The Shadow - The Shadow's Justice Part 12

THE two listened tensely. Whatever sound Harry had heard was ended now. But Harry's suspicion was not groundless. Some one had actually tried the door of the room, and had inadvertently made a noise.

The same man was trying the door of Carter Boswick's room at present-this time with success.

While Harry and Carter were at the door of the one room, the door of the other opened softly, and Stacks Lodi entered. Stationed across the hall from Harry's room, he had seen, through his own transom, the sudden gleam of light from Harry's.

In Carter Boswick's room, Stacks Lodi spied an object lying on the table. It was The Shadow's chart.

The man stepped softly forward and reached to take it; then paused and studied the map. His eyes saw the dotted line running from the cabin to the spot on the hillside.

Stacks Lodi grinned. Hearing a sound from the adjoining room, he hastened softly to the hall. The door closed behind him just as Harry and Carter entered.

"Guess there's no one there." observed Carter. "You say the marks will lead us from the trees-"

"Sh-h!" warned Harry.

He closed the transom over Carter's door. He picked up the chart and folded it."We will start this afternoon," explained Harry. "We can reach the place at dusk. There will be enough light to guide us; but the darkness will enable us to work unseen."

After a final study of the chart, in which Carter, as well as Harry, memorized the details, Harry tore up the paper and burned it with a match flame. He crumpled the ashes in a little tray, and threw them from the window.

"We've got all day to wait," mused Carter. "Just the same, it's best. We might as well drive out at noon, Harry, and circle around until we get where we're going. You can't tell-some one may be spying on us here."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. The noise that he had fancied at his door might mean the presence of a hidden foe. He resolved that it would be wise to head south in the coupe, and then turn back; but he decided that it would not be necessary to leave as early as noon.

THE morning developed drearily, and Harry and Carter lounged about in the hotel. They could sense no menace, and they were mentally at ease.

They had no suspicion that this very hotel was harboring a dangerous villain from the enemy's camp. They did not know that Stacks Lodi had already called Hub Rowley at the Michigan road house, to give the big shot an inkling of their plans.

Hence, at two o'clock in the afternoon, when the two companions took to Harry's coupe they had no knowledge that they were being watched by shrewd eyes that stared from an upstairs window of a hotel room. Stacks Lodi, an evil chuckle on his lips, saw the coupe start along the road that led southward into Wisconsin.

"Trying to fool any one that's watching, eh?" thought Stacks. "Well, they've missed their guess this time!"

Fifteen minutes later, the ex-gambler who served as Hub Rowley's underling was driving away in his own car, heading toward the border of Michigan.

Meanwhile, Harry and Carter continued their routine ruse, which they had adopted merely as a precaution. They changed their course, drove back into Michigan, and found a roundabout way that led them to the hilly dirt road.

It was late afternoon when they parked the coupe at its former spot. They went to the rocky eminence, and viewed the land below. Harry pointed out a course that missed the cabin by several hundred yards.

"That's our layout," he declared. "It's getting gloomy now, Carter. What do you say we start?"

"Approved," responded Carter.

Five minutes later, the two men were pushing their way through the darkening forest. Away from all clearings, they had nothing to fear. Both felt elated, sure that their progress would be uninterrupted.

A half hour of tramping brought them to the hillside. Harry's first object was to locate the shack that had been marked on The Shadow's chart. It was nearly dark when they found the place.

"Pretty well hidden, isn't it?" questioned Harry, peering into the door of the empty building.

"Yes." agreed Carter. "Too bad we didn't have a day to look around up here. This would have been a better place to stay than the cabin."Yes," admitted Harry, "it would have been-if we had been on our own. But with The Shadow watching-well, we have considerably less enemies to deal with now if we encounter them!"

From the shack, they found the cl.u.s.ter of trees. On the base of one, Harry, with the aid of a flashlight, found a round mark, evidently of recent cut. The trail led to the right. Blackened spots upon the rock conducted them farther.

"We're getting there now." remarked Harry.

Carter Boswick smiled. He felt that he was nearing the end of his quest. He knew that Harry Vincent shared his enthusiasm. Neither man thought of any danger that might lie ahead. Even less, did they consider a menace from behind.

They did not know that Stacks Lodi, too, had found The Shadow's chart. Little did they realize that a crew of desperate foemen was approaching near at hand, and that soon their trails would meet!

CHAPTER XIX. MEN OF CRIME.

DOWN in the woods beyond the mining-cabin clearing, a crew of evil ruffians was lurking in readiness.

Grim faces were hidden in the gloom as Stacks Lodi, at Hub Rowley's request, explained the situation that lay ahead.

"We don't have to go across the clearing" declared Stacks, in a cautious tone. "We can slide around it, and I'll pick up the trail on the other side. There's a shack up the hill, and when we get to it, I can find the trees we want.

"I got that map straight, Hub. It was nice and plain-all fixed easy to remember. There's a place that was marked 'cave' just beyond the trees. Maybe it would be tough to find; but I heard this b.o.o.b Boswick say something about marks that would lead them to the entrance. If they can find them-so can we."

