"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 100 - The Man From Shanghai" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

"Certainly," replied The Shadow. "But since I have never been to my new apartment, I had to inquire."

"Then you have no key, sir?"

"Of course not. I left that here, so that the furniture could be placed in the apartment."

The Shadow's precise tone; his important manner, impressed the incredulous doorman. The fellow's
doubts faded; The Shadow took quick advantage.

"Come," he ordered. "Help me remove my luggage from the taxi. Who has the apartment key? The
janitor?"

"I have a key, Mr. Furbish."

"Good. You can unlock the apartment for me."

TWO men had sauntered into view during the brief conversation. They were presentably dressed; but
their faces showed them to be rowdies. They had come from a doorway adjacent to the Royal Arms.
They had arrived in time to hear the doorman call The Shadow by the name of Furbish.

Though faced toward the taxicab, The Shadow was aware of the two men who approached. He saw
one take a cigarette from his lips and wigwag it, as if in signal to some one across the street. The Shadow
kept his head turned away. There was a chance that some observer might know George Furbish by sight.


The pair passed. The Shadow turned to follow the luggage-laden doorman. They entered the Royal
Arms, boarded an elevator and rode up to the tenth floor. The doorman unlocked the door of a corner
apartment. The Shadow tipped him; the man departed.

Alone, possessed of Furbish's key, The Shadow took stock of the apartment. It was well furnished; the
windows of living room and bedroom opened to a balcony that clung above an old eight-story building.
Evidently the adjoining structure was slated for removal. The Shadow studied the lower building by the
glow of the city lights. That done, he began to unpack.

The Shadow had come here to protect George Furbish; for the man's address had indicated that he might
logically be a victim to follow Blessingdale and Hessup. The Shadow's plan had been to gain Furbish's
friendship; to warn him of danger and remain here with him. Finding that he had arrived ahead of Furbish,
The Shadow had quickly evolved a new procedure.

Roaming the apartment, he looked for signs that might mean a threat of death. The Shadow examined
drinking glasses in the bathroom. He found no trace of any poison. He looked for other threats; his
search seemed futile until he made a final inspection of the bedroom. There, he discovered something
tangible.

There were two windows, each of the casement type, with frames that swung outward. The catch was
missing from one window. The frame was held shut purely by pressure of the woodwork. The Shadow
knew that some one had deliberately removed the catch.

Danger would arrive to-night. When it came, it would be through the casement window. A smile showed
itself upon The Shadow's disguised lips as he prepared to retire for the night. Clad in pajamas, The