"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 243 - Room of Doom" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

THE SHADOW'S RETURN

SOON after his departure from the Aldriff mansion, The Shadow returned.
He
came back in an entirely different fashion.
No longer was he an invisible figure that traveled on foot, under the
cloak
of darkness. He was a gentleman in evening clothes, who rode in a chauffeured
limousine. The Shadow was his other self, Lamont Cranston.
He had come to Long Island as Cranston, and had later become The Shadow.
As
Cranston, he happened to be acquainted with Aldriff. Though not invited to the
dinner party, there was no reason why he shouldn't claim to be. Aldriff had
many
friends, and new guests always appeared along with old.
So when the limousine rolled into the driveway, Cranston was immediately
greeted as a guest by a self-formed reception committee. Head of the group was
a
tall, gray-haired man whose square face ended in a blunt chin. He didn't have
to
introduce himself. He was Lloyd Dulther, like Arthur Aldriff an executive of
the
Magnax Corp.
"Hello, Cranston," greeted Dulther solemnly. "I didn't know you were
coming
here tonight. It's too bad. This is a most unfortunate occasion!"
Cranston's usually impassive face showed a slightly curious expression as
he noted the crowd around the house.
"What is the trouble, Dulther?" he inquired. "Too many guests?"
"One host too few," Dulther replied. "Aldriff committed suicide, shortly
before I arrived."
He conducted Cranston into the house, where they met the other member of
the Magnax trio, Hubert Sigby. Like Dulther, Sigby was tall, but he looked
younger. His face was pointed of chin, and he had a reddish mustache, though
his
hair was brown. Sigby, too, had arrived after the tragedy, and he was as
solemn
as Dulther.
"Bad business, this," said Sigby. "Don't you think we can manage to get
rid
of all these people?"
"I know we can," returned Dulther, "except the persons who were here at
the
time of Aldriff's suicide."
With a polite smile, Cranston remarked that he would be glad to leave,
considering that he wasn't in the category mentioned. Both Dulther and Sigby
pleaded with him to remain.
"The police commissioner is coming," said Dulther, "and you're a friend
of