"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 268 - Murder Lake" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

district attorney acted as though he had rehearsed it by adding a new point to his argument.
"You left town right after Morgan disappeared," reminded the D.A. "And it was just about the time when
the jewelry store was cracked. The fellows who did that job are all in jail, with one exception -"

"I wasn't in on it!" broke in Shep. "Anybody who says I was is a liar!"

"When three men testify to the same fact -"

"Them three?" yelled Shep. "They would, the rats! I told them the job was nix. Maybe they think I
squealed."

"So!" The district attorney folded his arms. "You admit yourself an accessory?"

Shep broke. He wasn't admitting complicity in either case: Morgan's disappearance or the jewelry-store
robbery. But he'd tell whatever might have a bearing on either - if the D.A. would treat him right. To
prove that Shep would be treated right, the district attorney turned off the glaring light and said:

"Go on. The Morgan case first."

Shep licked away the sweat that had trickled down across his lips. Blinking at faces that he could
scarcely see, he proceeded.

"It was this way," informed Shep. "Me and a couple of guys get a call over at the poolroom. It was just
another haul job. I thought we'd be trucking beer to some of them local-option towns. What we find out
in back of the department store is a big long box that looked like a couch belonged in it. On the thing is
some typewriting that says to stow it in the back of Echo Cave. We don't know nothin' about Morgan at
the time. We think some floorwalker swiped some goods and wants it stashed."

Shep halted suddenly, dropping back in his chair, his hands thrown up in self-defense. Looming in upon
him was the bulky form of Hubert Endorf, whose blunt face showed fury.

"You killed Morgan!" stormed Endorf. "You're trying to evade the facts!"

Two men hauled Endorf back before his hands could tighten around Shep's neck. As Shep went limp,
Endorf did the same. Meeting the sympathetic gaze of the district attorney, Endorf spoke apologetically.

"You know how my nerves are. Poor Morgan's disappearance has been worrying me horribly. If
Morgan's body is in that box, I want to identify it and see that Morgan has a proper burial."

The district attorney turned to Shep and demanded sharply:

"You say you put the box in the back of Echo Cave. How could you manage that? The back of that cave
has fallen in, rendering it unsafe for visitors - or haven't you heard?"

For the first time Shep showed something that resembled a smile.

"I'll say I heard!" he declared. "It was us blasted in the back after we stuck the box there. The note says
hide it, so we do!"

"How much did you get for the haul?"