"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 260 - The Money Master" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

"Cardona wants you to bring the dough down to headquarters," Bert told Emmart. "I guess he thought it
was a gag when I told him how we'd picked up a million bucks."

"You mean he didn't believe you?"

"He's ready to believe me, if he sees the dough," replied Bert. "He didn't exactly doubt my story. He said
the cash would be safer there than here."

Emmart gave a doubtful look from the window.

"What about those fellows across the street?"

"They'll keep," assured Bert. He picked up Emmart's notebook and thumbed it. "By the way, Gregg,
you'd better take the tin box, too. Here, I'll put the notebook in the box."

The box was on the bench beside Bert. As he slid the notebook into it, he retained one page. Weakened
punch holes gave and the sheet stayed in Bert's hand. Emmart didn't notice the brief operation beneath
the table edge. Bert let the free page drop and handed over the cash box.

"It's kind of risky," began Emmart, "going down to headquarters all by myself with a pile of dough like
this."

Emmart was raising the suitcase a bit shakily, but Bert reassured him with a grin. Rising with Emmart,
Bert clapped him on the shoulder and remarked:

"Cardona said to hop a cab. You'll be there in no time. Don't worry about the fare. You have plenty to
cover it."

With that bit of banter, Bert started Emmart on his way. As soon as the headquarters man had started,
Bert stepped to the bar, roused the drowsy bartender, who doubled as waiter, and ordered another
beer.

MIDWAY between the Apex Discount Office and police headquarters, some huddled men were
sneaking in through an alleyway to the back room of an underworld dive. They weren't the first who had
followed that route, but man for man they had been spotted by two watchers beyond the entrance of the
alley.

Those watchers were two of The Shadow's most capable secret agents: Cliff Marsland and Hawkeye.
As a team, they were expert at scouring the badlands, and they had played a mutual hunch the moment
they received word from Burbank telling them to check on any crooks who were on the loose.
"We hit a bull's-eye this shot," confided Cliff. "That mob sticking around Perky's back room weren't there
for a crap game."

"I figured Wip Jandle would travel with that bunch," stated Hawkeye, "even though I never saw him
around. They were the cover-up crew tonight, all right. But who did they work for?"

"I'd say Shep Ficklin," declared Cliff. "You know the mobs, Hawkeye, and I cover the big-shots. I've a
hunch that Shep is moving in again, and when one guess clicks, another is likely to do the same."