, square-shouldered form of Detective Sergeant
Wentworth.

"Oh, it's you, Burke," said the officer in an affable tone. "Didn't recognize you at first. Want to get in?"

"Sure thing."

Wentworth was explaining his presence as they entered the hallway and ascended the stairs.

"We're keeping watch on the place," he said. "If this nut Double Z is mixed up in the killing, there's no
telling what may happen. He's just bugs enough to come back to the place. Might have left something
here. So we're lying in wait."

Wentworth unlocked the door of the third-floor apartment. He and Burke entered the gloomy room,
where Caulkins had died. The detective pointed out the telephone, and indicated the position in which the
body had been found.

"Who lived here?" questioned Clyde.

"Wish we knew," said Wentworth. "Name downstairs says Joseph T. Dodd, but we haven't got any clew
from it. We do know that some fellow did live here a while. We've found clothes and other articles. The
only trouble is, he seems to have been careful to keep himself unknown. Nothing is here in the way of
identification."

Clyde looked around the room, while the detective kept up a line of intermittent patter. The supposed
actions that had taken place in the room were well established in Wentworth's mind.