"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 042 - Mox" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

The left handтАФthree fingers spread with tips toward the door, denoted the letter "M." The right hand,
with its loosely circled fist, gave the letter "O." The crossed wrists, placed with a final effort, stood for
"X."

These were the letters which formed the name The Shadow utteredтАФa barely sibilant word that ended in
a whispered hiss:

"Mox!"

CHAPTER IV. THE BROKEN TRAIL
IT was well after ten o'clock when Commissioner Weston and Lamont Cranston joined Joe Cardona at
the apartment which Schuyler Harlew had first occupied.

Again, Cardona took charge of the investigation, while Weston and Cranston watched. Harlew's
apartment was plainly furnished. It was devoid of papers or any items that might have served as clews.

It was probableтАФCardona set forth that factтАФthat the murderer had entered here to clean out house.
Hunt high and low, the detective could find no shred of useful information.

Harlew had been a man who lived alone. He came and went as he chose. His occupation was unknown.
His rent, however, was always paid well in advance. He had last been observed by people in the small
apartment house three days before.

Cardona thumbed a Manhattan telephone directory. He shook it to see if it contained loose papers. He
tossed the big book to the floor. It fell with opened cover near Weston's feet.

The commissioner paid no attention to the directory. He was watching Cardona pull out a table drawer.
Cranston, however, stared toward the book. His sharp eyes spied a faint trace of penciled writing. For
the first time this evening, Cranston offered a quiet suggestion to Joe Cardona.

"Look at the cover of the telephone book," he remarked.

Cardona wheeled, glanced at the speaker, then picked up the directory and laid it on the table. Under the
glare of a lamp, the faint trace showed plainly. Cardona made out the initials BтАФU; the figures
2тАФ6тАФ8тАФ0тАФ4.

"Burset 2тАФ6804," announced the acting inspector. "SayтАФthat must be a number that Harlew called. It's
a Manhattan numberтАФaround the Seventies, likely."

The detective picked up the telephone. Commissioner Weston, staring at the telephone book, noted that
the number had evidently been erased, but not thoroughly. He wondered at Cranston's excellence of
vision; then, as he eyed Cardona, the commissioner made a quick protest.

"You're not calling that number -"
"No," returned Cardona. "I'm going to get headquarters. I'll have Markham locate it and phone me a
report. After that, we can get down there."

Markham, a detective sergeant at headquarters, responded to Cardona's call. After giving him
instructions, Cardona hung up and waited for a reply. It came in twelve minutes. Cardona gave prompt
instructions; then turned to the others.