"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 304 - Alibi Trail" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

taken a lot of punishment if somebody hadn't loosened the melee with the
shout:
"That camera guy! Stop him!"
Racing off somewhere in the fog, the photographer reached a car and
Jerry,
being dragged along in the pursuit, heard the fellow working on the starter.
Then, amid the sudden blaze of flashlights, the local police found him, seized
him, and hauled him from the front seat, camera and all. When he relinquished
the camera, they pounced for it, each cop anxious to claim the prize. They
didn't worry about the photographer any further and he made a quick leap back
to his car where he'd just started the motor when they grabbed him. The car
went scooting madly out through an open gate in a direction opposite that
taken
by the limousine.
Jerry's case was somewhat different. The constabulary marched him over to
the hangar where they were rather surprised when they ushered him into the
light. He wasn't the King Kong they expected; in fact, Jerry was rather
handsome, discounting a few scars and a growing black eye, all acquired in the
recent fray. He was handsome in a rugged way, with straight profile and broad
chin, but that was logical enough, considering the way he'd battled.
Before anybody could start asking questions, a big police lieutenant
shoved into the hangar and scowled when he saw what was going on. One of the
officers handed him the camera; holding the scowl, the lieutenant finally
brightened and gave the camera to Jerry, putting a question that sounded
somewhat like a statement:
"Yours?"
In answer, Jerry shook his head and this time the lieutenant really
scowled as he looked at the silent cops.
"Who does this belong to?" he demanded. "What did you grab it for?"
The officers began to explain matters, which only made it worse.
"We were here to keep the field clear," roared the lieutenant. "To keep
back a crowd if there was one. Of course we were supposed to protect the dame
if she needed it, but you should have stopped that camera man before he got to
the plane. Since he shot a picture he had a right to it and to his camera,
too."
One of the cops thought he'd better square things by putting a burden on
Jerry.
"It was this guy mixed us up, lieutenant," declared the accuser. "We
thought he was going to grab the girl. It looked like maybe he was out to
stage
a snatch."
The lieutenant glowered at Jerry, came over, whirled him around, gave him
a thorough frisk.
"No gun on him," the lieutenant decided. Then, to Jerry: "What you got to
say for yourself?"
"Don't blame the officers, lieutenant," returned Jerry, rather blandly.
"I
imagine I was somewhat intensive."
"Yeah? And why?"
"On account of my friend," replied Jerry, thinking fast. "I was supposed