The Silent Death

CHAPTER XXII. THE SWITCH OF DEATH

PROFESSOR FOLCROFT URLICH stood beside the huge death machine in the pit beneath his laboratory. His hand was on the control switch; his eyes watched the row of glowing incandescents.

Not yet did the cruel scientist intend to loose the terrific shock of death. Only the red bulb was lighted. It meant that invaders had come no farther than the outer portico.

Well had the professor designed his three zones of death. He did not intend to use the power at his disposal merely to dispose of some prowler; nor did he choose to employ it indiscreetly.

So long as the first zone alone had been entered, there could be no danger. Perhaps these intruders would go away. If they sought to enter, they could be allowed to do so, if they came as friends.

That was the reason why the scientist had ordered his men to proceed with the experiment that would bring death to the captives in the laboratory. If merely harmless investigators had come to this coliseum of doom, Urlich could welcome them with clean hands.

The muffled thuds of heavy battering suddenly impressed themselves upon the professor’s ears. A frown furrowed the evil brow. That sound meant enemies. The scientist’s hand wavered upon the control switch. It paused.

This was not the time to kill. If death were dealt now, some watchers beyond the range of the hidden portico might be clear; they might witness the end of their companions.

Urlich grinned wickedly. He would let these invaders enter. Once inside, within the second zone; yes, even in the third, he could pull the switch of death!

Silent death! The death that Urlich had longed to deal. This coming upon the heels of his laboratory experiment caused the fiend to chortle with glee.

The Shadow was dead; his agents were on their way to destruction; and other enemies were entering the door to meet their end.

WHO could these foes be? Professor Urlich nodded as he thought. The police? Yes! Somehow, they had trailed the path of Larry Ricordo.

Urlich scowled; he was striking the right solution. Something had gone wrong at the Grand Central Terminal. That might be the trouble.

What did it matter? Death lay at his hand. The fiend cackled forth his challenge to the thumping that still persisted beyond the outer doors. His eyes went back to the incandescents. The green bulb became lighted as he watched.

The green!

That meant that some one had reached the circular corridor — the second zone of death! It could not be the men from outside, they were still trying to burst down the heavy doors. It could only be Sanoja or Rasch who now trod that silent hallway.

But why had one of them come down? Why, even if one had descended, had the man not come completely to the bottom of the hollow cylinder, to enter the pit where Urlich now stood?

It could not be possible that one of the servants had gone to admit the intruders. Professor Urlich laughed at the very thought. He continued to watch the telltale bulb of green. It remained illuminated.

A sound came from the front end of the room, beyond the balcony. It was at the unused door which led from the circular passage into the balcony itself.

Professor Urlich did not hear the sound as the door opened; but the sudden increase of the thumping surprised him.

Yet it was not this that made him turn his head. The sign that came as a warning was the sudden lighting of the white bulb — the signal that a person had reached the metal flooring of the balcony!

With hand still upon the death switch, the scientist wheeled to look at the door.

There, in the dim light, he saw a figure that he recognized; a spectral shape that he had viewed once before — the being that had dropped through the skylight into the studio of Alfred Sartain’s penthouse.

The Shadow!

Professor Urlich’s glaring eyes encountered the blazing gaze of the black-cloaked master. The Shadow had let the door swing shut behind him. With one hand resting upon the rail of the balcony, he held an automatic in his other fist, the round muzzle of the weapon directed squarely toward Professor Urlich.

The scientist’s fingers trembled on the switch; then they grasped it with a firmer hold.

Cunning beyond all measure, the scientist now held an advantage which even The Shadow could not destroy. Should a bullet from that automatic fell Professor Urlich, his hand would draw the switch also. It would mean death to the man who killed him!

Silent, The Shadow saw the situation. His laugh came eerily through the vaulted pit. Professor Urlich cackled nervously. He did not like the chilling tones of that uncanny mockery; nevertheless, his awe was not sufficient to make him yield the hold that was his hope.

Urlich faced destruction; he knew that The Shadow could also see the hand of doom. The black-garbed master who had brought about this stalemate made no comment other than his laugh.

Slowly, to the cadence of the muffled beats at the outer door, The Shadow circled the balcony, still holding Urlich in abeyance with his automatic. The cunning scientist, in turn, kept tight grip upon the lever and watched The Shadow constantly.

ONE moment of inattention on the part of The Shadow; Urlich would spring the switch. On the contrary, should the scientist’s grip loosen for a single instant, a shot from the automatic would spell his doom.

The Shadow completed a semicircle that brought him opposite the door. Professor Urlich clutched the lever tensely. He sensed a purpose. By diverting his attention away from the door, Urlich could not see the others enter. Still, the old man laughed. A shot from behind him could not change the situation. If he fell, no matter how, his hand would still grip the switch.

“Professor Urlich,” came The Shadow’s sudden whisper, “I have come to end your fiendish schemes. You can no longer thwart me.”

A sneering chortle was the scientist’s reply.

“Three lights are illuminated,” whispered The Shadow. “Does that not tell you how your plans have failed?”

Professor Urlich did not even glance toward the bulbs to see that The Shadow had spoken the truth.

