The Chinese Tapestry

CHAPTER VI. STABS IN THE DARK

DAVID KELROY had acted promptly in making his departure from Ku Luan’s house; but his hurry had ended the moment that he had stepped from the rear door.

He had found the little passage mentioned by Tsing Chan. Picking his way through the dark, the young man had reached the last one on the right.

Trying the brass keys, he had unlocked the door. He had entered a musty building. With the aid of a match, he found a light switch. He had locked the door behind him, then gone on through an open door to find a smaller chamber which proved to be the storeroom.

Another light switch had produced a glow that showed a huge assortment of crates and boxes. Wedged in a corner was the iron chest of which Ku Luan had spoken.

In Kelroy’s opinion, the chest was the equivalent of a modern safe, for it stood more than six feet high and its blocky shape gave it a similar width and depth. The door, moreover, was massive. Trying the keys, Kelroy found one that fitted the lock.

Opening the big door, Kelroy stared at a varied assortment of unusual objects. The great chest was filled with curios: vases, gongs, small Buddhas, and even bells that could have come from some Pagan temple.

Huge swords were stacked in one corner; other antique weapons were in view.

These, however, were not the items that interested the visitor. Kelroy was most concerned with a stack of boxes, all of teakwood, that were topped by a fragile vase.

Carefully, Kelroy removed the one breakable object, then lifted off a pile of boxes. The first had a plain top; the second was marked with a brass dragon. This was not the one that Kelroy wanted. Ku Luan had spoken of a box ornamented with a silver dragon.

The third box was plain. Kelroy was about to lift it from the stack when he imagined that he heard a sound from behind him. For a moment, he was on the point of turning; then he decided differently.

He knew that his nerves were keyed; he was sure, however, that he might have actually heard something.

He saw need for real caution, for he remembered another of Ku Luan’s injunctions. The dying Chinaman had told him to come here alone.

If some other visitor were present, that man did not belong here. It would be best to challenge the interloper; and to do that, Kelroy decided to make the intruder show his hand.

Deliberately, Kelroy shifted his body to cover the open from of the iron chest. Stooping, he fumbled with the boxes, keeping them well hidden.

Slight creaks came from the floor. Kelroy could sense footsteps creeping forward. The intruder was gobbling the bait. He was approaching, Kelroy was sure, to gain a closer watching post.

The footsteps were coming from the door. Obviously, the intruder was hoping to hide between a pair of crates, closer to the iron chest.

It was time for action! With a quick swing, Kelroy came to his feet, turning directly toward the spot where he was sure the intruder must be. Hands clenched, teeth close-set, Kelroy stared squarely toward a man who had crept half way across the room. The fellow was Wong Soy.

SURPRISED in an act of treachery, the black-bloused servant had made no effort to conceal his evil nature.

No longer impassive. Wong Soy had gained the look of a fiend. His ugliness was more apparent than it had been, back in the hall, when he had first expressed the eagerness that Kelroy had failed to observe.

Wong Soy’s lips were spread in voiceless snarl. His hands were clawlike, doubled against the front of his black jacket.

To another than David Kelroy, Wong Soy would have been a fearful sight. Kelroy, however, had spent all his life in the Orient. He was used to the ways of Chinese; he knew that those of the lower classes had a tendency to quail when challenged. Because of that, he showed no hesitation. Instead, he stepped directly toward Wong Soy. The Chinaman crouched.

“Why are you here?” demanded Kelroy. “Get back where you belong, Wong Soy. Back into the house. Report to Tsing Chan. Tell him I have sent you there; and explain to him why I sent you.”

The words had no effect upon Wong Soy.

Striding forward, Kelroy shot one hand toward the Chinaman’s shoulder. It was then that Wong Soy acted. Bouncing upward, he ripped forth a knife and hurled himself in a wild, quick thrust. His stabbing blade sped straight for the body of the American.

Again, Kelroy’s past experience saved him. He had been ready for this move. His own hand, jabbing leftward, deflected Wong Soy’s wrist. With a quick spring, Kelroy landed on the Chinaman and sent his attacker skidding halfway across the room.

Wong Soy still gripped the knife. Kelroy made a dive for the doorway and clicked out the light. He sprang into the outer room, looking quickly for some object that might serve as a weapon.

Wong Soy’s voice came in a babbling call. It was that cry that made Kelroy swing toward the outer door. The barrier was open; Wong Soy was shouting for aid from outside helpers. Hesitating no longer, Kelroy plunged through the outer room, in an attempt to gain the passage.

Men rose to meet him. Hard-faced thugs, with ready revolvers. A pair of them loomed into the light, pounding down upon their prey, with upraised guns. Behind them came another group, a trio of would-be murderers.

Wildly, Kelroy grappled with the first attacker, trying to stop the man’s swinging arm, hoping to use the thug’s body as a momentary bulwark against the other hoodlums.

BRIEF moments, only, would have remained for David Kelroy had he continued to fight alone. But in that time of needed rescue came aid that was unexpected.

