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

He sat down on the opposite side of the glass-topped table, and watched Weston, while the
commissioner studied a newspaper. Finally, Weston laid the journal aside and looked at Cardona.

"Well?" questioned Weston.

"I know what you want to know, commissioner," answered Cardona solemnly. "This Harvey case.
Well"тАФhe pointed to the newspaper with his thumbтАФ"it's all there. For once, the tabloids have got it
straight!"

An expression of amazement came over the commissioner's face. Cardona repressed a grim smile. He
had dumfounded Commissioner Ralph Weston!

It was a full minute before the official recovered from his surprise. Then he thumped his fist on the
newspaper and stared at Cardona defiantly.

"Do you mean to say," demanded Weston, "that this tommyrot about a killer ghost is all that you have
discovered in this case? What has possessed you, Cardona?"

"Out of eleven persons present," declared Cardona, "ten bear witness to that fact. Only one offered a
different theory."

"Ten fools!" exclaimed the commissioner. "Ten ignorant, stupid fools who -"

"Have you read their names, commissioner?" asked Cardona mildly.
"Yes," admitted Commissioner Weston reluctantly.

"I found those people very excited," said Cardona, in a quiet tone, "but I wouldn't like to say that any one
of them was ignorant or stupid. They were very intelligent people, commissioner. People who have brains
as well as money."

Weston folded his hands and sat back in his chair. He surveyed Cardona thoughtfully. He nodded slowly.


"Start with the beginning, Cardona," he requested. "I don't want to miss any portion of this case."

"The meeting was going on up at the Hotel Dalban," began Cardona. "That's where this Professor Raoul
Jacques holds his seances, once a week, in a private room, off where they won't be disturbed.

"From what the witnesses say, most of the people were old customers. But they all didn't know
everybody else the professor says he's glad to admit strangers. Claims he can get messages for any one.

"Well, last night, he was getting a contact for a new member of the ring. A Mrs. HendersonтАФshe's in the
list there, in the Daily Classic. Right in the middle of it, there was a lot of wild laughing. They got scared,
and put on the lights. The professor claimed an evil spirit was jinxing the affair."

"Was that when the murder occurred?" questioned Weston.

"No," replied Cardona. "They started in again. The professor claims he called for a good influence to fight
the bad. They saw a knifeтАФa daggerтАФ flashing in the air.