As Stacks Lodi paused, Hub Rowley held a m.u.f.fled conference with a man who stood beside him.

Stacks had not seen Hub's companion. It had been Lodi's duty to bring a squad of new gangsters in one touring car. Hub had come with two other men in his coupe.

Stacks had inferred that reinforcements had been brought from Chicago. All told, there were nearly fifteen men here tonight. It was as large a crew as on the previous incursion; but then, the fight had been in the open. Tonight, it would be a question of trapping unsuspecting victims at close quarters.

"All right," growled Hub. "You lead the way, Stacks. Keep together, gang. There was a snooper in with us the other night. Nothing like that's going to happen again. I'll give the orders as we go along."

The men moved quietly among the trees. With the moonlit clearing as a guide, Stacks led the way around the fringe of woods. After the process of circ.u.mnavigation, he stopped as he neared the sloping hillside.

Turning away from the clearing, Stacks led the way upward.

It was quite dark under the trees, and Stacks was forced to conduct the crowd by a zigzag course in order to make sure of finding the cabin. The contour of the hill was helpful. Stacks knew that he was keeping close to the dotted line that had showed upon The Shadow's chart.

TO-NIGHT'S plans bad been made immediately after Stacks had reached Hub Rowley at the road house. The big shot had decided to wait long enough for Carter Boswick and Harry Vincent to reach their destination. Furthermore, he had found it necessary to attend to important details before setting forth.At present, Stacks Lodi had only one apprehension-namely, that he might fail to discover the end of the trail as quickly as Hub Rowley had expected.

Stacks worried as he trudged along until the glare of his flashlight suddenly revealed the side of the old cabin. At Hub's growled bidding, a pair of gangsters leaped forward and entered the building. They reported that it was deserted.

Changing his direction, Stacks Lodi soon located the clump of trees. Here, running his flashlight low, he discovered the same mark that Harry Vincent had found. It was the beginning of The Shadow's guiding trail.

Stacks pointed out the mark to Hub Rowley. He found other marks farther on. Soon the entire band was following the circuitous course over the rocks.

Clambering down the corkscrew twists, they neared that strange spot which The Shadow had seen from the air-where The Shadow had come and left, only to have his presence noted by a man in the darkness, whom, in turn, The Shadow had tracked.

First The Shadow had found this place. Then a second man. After that, Harry Vincent and Carter Boswick. Now, as a final touch, Hub Rowley, accompanied by strangers whom Stacks Lodi had not seen in the light, was here with his evil crew!

There was no indication that any one had pa.s.sed this way within the last half hour. Hub Rowley growled for silence.

"We've given those bozos time to get here," declared the big shot, as he viewed the crack between the rocks, which Stacks Lodi's flashlight showed. "Maybe they're here-maybe they aren't. So we'll find out-and be ready for them either way.

"When we get inside, I want two men to stay at the first good spot to lay. If our birds come in, close on them and give them the works. Meanwhile, the rest of us will go ahead-and if those bozos are already in, we'll have them trapped like rats."

Having finished these instructions, Hub turned to the man beside him and asked a question. After the response, Hub ordered Stacks to extinguish the flashlight. The mobsters, spread out among the rocks, waited in silence and darkness while Hub Rowley conferred with his companion.

It was evident that the big shot respected this man's advice. Stacks Lodi remembered the talk of another person involved in Hub's scheme of crime.

Stacks grinned to himself as he realized that much must be at stake tonight. He realized that only he and Twister Edmonds had possessed a considerable insight of the work that was brewing.

As favored underlings, Stacks had figured that he and Twister would come in for a good share of the proceeds from this enterprise. Twister was dead, slain in the battle at the cabin. Stacks Lodi had no regrets. Twister's death made him the only favored henchman.

Stacks could figure a very definite reason for the present delay. Now that they had reached the entrance to the cavern, there was no need for haste.

If the men whom they sought had already entered, they were trapped for now. If they had not arrived, they would reveal themselves when they came, because of the difficult corkscrew path that they would have to follow.At last the break arrived. Hub Rowley had finished his conference with his companion. Stacks noted that the second of Hub's unknown friends was silent, merely serving as a henchman to the mystery man whose advice had been sought by the big shot.

Two had come with Hub; five with Stacks. That made a total of nine men altogether-a powerful squad to deal with two victims. Yet Stacks Lodi could not repress a momentary shudder. Here, in the dark, his mind was reverting to The Shadow.

In Havana-aboard the Southern Star-at the Junction House-by the cabin in the clearing. Each time, a mysterious being had come from nothingness to break down the plans of those who had sought Carter Boswick's life.

Would such intervention occur again tonight? Stacks hoped not. He felt that he could rely on Hub Rowley to deal with The Shadow, should the menace appear.

Then came the command for action. Hub Rowley's growl ordered Stacks to enter the break between the rocks; and to save his flashlight until he had moved well in from the opening. Stacks responded without delay.

