"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 027 - The Silent Death" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

big-moneyed men whose deaths will prove highly profitable to you, and therefore"тАФUrlich stopped to
stare firmly at the man opposite himтАФ "profitable to myself and Ricordo.
"Your part, Jocelyn, is to simply remind me of the strategic time for any such deaths. The rest lies in my
handsтАФwith the aid of Ricordo. You have named the first man. You will see him die to-night. I trust that
your plans are made with all precaution."

"They are," declared Jocelyn, with a nervous laugh. "If Alfred Sartain dies to-night -"

"- when Alfred Sartain dies tonight," put in Urlich, with his wicked sneer.

"With Sartain eliminated," agreed Jocelyn, "I am sure of an immediate profit of at least five millions. He
has practically agreed to refinance the Universal Chain Stores. I have large proxy holdings in the National
Syndicate and in Amalgamated Stores. If Universal fails to gain the money that it needs, the concern will
go into the hands of the receivers. My stocks will rise -"

"Sartain is the only salvation for Universal?"

"Positively. All depends upon him."

"You will see him die to-night!"

Larry Ricordo was on his feet, rubbing his hands warmly as he heard these words. He swung toward
Jocelyn, to add weight to Professor Urlich's statement.

"You bet Sartain will take the bump," he declared. "Say! Maybe you don't know that I could be the
biggest shot in New York if I'd wanted to stay in the racket. I dropped out because I saw bigger dough
this wayтАФwithout the chance of getting filled with lead by some other guy's mob.

"I'm supposed to be out in the sticksтАФtoo hot for me here. But I've got a couple of real gazebos working
for me. When Sartain comes into that penthouse of his, he'll be covered -"

"One moment," interposed Urlich, staring cold at the gang leader. "I told you that violence would be
unnecessary, Ricordo."

"That's all right, professor," responded Ricordo. "I'm not interfering with whatever plans you've got. Just
playing safe, that's all. Duster Brooks is planted as Sartain's butler."

"That I understood."

"And I've got Slips Harbeck and a couple of gorillas in an apartment on the top floor. They won't move
unless we see that Sartain is going to get away. They'll wait to hear from me."

"Very well," said Professor Urlich. "Nevertheless, your precautions were not needed." Then, to Jocelyn:
"Ricordo is lacking in the technique of murder. During Sartain's absence, the penthouse was renovated.
Ricordo provided a competent supervisor in the person of Duster Brooks, who is acting as Sartain's
butler. Brooks had charge of the work. He is there to-night.

"Alfred Sartain will dieтАФpresumably from natural causesтАФdue to my well-planned instructions."

The professor glanced at his watch. He noticed that the time was nearly half past eight. He went to the