The Ghost Makers

Chapter XXI — The Spirit Appears

There was tenseness in the seance room at Rajah Brahman's. Behind the closed curtains of the spirit cabinet, a shade from the astral plane was seeking to regain earthly form. Not a person present disturbed the impressive silence.

"A woman in our midst," declared Rajah Brahman solemnly. "A woman who has lost a loved one. Soon she shall see again the face of the person whom she knew.

"The spirit is speaking. I can hear its voice. It says the name of Garwood — Maude Garwood. Will she answer?"

"I am here!" exclaimed Maude Garwood, in a breathless tone.

The curtains of the cabinet were open. A luminous spot was showing, several feet above the floor of the cabinet. The spot enlarged. It became a moving face. Slowly, the complete head and neck appeared. The face was turned toward Maude Garwood.

"The spirit shall speak!" declared Rajah Brahman impressively.

A terrific scream came from Maude Garwood. The woman collapsed and fell to the floor. Rajah Brahman sat startled on his throne. The spirit was speaking— and its words were plain.

"I am the spirit of Dick Terry," came the voice. "Not long ago I was here with you — on the earthly plane. Now I have gone to the other world. I was murdered — murdered and there is the man who decreed my death!"

A hand appeared beside the floating face. Its long, shining finger pointed directly toward the enthroned mystic!

Gasps and cries sounded about the circle. All had seen Dick Terry alive. They recognized his features now. To Rajah Brahman, the thing was incredible!

Had Tony double-crossed him? No — that could not be possible! This looked like Dick Terry — it must be Dick Terry!

Yet Dick Terry was dead. His slayer, Barney Gleason, was here to-night. Martin Slade had been sure that Dick Terry was dead!

A sudden fear swept over the astonished faker. Reaching beneath his cobra robe, he drew a short, stub-nosed revolver. He paused, remembering the mistake of Professor Jacques. He had stopped just in time. To test this accusing form with a bullet could do no good. This was The Shadow's doing! Was this The Shadow, playing the part of Dick Terry?

Gaining sudden decision, Rajah Brahman leaped from his throne and hurled himself across the room, away from that head that floated in the darkness. He reached the wall switch, and was about to press it. Suddenly he realized that this would end his well-laid plans of many months. He must face this issue — face it without revealing the fact that he was a faker and a rogue.

"Back! Back, evil spirit!" he ordered, advancing through the dark. "Back to the other plane! Depart, thou lying spirit—"

A peal of mocking laughter resounded through the seance room. Wild, taunting, and uncanny, the rollicking mirth seemed like a cry from the dim beyond. It threw an atmosphere of realism into this scene that surpassed imagination.

"Back— depart—"

Rajah Brahman's cries were pitiful as their quivering tones were drowned amid another tremendous burst of merriment that seemed to come from the walls and ceiling. Dying, shuddering echoes followed that laugh. Then, at the most terrifying moment, the lights came on.

Stepping from the cabinet was Dick Terry, his arms folded, his living, accusing eyes staring straight at Rajah Brahman. The mystic, backing away, began to draw his revolver from his robe. Then a solemn voice came from the side of the room, by the wall switch.

Rajah Brahman turned. All the members of the circle — some standing; others crouched upon the floor — stared in the direction of that voice.

Thomas Telford was standing at the wall. His face, no longer old, was gleaming with a sinister smile. His eyes were like living coals. In each hand he held an automatic.

"You have reached the end," he said coldly, to the bewildered seer. "Rajah Brahman, thief and murderer, is finished. You sought to deceive me as you have deceived others. Your companion in murder, Martin Slade, has paid for his crimes with his life.

"You are doomed, Bert Clutten" — the Hindu garbed seer winced at the name — "and your evil work is ended! You have known me as Thomas Telford. That is a false identity. Thomas Telford does not exist.

"Know me now! I am—"

Before the tall man could deliver the name that Rajah Brahman feared — the name of The Shadow — a hand was raised amid the cowering circle.

A revolver gleamed as a finger pressed against its trigger. But The Shadow — ever alert — had been waiting for the action. Flame burst from this right-hand automatic. The pistol shot resounded through the seance room.

Benjamin Castelle sprawled headlong on the floor, his revolver sliding and jouncing ahead of his finger-spread hand.

"Your companion in crime," announced The Shadow coldly. "The man you called your chief. Benjamin Castelle, the pretended skeptic. The promoter of your swindle schemes.

"He, too, is a murderer" — the voice paused, then corrected itself mockingly — "was a murderer!" The words were true. Benjamin Castelle lay dead. The Shadow's well-aimed bullet had found his evil heart.

Rajah Brahman backed away toward the end of the room, a cowering, helpless figure. But his evil brain was seeing its chance of escape. With the shot fired by The Shadow, the door at the corner had opened slightly, and Barney Gleason was peering into the seance room.

