"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 026 - Murder Trail" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

Flattening itself grotesquely on the floor, the dead body of Baron Hugo von Tollsburg came into view! It
fell back upward; its livid face and bulging eyes stared, sightless, into the countenance of Captain
Heinrich von Werndorff. Murder!

A FIERCE cry came from Von Werndorff's throat. Here was the man he respected and obeyed, slain
within a secret hiding place, where safety had been guaranteed to him!

For long, miserable minutes, Von Werndorff stared into that dead face. At length the misery of the
tragedy dulled. Consternation seized the commander.

A man who gave the utmost attention to detail, Von Werndorff scarcely knew how to act. He had made
careful plans for Baron von Tollsburg to leave the airship with the lieutenant; now that these arrangements
were rendered useless by the baron's death, the captain was stunned.

Only the growing thirst for vengeance conquered other emotions. Gradually, Von Werndorff found
himself reviewing the events that might have brought death to the aristocratic stowaway.

Friedrichshafen. Von Werndorff was sure that no one had followed the baron aboard there. Who knew
of the secret compartment aboard the ship? Only the trusted workmen who had aided in its completion,
and their knowledge was not complete. Fritz von Salzburg, whom the commander knew could be
trusted. Otherwise, only Baron von Tollsburg and Von Werndorff himself.

Unless some one had come aboard beforehand, the entrance to this secret room must have taken place
while the dirigible was in flight between Germany and America. Only one man could be suspected. The
commander thought of Henry Arnaud.
Why had he not apprehended Arnaud when the man had spoken of stowaways? Van Werndorff cursed
his mistake. Yes, it must be Arnaud who had killed.

With a dull feeling of futility, the commander began a hopeless search for evidence. Stooping over the
body of his dead friend, he found that Von Tollsburg's pockets had been rifled of all their contents,
except a few coins, a pipe and a pouch of tobacco. The killer had been a thief as well as a murderer.

In the berth, Von Werndorff continued his hopeless search. There, however, he discovered two objects;
but neither meant anything to his mind. One was the cork-tipped butt of a cigarette; the other was a
fragment of torn paper.

The cigarette emanated an Egyptian aroma, and Von Werndorff noted that it bore the name "Pharos." It
was evidently an imported brand that was very little known. The piece of paper carried a scrawled
signatureтАФthe name of Hugo von Tollsburg, written twice.

Further search revealed nothing.

Von Werndorff folded the cigarette butt within the slip of paper, and placed the latter in his pocket. He
studied the body of the baron with an unhappy gaze, and his mind reverted to the conversation which he
had held with Von Tollsburg in this very room.

"No one must ever knowтАФmy missionтАФmust be preserved a secretтАФ whatever may occurтАФnot one
bit of evidence must remain -"