"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 044 - Treasures of Death" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

White hands appeared beneath the lights. On a finger of the left glittered a shimmering gem. This was The
Shadow's girasol-the rare fire opal that was The Shadow's single gem. Its hue was black at times; yet
always, from its depths, gleamed sparks of fire that shone with the intensity of a Promethean eye.

The Shadow was in his sanctum. Here, enshrouded in total darkness, he was invisible-all except his
hands, which moved like living creatures detached from the body beyond them. The Shadow was about
to summarize the findings of his visit to the home of Shattuck Barliss and the analysis that had succeeded
that visit.

FINGERS clutched a pen. They inscribed brief notations upon a sheet of paper which the other hand
produced:

Capsule-harmless powder-drug absent.

Number remaining-eighteen.

Lacking-thirty-two.

Four days.

The written words began to vanish. They faded from the sheet of paper like passing thoughts. Yet their
purport remained. The Shadow had made an important discovery.

Some one had substituted harmless capsules for the prescribed pills. No jury could ever convict the
culprit for homicidal intent. Nevertheless, the placing of such capsules had been a death warrant for
Shattuck Barliss.
Thirty-two capsules had been used from the box. For at least four days, Shattuck Barliss had been living
without the necessary medicinal stimulus that the physician had prescribed. The old man's ability to stand
a sudden shock had been steadily diminishing ever since the substitution had been made!

The purpose? The Shadow's soft laugh indicated it. Some one had wanted Shattuck Barliss to die before
his nephew arrived in New York. The capsules had evidently been changed about the time when Rodney
Glasgow had summoned Terry Barliss East.

Had Shattuck Barliss succumbed to a sudden shock before the arrival of Terry, no one would have
learned the story of the famous Villon manuscript. Had it been uncovered after the old man's death, there
could have been no speculation concerning it.

Artful murder-murder that relied upon natural reaction-such had been the cause of death to Shattuck
Barliss. The motive of the subtle deed had been to cover previous theft!

New notations were coming from The Shadow's pen. Nothing had escaped The Shadow's notice; no
words that he had heard passed unremembered:

Library-renovations.

Wall-safe-untouched.

Expert opinion-forged manuscript.