He could see the form of Dick Terry standing by the rajah's throne. He could see the dead body of Benjamin Castelle. He could see the sitters drawing away in fright to the farther corner of the room. He could not see the tall form of The Shadow, in the guise of Thomas Telford. But he did see Rajah Brahman cowering away from a menace, and he caught the hunted gleam in the mystic's eyes. Slowly, cautiously, the mob leader peered around the corner of the doorway. He was seeking to discover the form that he knew must be beside the wall. His automatic was dark and sullen. Did The Shadow know the danger that was coming?

The question was never answered, for Dick Terry acted at that moment. Gleason, intent upon his purpose, had ignored Dick, who was standing silent and alone.

Dick saw the muzzle of the automatic against the edge of the doorway. He quickly lifted his right arm and his short-barreled revolver responded to the trigger. A bullet crashed the wall an inch from Barney Gleason's hand.

It was the signal of battle!

Barney Gleason dropped back and aimed at the new enemy. Dick Terry made a quick dive for the shelter of the rajah's throne. Gleason, seeing him out of action, leaped into the seance room, the other gangster at his heels.

The gang leader's automatic was aimed toward The Shadow. Out of its mouth came barking, hasty shots, that Gleason hoped would end the formidable foe.

But The Shadow, close against the wall, was safe from those wild shots. His own automatic replied the moment that Barney Gleason leaped out from cover. The gang leader fell, a bullet through his stomach. Cursing, coughing, he still kept up his futile fire as he lay, half crawling, on the floor. The effort marred his aim. His bullets were wide of their mark.

With one automatic, The Shadow still covered Rajah Brahman at the end of the room. With the other, he calmly fired two quick shots that dropped the man who had followed Barney Gleason. The Shadow's bullets struck just as the man made a futile leap back toward the other room. Following The Shadow's shots came quick reports from behind the throne. Dick Terry had opened fire on the other mobsters, coming in from the reception room.

The Shadow fired one last shot that lowered Barney Gleason's weak arm; then he swirled toward the new menace. The gangsters were ducking back to safety. Dick had them covered. The Shadow's action gave Rajah Brahman his opportunity. Had he attempted to draw his revolver and fire, he would have been clipped by The Shadow. But he performed a different action that was a split second faster.

He leaped for the shelter of the huge metal Buddha at the end of the room. He reached it in safety. The Shadow's pursuing shot clipped the side of the huge image.

Here Rajah Brahman waited. He was safe! But he had not reckoned with his amazing foe. While Terry covered the doorway against reinforcements, The Shadow strode across the room, with both automatics covering the metal idol.

Rajah Brahman took the only course. He swung his revolver past the side of the Buddha, and fired as he raised his hand. His first bullet was a wild hope. The second seared The Shadow's sleeve. The third did not follow.

Crack!

The Shadow's automatic had answered with a bullet that took off the rajah's trigger finger. The revolver dropped to the floor.

The crooked medium was helpless behind the protecting Buddha!

At that instant, gunfire broke out in another part of the apartment. Cardona and his men had entered. They were encountering the gangsters in the reception room.

The Shadow, turning momentarily, spied a sight that no one else saw — for all eyes had turned in the new direction.

Coming through the floor of the spirit cabinet, revolver in hand, was Imam Singh. The servant had been bound by Dick Terry. He had escaped and had climbed the ladder to the trapdoor that led to the spirit cabinet.

The bottom of the cabinet was a foot above the floor, but it, too, opened, and its broad base obscured a view of the center spot beneath.

Incongruous in the character of Geoffrey Garwood, Imam Singh was nevertheless a figure of hatred as he raised his gun to fire at Dick Terry.

The Shadow ended this menace. He sprawled Imam Singh with a bullet in his shoulder, and as the false Hindu wavered, The Shadow leaped forward and flung him to the floor of the room. Joe Cardona came dashing in the door. He saw the tall form of Thomas Telford — whom he did not recognize as The Shadow — with the curtains of the cabinet closing about it. Before he could understand this, Cardona spied Rajah Brahman, grabbing up his revolver and leaping back for the safety of the Buddha. The detective opened a volley. His bullets were sure. Rajah Brahman fell dead.

Dick Terry was struggling with Imam Singh, trying to capture the man alive. But the man broke away, and snatched his gun from the floor. He aimed at Joe Cardona but the detective dropped him with a shot from close range.

The action of Imam Singh showed Cardona that Dick Terry was on the side of justice. The young man dropped his gun when he saw that the detective was safe.

Joe Cardona, seeing no other foes, snatched away the curtains of the spirit cabinet. The Shadow was gone! He had used Rajah Brahman's own trapdoor to effect his exit.