Guns roared from the rear door of Ku Luan’s storeroom. Zipping bullets ricocheted from stone walls.

Howls arose as fierce-faced thugs went sprawling. With leveled revolvers, the invaders turned to fire in the direction of those gun bursts. The second of the two leading thugs went springing out to aid his companions, leaving Kelroy with one man alone.

As crooks fired along the passage, a mocking laugh pealed forth above the roar of guns. With it came stabbing tongues of withering flame, the jabs of heavy automatics, gripped by an unseen foe.

The Shadow had come from the rear of Ku Luan’s house. He had arrived in time to spy the mass attack by the aids whom Wong Soy had summoned.

These were the lurkers of whom Harry Vincent had spoken. Unlocated by The Shadow’s agents, this band of crooks had taken their post in the alleyway behind Ku Luan’s.

They were Zack Ruggey’s crew, and those who had come through the passage were but the vanguard.

A harsh command from the leader of that outside band. Zack Ruggey’s voice, calling for a mass attack.

Fuming crooks rose up to make a forward surge. They were stopped by a new attack, from the end of the alley itself.

Harry Vincent and Miles Crofton had found the men they wanted. The Shadow’s agents were entering the fray with a swift flank attack.

Thugs scattered as Zack howled his command to dive for cover. Wounded hoodlums were staggering from the passage. The very intensity of The Shadow’s fire created the illusion that men were with him.

Harry and Miles, spurred by the emergency, had begun an attack that indicated more than two men on the flank.

Zack then shouted a command to spread and dive for shelter. The Shadow’s agents hearing him deliver that order, took advantage of it by giving bold pursuit.

MEANWHILE another man had been putting up a good fight. David Kelroy, harassed by a lone thug, was struggling desperately within the doorway of Ku Luan’s storehouse.

Kelroy was long-limbed and wiry. He had gained a grip upon his opponent’s gun arm. The two were locked in a hard grapple, equally matched as they staggered back and forth across the lighted outer room.

The Shadow’s fight had been a swift one. His rapid fire had cleared the passage to the alley. As he struggled with the one opposing thug, Kelroy realized that the cessation of the shooting must mean that the way was open.

With a mad effort, the young man from Shanghai twisted toward the door, hoping to wrench away and take to flight.

Kelroy lost his grip upon the thug’s wrist. The rowdy’s gun hand descended. The revolver cracked against Kelroy’s warding forearm; the barrel of the weapon glanced sidewise and thudded against Kelroy’s head.

With a gasp, Kelroy staggered. Continuing his twist, he completed a long forward sprawl and plunged headlong through the door, rolling clear across the outside passage.

With a snarl, the thug aimed his revolver, intent to slay Kelroy before the young man could regain his feet.

The light from the room showed Kelroy coming up on his hands and knees. Then a sudden surge of blackness eliminated the crook’s view of his intended victim.

The would-be murderer spat an oath as he saw the mass of blackness take shape. A cloaked figure was driving in upon him; an automatic was looming from a gloved fist. The Shadow had arrived from the passage, just in time to prevent the death of David Kelroy.

Dropping back, the snarling crook aimed for this unexpected foe. Completely startled, the thug was an open target, but The Shadow could not take advantage of that opportunity.

Usually, The Shadow reserved bullets for an aftermath such as this. Tonight, the necessity of an immediate rescue had caused him to empty every cartridge in his guns.

The Shadow’s only course was to overwhelm his opponent with one swift drive. Whirling forward, he accomplished his purpose with speed and precision.

The Shadow’s right hand was driving downward with its automatic; his left fist made a quick pluck for the thug’s right wrist.

The crook fired, an instant too late. His gun hand was already in The Shadow’s grip. The flame from the revolver singed The Shadow’s hat brim for the crook’s hand went wide and high.

As the bullet whined uselessly from the revolver’s muzzle, The Shadow’s .45 cracked the would-be killer’s head. Half stunned, the crook plunged forward, seizing The Shadow’s body as he fell. Together, they rolled upon the floor.

Kelroy, on his feet in the passage, saw the finish of that struggle. He spied The Shadow rising; then, beyond, he saw another combatant coming into the fray.

It was Wong Soy, bounding from the inner room, the knife blade gleaming in his clawish yellow fist. The Chinaman was almost upon the stooped form of The Shadow.

A REVOLVER glittered from a gloved hand. Kelroy saw the flash as a finger pressed the trigger. The stab of flame went straight for Wong Soy’s heart, delivered from a four-foot range. The Shadow had whipped up the stunned thug’s gun to stop the Chinaman’s attack.

Wong Soy’s plunge did not end. Instead, his springing form landed squarely upon The Shadow, rolling the cloaked fighter to the floor. But Wong Soy’s blade found no human mark.

Kelroy saw the knife slip from a loosening claw and rattle harmlessly upon the floor. Kelroy knew the reason. The Shadow’s shot had finished the murderous Chinaman.

