"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 016 - The Ghost Makers" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

while he was bound and helpless -"

"That's just it," interposed Cardona, as Weston became speculative. "But don't give me too much credit
until I tell you where I got the tip. I've got something up my sleeve, commissioner."

"Yes?"

"Yes, sir. And you won't find it in the newspapers, either! With ten witnesses shouting that a ghost was
the killer, there wasn't much chance for the one who said different crashing into print, was there?"

"Ah! There was another -"

"Commissioner," declared Cardona gravely, "there were twelve people in that room when I got there.
Twelve, including the dead man.

"The professor had his say. All the others together or apartтАФsaid the same. At first, that was. But later
on, I got one man by himself."

"Who was that?"

"Benjamin Castelle, a big-money man. His name's on the list. You've got to figure this, commissioner. All
those folks believe in spooks except Castelle."

"Ah! He is a skeptic?"

"Well, he thinks the professor is pretty much of a square shooter. Castelle says he's heard him tell some
mighty remarkable things.

"But when it comes to ghosts slinging daggers, Castelle draws the line. He saw something there to-night
that none of the rest of them noticed."

"At the time of the murder?" asked Weston.

"No. Before. I told you that there were twelve in the room, including the dead man. Well, Castelle tells
me that there were thirteen!"
"He is sure of it?" The commissioner showed his interest.

"He counted them. The time the lights came on," Cardona went on. "He said the place seemed really
spooky, after they heard the first laugh. He's a bit superstitious, Castelle is. He was looking around, and
just naturally he counted noses. Thirteen thereтАФsomething he swears he is right about."

"Then the thirteenth person -"

"May be the murderer!"

WESTON stared reflectively. He seemed to be visualizing the scene as he had read of it, and as
Cardona had described it. He looked at Cardona questioningly.

"What became of the odd person?" he asked.