The Ghost Makers

Chapter XXII — The Clean-Up

The clean-up of the Spook Ring was a natural consequence of the battle at Rajah Brahman's apartment. With Joe Cardona and his men in complete control, the dead bodies and the contents of the apartment were striking proofs of the strength that the evil organization had possessed. Dick Terry told a valuable story. He recounted his rescue from Barney Gleason's mob. He told how he had been advised to lay low; how Thomas Telford— whom Dick Terry did not name as The Shadow — had arranged the surprise at Rajah Brahman's.

Dick had received a key from Telford. It enabled him to get into the storeroom, where he had lain in wait for Imam Singh.

Telford, whose part had been so great, had simply chosen to disappear. Joe Cardona would have liked him for a witness, but well did he know that the man would never be located. For Joe Cardona realized that this mysterious man, whose identity proved to be nonexistent, was actually The Shadow. Working alone, he had completely deceived the crafty fakers.

Rajah Brahman was identified as Bert Clutten; Imam Singh as a young Italian named Tony Petruchi. The two had been working a spins graft for years.

Lining up with Benjamin Castelle, the organizer who had raised the racket to the million-dollar class, they had plied their crooked trade to the utmost.

Martin Slade's complete confession had told everything. A crafty murderer, Slade had arranged the deaths of various innocent persons. Rajah Brahman's bluebook and his filing cases gave hints of contemplated deaths that were now frustrated forever.

When Cardona had found the trapdoor to the floor below, and had realized the method of The Shadow's vanishing, he descended. He discovered the storeroom with its equipment. Articles of disguise— false and fraudulent devices — all sorts of paraphernalia that went with the crooked trade. What interested Cardona particularly was a chair which he recognized as the one that Professor Jacques had been tied in, that night at the Dalban. Now, when the detective examined the chair, he found that one arm rattled. Close inspection showed that the arms lifted off completely; but went back automatically. That trick chair marked Jacques as the slayer of Herbert Harvey. The medium, caught, confessed what had happened.

Harvey, a confederate who supplied him with information, had carried the luminous knife. Seeing trouble, Jacques had raised his arms in the dark and had obtained the knife from Harvey. The medium's legs still remained bound to the chair.

When Harvey struggled with the unknown assailant whom Cardona knew must have been The Shadow — Jacques struck at the enemy. But a twist in the dark had sent the knife into the body of his own confederate. Losing hold of the knife, Jacques had quickly shoved the chair arms back into place. Cardona had missed the trick then. He saw it now. For The Shadow had left an arm loose for him to find.

Sensational headlines told of the raid at Rajah Brahman's. Castelle's mighty racket was exposed. The confession of Professor Jacques followed as a tremendous story. Cardona lifted the lid when he revealed the names of mediums throughout the country.

The greatest sensation was Cardona's statement that he had visited local psychic circles in various cities, and had seen their build-up operate. He had evidence and witnesses to prove how the racket had worked.

Coronado Copper was blacklisted. Castelle's new stock-unloading scheme was ended before it began. Millions of dollars were saved for honest people.

Acting on information from New York, the police of twenty-seven cities swooped down upon fake mediums who had been part of the nation-wide crooked outfit.

Desperate fakers were ready to fight back; but everywhere, the police were aided by mysterious long-distance calls that tipped them off when to attack.

Fakers scurrying for cover were spotted before they could escape. In St. Louis, a group of crooked mediums were ready with a death trap. It failed through some mysterious cause, and the desperate crooks attempted a get-away through a tunnel under the street.

They were stopped by a man in black, who rose like a ghost and blocked their path! With two threatening automatics, he held them at bay until the police arrived and captured them. Then the man of mystery disappeared, leaving no reminder of his presence other than a sinister laugh that rolled in hollow tones through the vaulted passageway.

The press of the entire country rang with praise for the police officials who had responded with such swift and effective action. Never before had the forces of the law acted with such concerted power. It seemed as though an unseen hand — amazing and mysterious — had acted with incredible precision against the Spook Ring. And that was as true as it seemed.

Detective Joe Cardona, for his work in cleaning up the murderous fakers, received the congratulations of Police Commissioner Weston. But well did Cardona know that he had played but a minor role. The Shadow, that mysterious battler against crime, had worked cleverly. And in the secret files of The Shadow lay the complete details of the racketeers' round-up, even information that the ace detective never dreamed of.

For The Shadow knew!