A wild impulse seized Kelroy as he saw The Shadow rolling free of Wong Soy’s dead body. Who was this rescuer in black? Was he a friend, or another foe? The fact that he had beaten back a horde of assassins proved nothing.

Half groggy from the blow upon his head, Kelroy could fancy nothing except danger. In a dazed fashion, he realized that he had been the object of attack. The wild thought struck him that this cloaked battler might represent a rival faction, as dangerous as the crew that had responded to Wong Soy’s cry.

The alley was clear beyond the passage. Flight was the hope that gripped Kelroy. Before The Shadow had time to rise, the young man made a dash.

He reached the alleyway and ran, stumbling, toward a lighted street beyond. He had chosen the course opposite to the one that Zack Ruggey and the scattered crooks had taken.

BACK at the doorway of the storeroom, The Shadow stood viewing the passage. He saw that Kelroy had left; he knew the direction that the rescued man must have taken. But before The Shadow could follow, a strong flashlight gleamed from the back door of Ku Luan’s. The Shadow dropped back from the doorway. As he waited, he heard the wail of a siren from the alley.

Tsing Chan was arriving from one direction; the police from the other. The Shadow swung swiftly toward the darkened storeroom. Entering, he found a space between two large crates. He squeezed between and wedged into an area behind the larger box.

Footsteps pounded from the passage. The babbly voice of Tsing Chan was audible amid the growls of policemen. The arrivals came through the outer room and turned on the light of the storeroom. Tsing Chan uttered a high-pitched cry as he pointed to the open iron chest.

Ten minutes of explanations followed. A plain-clothes man conducted the inquiry. The Shadow saw Doctor Doi Yan; the Chinese physician was addressing the official as Inspector Romson.

Uniformed officers were coming in with their reports. The first confusion gradually developed into an orderly conference. Inspector Romson, heavy-jawed and shrewd of eye, began to nod his agreement.

“That explains it,” The Shadow heard the inspector say. “We know who these fellows are. They’ve been working with Zack Ruggey. Like as not he’s mixed up in it. Just the kind of a tribe that would stage a job of this sort. They’ve been seen around Chinatown lately. They must have had this place spotted.

“Too bad about this fellow you call Wong Soy. He must have heard them breaking in; and came to see what was the matter. He got his, poor fellow. Well, the one break is that there must have been some feud among the guys in the outfit. They took this chance to work it out.

“Sorry to hear that old Ku Luan died tonight. We all liked him on the force, from what little we saw of him. Always minded his own business. That was the way Ku Luan was.”

“You are right, inspector,” assured Doi Yan in a sincere tone, “and this man Tsing Chan was Ku Luan’s faithful steward. I can assure you that he is honest—”

“I know you, doctor,” interposed the inspector. “Your word is good enough for me. You say that Tsing Chan here is honest; Tsing Chan tells me that Wong Soy was the same. The whole case fits. We’ll put a guard on here until tomorrow.”

THE inspector followed the two Chinamen from the storeroom. Tsing Chan had locked the iron chest; he was assuring Romson that nothing had been stolen. Lights blinked out; The Shadow moved from his hiding place.

Inspector Romson had left the outer door unlocked, intending to send in policemen from the alley. Tsing Chan and Doi Yan had gone back into the house. The Shadow took that direction.

Entering the ground floor hall, The Shadow reached the stairs. He heard voices from above; Doctor Doi Yan had gone up with Tsing Chan. The front door was still unbolted. The Shadow opened it and moved out into the darkness.

The front street was deserted. Its gloom afforded a sure route from this area. The Shadow took an uphill course, away from the lights that shone along the street below.

Crooks had scattered to safety. The Shadow’s agents, pursuing, had completed their task and were under cover. The police had found hoodlums, dead and wounded.

The latter, perhaps, would talk, but could probably tell the police no more than they already knew; namely, that a mobleader named Zack Ruggey had brought them in on this job.

Those points were incidental. Paramount was the fact that an unknown stranger had come to Ku Luan’s and had been marked for death. That man had been rescued by The Shadow; and had fled to temporary safety.

Tsing Chan had lied about the stranger’s visit. Wong Soy, in turn, had allied himself with those who had sought the stranger’s life.

Tsing Chan, explaining matters to the law, had deliberately covered up Wong Soy’s part of treachery.

Doctor Doi Yan, trusting Tsing Chan, had unwittingly aided the steward’s game.

The Shadow’s task was to learn the identity of that rescued man whose face he had glimpsed. Though he did not know David Kelroy’s name, The Shadow intended to find him. That could be accomplished through Tsing Chan. Not by questioning the Chinese steward, for it was best that Tsing Chan should believe himself clear of suspicion. The Shadow’s plan was more subtle.

The Shadow would watch Tsing Chan. The steward, thinking himself secure, would reveal his hand.

When that time came, The Shadow would meet the man he wanted: David Kelroy.