“Red: the portico,” went on The Shadow weirdly. “Green: the corridor. White: the gallery in which I stand. Does that signify anything to you, Professor Urlich?”

The professor made no reply. He was puzzled, but he did not show it. His fiendish scowl persisted. He could still hear the pounding at the outer door. He wondered why. Men had entered. Why were others still trying to get in?

“The white light,” declared The Shadow, in sinister tones, “is evidence of my presence. The green light tells that I have visited your laboratory. Your men are prisoners. My agents are released. It is they who are waiting in the corridor. They expect me to return.

“The red light tells of men beyond the outer door. The law is striking at your portals. You have no escape. Remove your hand from the switch and await your capture. It is the one chance I offer you!”

Professor Urlich snarled. He raised his voice in sarcastic words — a challenge to The Shadow.

“Remove my hand?” laughed the fiend. “This hand holds you at my mercy. You and your men alike. You, your men, and the police. Shoot me if you dare; it will mean your end! You and the others are within the circles of silent death!”

“Do not draw that switch,” warned The Shadow coldly. “I promise you — it will mean your death!”

“My death?” And Professor Urlich sneered. “Like Samson, I may die, but my enemies will perish with me! It is not within your power to prevent me!”

“It is within my power,” returned The Shadow, with a sinister laugh. “One bullet from this automatic would achieve that result. Not your black heart, Urlich, but your trembling hand would be my mark. Hand and lever both would break, did I decree it!”

The challenge made the scientist tremble. He did not deem such perfect marksmanship possible; but his recollection of The Shadow’s deeds, as recounted by Larry Ricordo, caused his mind to waver.

The Shadow had made the statement as a simple fact. Nevertheless, Urlich gained courage to ridicule The Shadow’s words.

“Try it!” he snarled. “One shot will be your end. Aim at my hand— and miss. See that hand respond the moment that your automatic no longer covers my body! It will be your last sight in life!”

“I warn you once again,” returned The Shadow. “To press that switch will mean your doom! The invaders are here” — a clanging fall of the outer doors proved the words — “but I shall remain. They will see only you; but you will know my presence. The choice is yours. Press that switch or yield. My last warning tells you that death will be yours alone. I have spoken.”

THE tall form shrank beside the rail as men pounded at the door of the balcony. Cardona and the invading detectives had spotted the second entrance. Professor Urlich stared at the spot, where The Shadow had been. He saw only two gleaming eyes and the muzzle of an automatic.

The door swung open on the balcony. It had been left loose by The Shadow. The squad of detectives swarmed into the gallery and stopped beside the rail. Dazed expressions were on their faces. They waited for Cardona to act; but the leading detective was dumfounded by the sight before him.

The red light had gone out upon the machine. All had come in from the portico. The white, which signified these men and The Shadow, was still illuminated. The green, which came from the circling corridor, denoted the presence of The Shadow’s agents in that passage.

Urlich’s eyes went from the lights toward the detectives. The men did not move. They could not understand the situation. Cardona gave no order to attack; he did not realize the danger. He saw only a fiendish maniac beside a strange machine a raving, laughing man who was powerless before the revolvers that now covered him.

Cackling wildly, Urlich stared once more at the lights. The white one went out. The red came on. The reason burst through the evil scientist’s brain. The Shadow’s agents were escaping! They had fled to the portico immediately after the advent of the police squadron.

Heedless of a whispered echo that came from the spot where The Shadow crouched, contemptuous of the detectives who gawked without suspecting the trap that they had entered, Professor Urlich tightened his hold upon the switch. He expected a shot from The Shadow. He grinned as he prepared for it.

At that instant, the fiend’s eyes lowered to the floor. They saw that the heavy insulated wire from the machine had been spliced. A sudden tremor shook the villain’s body.

In that terrible instant, his eyes realized a fearful truth; but his hand, inspired by instinctive determination, did not falter in its work or heed the warning from the staring eyes.

Down came the switch. No report from The Shadow’s automatic accompanied it. The staring, wondering detectives leaped back toward the door as a terrific sound came from the huge machine.

Long crackles of lightning leaped from pole to pole. Disks whirred and wheels revolved. But another and more terrible phenomenon accompanied that mighty outburst. From every section of the metal floor within the pit leaped blazing, snapping sparks.

A terrific flash enveloped the form of Professor Folcroft Urlich. With it came a swift, sweeping puff of whitish smoke that seemed to burst like a cloud from nether regions.

The white fumes swirled away. The machine crackled on, and sparks sallied about the floor.

At the spot where the fiend had stood, a man remained no longer. Instead of a human, form, a mass of smoldering bone and ashes were piled in a grotesque pyramid. These were all that remained of Professor Folcroft Urlich, scientist and fiend of evil.

Well had The Shadow planned this dynamic finish, during his sojourn in the pit beneath the laboratory.

His keen mind had seen the purpose of this terrible machine. By sure but simple process, The Shadow had disconnected the huge feed wire that led to the three outer zones, and had attached it to the floor of the pit — that metal base upon which Urlich had first conducted his electrical experiments.

The master of silent death was no more. The Shadow had given him true warning. The pressure of the switch had brought a deserved end to the murderer who had sullied science to serve his evil designs.