Probing his way, he moved into the crevice. After twenty feet, he turned on his torch. The light revealed a twisting, natural course through broken rock.

Stacks Lodi was leading the murderous squad along the path that Harry Vincent and Carter Boswick had so recently taken. The trap was closing. Men of crime were here to deliver death!

CHAPTER XX. THE HIDDEN MINE.

WHILE Stacks Lodi was conducting Hub Rowley and the mobsters along the wooded hillside, Harry Vincent and Carter Boswick had been making progress through the strange cavern which they had entered. A narrow, winding course through broken, rocky walls had led them on a tortuous descent of more than a hundred yards.

Progress had been slow. The roughness of the pa.s.sage had delayed them; moreover, The Shadow's instructions had named nothing beyond the entrance. Therefore, both were alert, watching for any sign that might indicate the purpose of this odd corridor beneath the hill.

Harry's flashlight suddenly revealed an opening ahead. The beams glittered against the rocky wall of a man-hewn pa.s.sage into which this natural channel entered. They stopped to find themselves coming into the side of a sloping mine shaft that ran at right angles to the course which they had followed to this point.

Side by side, the two men paused. Harry let his flashlight swing back and forth. The shaft which they had encountered was nearly eight feet in height, and almost the same in width. It sloped slightly downward to the left.

Harry's light glittered upon rusty rails that had been installed for the running of ore cars.

"Look what we've struck!" exclaimed Harry. "This shaft must be a couple of hundred yards in length!"

"No wonder they gave up the vertical shaft down by the cabin." a.s.serted Carter. "It must have been more or less of an experiment."

"Certainly," responded Harry. "This rocky hill was a better bet. They sure gave it a trial after they abandoned the pit in the clearing.""Looks like they may have been getting results," observed Carter. "See the sparkle on the wall over there? It's mineral ore, all right-"

"Nothing more than a promise," interposed Harry, with a shake of his head. "They were carving right into the center of the hill, looking for a worth-while strike. They probably failed to get the results they wanted.

Otherwise they wouldn't have abandoned this shaft."

"Say"-Carter Boswick's tone was puzzled-"where does this shaft begin? There wasn't any sign of it on the hill."

"We can find that out later," laughed Harry. "But it isn't any mystery to me, Carter. The excavators-or some who came here later -must have blocked the entrance, probably with a big lot of rocks and plenty of turf."

"Why?"

"One reason might be to keep the shaft for themselves. But I hardly think that is it. They still had the claim, I suppose. No, Carter, I can see a better reason-particularly for this shaft, with the natural entrance through which we have come."

"What is it?"

"Some one-in all probability your father-may have obtained possession of this old mine, and realized its possibilities as a hiding place for one who might choose to use it as such."

"You've hit it, Harry! With the entrance of the shaft blocked, no one could discover it unless they had some clew to this narrow side pa.s.sage which we have just used. Remember how I said I'd search every foot of land before I'd give up? We'd have found this place eventually."

"I think we would. But now that we're in the main alley, it would be a good idea to go on."

Carter Boswick chuckled. He was positive that the end of the quest was within immediate reach. This sloping shaft could not be of any great length. He was more eager than Harry. Without further delay, he pushed into the shaft and urged his companion on.

THE downward course was the natural way to go. Harry and Carter trudged along the narrow-gauge track, the beam of the flashlight showing the way ahead. They had not traveled more than fifty feet before the presence of a blocking wall became detectable ahead. Either the shaft ended there or turned, Harry remarked.

As the men approached more closely, they saw that the wall marked the division of the shaft into two separate corridors: one to the left, the other to the right. The tracks ended at that point.

"Hold up a minute, Carter," said Harry. "We've got to pick our way, from here on. Evidently these fellows tried to turn, hoping to strike a good supply of ore. When, their first effort failed, they went the other way."

They were at the end of the main shaft. The side corridors were like the bar on a letter T. Both ways were practically level; there appeared no choice.

Harry, in his deliberation, first turned the flash back up the main shaft. Its rays faded amid the long corridor. Then he illuminated the path to the left, to reveal a blocking wall about thirty feet distant.

Harry noted what appeared to be an opening in the floor of the side pa.s.sage, at the barring wall."Try the other direction," suggested Carter.

Harry responded.

The same situation revealed itself. Thirty feet of pa.s.sage; then a wall with glittering streaks. Beneath it, the edge of a gaping hole.

"When the turns didn't work, they must have excavated straight down," remarked Harry. "This mine must have been a heartbreaker. No wonder the others called it quits."

"Come on," urged Carter eagerly. "We're not calling quits. I'll bet there's something in this place besides galena or whatever that glittering stuff is. Strike out to the left, Harry."

They made their way along the pa.s.sage which Carter had indicated. Here, the floor was rough, in contrast to the finished surface along which the track had been laid.

The investigators stopped when they came to the hole. Harry's conjecture proved correct. It was a vertical shaft, round and jagged, some thirty feet in depth.