"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 153 - Murder For Sale" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

It wasn't only the gun that told Whiz to be dangerous. The chunky man had
donned a handkerchief mask, and so had the two who accompanied him. They,
also, had guns in readiness.
"Hello, Vincent!" rasped Whiz, in a forced tone that was not his own.
"Get inside. We want to talk to you!"
Harry backed into the living room. Whiz closed the outer door; he and his
outspread pals formed a loose cordon that had Harry covered from three sides.
But Whiz promptly postponed the talk that he had promised.
The reason was that Whiz saw something that interested him: the tightly
tucked note that lay beside the envelope on the writing desk.
Letting the others keep Harry covered, Whiz stepped over to examine the
message. Harry's raised hands clenched tight. Once Whiz saw that coded note
and watched the letters vanish, he would know that Harry was linked to some
one as crafty as The Shadow.
Whiz wasn't to see the writing at all. It happened that Harry had an ally
whose grit was equal to the emergency.
A voice spoke from the doorway of the inner room, a low, firm alto, that
meant business. Whiz spun about; so did his pals. They saw Isabel's gun hand
projecting through the doorway. The tiny revolver was wangling back and forth,
keeping the invaders covered.
"Stand where you are!" spoke Isabel. "One move, and I fire!"

THE thugs didn't raise their hands. Isabel's threat was too potent. They
still gripped their guns, but held them lowered. The flanking men looked to
Whiz; they saw him squinting over his mask. He was trying to see Isabel's face
past the doorway, but he failed.
Meanwhile, Harry was on the move. He shifted to the writing desk, made a
quick grab for the message. Yanking it open, writing side away, he began to
crumple it with his left hand. With his right, he attempted to pull his gun.
At that instant, Whiz gave a sudden elbow nudge toward the man on his
right. The fellow understood. He made a dive for the floor. Isabel swung her
gun toward the diving thug and fired. Her first shot went wide; she had no
chance for a second one.
With his dive, the thug made a long reach for the half-opened door and
slammed it shut. The swinging barrier struck Isabel's shoulder and floored her
in the other room. Simultaneously, Whiz and the other gunmen sprang about, to
grapple with Harry before his gun was drawn.
Within brief seconds, the scene was completely changed. Whiz and his pal
had Harry under control, although he was struggling hard. Moreover, Whiz had
opportunity to snap an order to the mobster who had slammed the door.
As the door opened again, with Isabel thrusting her gun into sight, the
thug fell upon the girl. Smothering her cry, he shoved her gun hand upward,
gripping it so tightly that Isabel couldn't fire. Grinning, the thug looked
about, awaiting Whiz's next command.
Whiz had scooped up the crumpled paper that Harry dropped. But by the
time he managed to open it, the writing was gone. Whiz gave an ugly snort in
Harry's ear.
"Horsed me, huh?" demanded Whiz.
"Faked it that the paper was something important, when it was only blank?
So you don't know nothin' after all? Well, you've found out too much, anyway,