"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 301 - The Mother Goose Murders" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

The shoe parlor was the sort of basement establishment that Diane
expected
it to be. Joey also came up to specifications; he was busy at his task and
mumbled because his mouth was full of hob-nails. Diane was trying to smooth
her
hair and bending her head so the rain would drip from her hat; hence Joey
didn't
see her face. Besides, all that interested Joey was the receipt that Diane
showed him.
"Not ready yet," declaimed Joey. "I said tomorrow I deliver. Me, I'm
always prompt, I never kid a customer. Besides, I say I deliver and that means
I deliver. My boy Marcus, he'll be around tomorrow after school with those
shoes all fixed."
To prove his point, Joey not only gestured to the shoes but picked up the
stub that was with them. Before Diane could figure how to phrase the question
she wanted to ask, Joey answered it.
"Apartment Number Two, Letter D, the Cedarcroft," announced Joey,
referring to his scrawl on the stub. "I keep good check on all repair jobs and
satisfied customers will tell you same. New customers get good service too -
you see?"
The thump of the closing door and the jangle of the old-fashioned bell
above it were the only answers that Joey received. Diane was on her way,
hoping
to find the Cedarcroft within the next few blocks, which she did. The
apartment
house consisted of two old residences converted into apartments and as Diane
hoped, the front door wasn't locked.
Taking the walk-up to the second floor, Diane found Apartment 2-D at the
back of the building, its number showing under the mediocre glow of a light in
the hallway ceiling. Firmer than ever, Diane tightened her hand on the knob
and
slowly tried it, only to find that the door was locked.
There was a transom above, but no light showing from it. The wild notion
of wriggling through that transom crossed Diane's mind, but didn't make a
dent.
She'd been silly enough in the taxicab today, in an involuntary way. No use of
getting into trouble purposely. Visions of being stuck half way through the
transom were something Diane didn't like.
Still, it seemed foolish to have come here all for nothing. On that
thought Diane decided that maybe the downstairs vestibule would hold the
answer. She hadn't looked for the name plates when she hurried through the
door; now it would be a good idea to go down and study them. But as Diane
turned reluctantly toward the stairs, she threw back a glance at the door of
Apartment 2-D and what she saw there halted her.
A bit of white was projecting from under the door and it looked like the
corner of an envelope. Diane pounced for the object, drew it her way and found
that it actually was an envelope. In fact it was a letter that the obliging
janitor must have put under the door as part of the Cedarcroft service and it
gave Diane her first good clue as to the masked man's identity.