"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 336 - Blackmail Bay" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

Margo learned, Round Island had a private phone in every cottage and boat
house. That proved that it would be easy for Cranston to contact Judge Kroft.
After passing Hiram's Cove, Hobbs stopped at Kroft's to let Margo off and
again, he and Blake obligingly carried her bags for her. They left while Kroft
was greeting Margo, but hardly had the old car jounced away before the judge
snapped his fingers in annoyance.
"I wanted you to go down to the landing with them!" he exclaimed. Then,
shaking his head, he added: "But, no! It's not far, so it's better you should
walk down there a little later. I'll show you why."
Conducting Margo into the little library, he picked up a square of paper
on which he had inked the following words:

EAGER
GRADER
VERY IDLE
TURNER
PASTE
KATE
 CRUEL

Studying the column, Margo remarked: "It looks like some sort of a
puzzle."
"Exactly," agreed the judge, "But it is also a unique code, consisting
entirely of anagrams. Rearrange the letters line by line and it will read like
this." On a pad, he wrote:

AGREE REGARD DELIVERY.
RETURN TAPES. TAKE LUCRE.

"The anonymous caller instructed me to concoct such a message," the judge
continued. "This is the last day for a reply; otherwise, new negotiations will
be necessary. Today, I heard from a friend of Commissioner Weston who
suggested
I go through with it."
Knowing that the friend was Cranston, Margo remarked that the judge
seemed
to be handling the situation neatly.
"Rather so," he nodded, "though I had trouble finding an anagram for
'money' so I had to use 'lucre' instead. I hope whoever reads it will know
that
'cruel' means that I will pay fifty thousand dollars for delivery of the
tapes."
"You really mean to pay it?"
"That, we shall see." Judge Kroft tightened his already taut lips. "But
you must get this message to its appointed destination around noon. That is
why
I had Hobbs bring you here early."
"But - but where - I mean how can I manage it?"
"Very simply." The judge crackled a mild laugh. "It is only a short walk
to the general store. Just see that it is posted on the bulletin board where