The Wealth Seeker

CHAPTER XI. CROOK MEETS CROOK

CLIFF MARSLAND, because he had known of The Shadow’s presence, had noticed the momentary motion at the corner of Tex Lowner’s window. He had attributed it to The Shadow; and he had been correct.

Yet even Cliff could not have realized the quick ease of the result which The Shadow had accomplished in so short an action. Tex’s window had been closed. With prying, noiseless hands, The Shadow had raised the sash three inches. With a continuation of the same motion, he had lifted the shade within.

Motionless again, The Shadow was peering through the narrow crevice which he had formed. The rubber suction cups were gone from his gloved hands. Long fingers of black were gripping the edges of the window sill.

Within the room of the Hotel Spartan, The Shadow observed a man whom he knew to be Tex Lowner.

The big gang leader, who had returned to New York, was standing in front of a mirror, adjusting a necktie. It appeared that Tex was going out for the evening.

From the gang leader’s hip pocket projected the handle of a large revolver. Tex Lowner was known as a quick man with the gat. He always had his pet smoke wagon in readiness.

A coarse grin showed on the face of the shirt-sleeved mob leader. Tex Lowner’s visage, reflected in the mirror, was seen plainly by The Shadow. Tex, however, did not catch a glimpse of the burning eyes that peered from outer darkness.

While The Shadow watched, a soft tap came from the door of the room. Tex turned away from the mirror. His hand sought the handle of his revolver as he strode to the door. Seizing the knob with his left hand, Tex pulled the door inward. He stepped back as he sighted the man who entered.

The Shadow recognized Rabbit Gorton. The scrawny, pale-faced mob leader closed the door behind him. The Shadow’s own hand was drawing an automatic from the folds of the black cloak; for The Shadow knew the enmity which existed between these two. Then The Shadow’s grip relaxed as Rabbit Gorton spoke.

“Hello, Tex,” growled the scrawny gang leader. “Sorry I was late.”

“Don’t worry about that, Rabbit,” returned Lowner, turning back toward the mirror. “Park yourself. Let’s hear what’s doing.”

HAD Cliff Marsland viewed this scene, he would have blinked in wonderment. Not so The Shadow. The scourge of the underworld had observed too many odd situations to be amazed at anything which might occur in gangdom.

Yet the keen stare of The Shadow’s eyes showed that he had found intense interest in this unexpected meeting between Tex Lowner and Rabbit Gorton.

The two gang leaders whom all crooks had accepted as participants in a bitter personal feud, were actually friends! Their supposed enmity was a pretense! Rabbit Gorton had not come here to confront Tex Lowner and seek vengeance for some wrong. Instead, he had arrived to confer with the man whom he was supposed to hate!

“Been waiting for you, Tex,” observed Rabbit, as he seated himself on the other side of the room. “Been holding back until you showed up.”

“You’ll have to wait a while longer,” rejoined Tex. “It’s going to take me a couple of days to scare up the crew.”

“I figured that, Tex. You won’t need the mob. Leave that part of it to my outfit. You take care of things with Harlow. Tell him you’ve got to get the dough.”

“O.K., Rabbit. I get you. When he gets out to Satruff’s place, you’ll be on deck there.”

“Right.”

“Say” — Tex swung suddenly as he spoke — “what about Pug Hoffler? If I’d known that bimbo was going to take a crack at Satruff’s vault, I’d have been in town to flag him when he came out of the big house.

Why didn’t you nab him, Rabbit?”

“Pug knew too much, Tex. He knew more than I thought he did. More than you thought, too.”

An angry glare faded from Tex Lowner’s eyes. The big gang leader laughed gruffly as he went to a chair and picked up his coat and vest.

“Guess you’re right, Rabbit,” he remarked. “I was kind of buffaloed when I read about Pug Hoffler getting shot at Satruff’s. Do you think he knew Satruff was Dorand?”

“Of course he did,” snorted Rabbit. “Why else do you think he’d have been out there?”

“Guess you’re right,” repeated Tex. “If Pug had gone to Long Island just for fresh air, he’d have picked the beaches, not the Sound.”

RABBIT GORTON leaned forward in his chair. His tone was lowered. His words were confidential.

Yet they did not escape the listening ears of The Shadow.

“You get the lay, don’t you?” quizzed Rabbit. “You know I hadn’t figured on busting in to Dorand’s strong-room just yet. I was holding that — and we were both figurin’—”

“That it wouldn’t be necessary if everything went the way we counted.”

“That’s right. But Pug Hoffler queered it. He smashed in there and Harlow gave him the bump.”

“He did, all right. I remember reading that. Say — if Pug had got away with Dorand’s dough, Doc Harlow would have been sitting pretty. Why did he plug Pug?”

“From what I hear,” replied Rabbit, cagily, “Pug was going to blab. Harlow popped in and gave him the works. Cardona gave him a clean bill of health.” Tex nodded thoughtfully.

“Here’s the lay, Tex,” stated Rabbit. “Cardona didn’t find out that Satruff was Dorand. That’s the only break we got. Naturally, Satruff is trying to keep it from the public that he’s Dorand. He likes to give away dough under a special name.

“I’ve got a hunch that Cardona suspects Harlow knew Pug. But what Cardona don’t know is that there’s as much dough as there is in Satruff’s vault. That’s why Cardona hasn’t gone up there with a flock of dicks.

“He’s investigating, though, and he’s going to find out that Pug worked for both of us. Cardona will figure that either you or I might have talked to Pug about crashing into Satruff’s place. So Cardona will watch both of us.

“That’s why we’ve got to hit there in a hurry. Before Cardona suspects. See? Catching Harlow there at the place may have put an idea in Cardona’s noodle. If he finds Harlow there again he—”

“I get you. It will be bad for Harlow. We won’t have to worry about him after that. Well, that’s the way we figured it all along. Putting the screws on Harlow lets us out.”

“Right. But you’re the guy that has to talk with Harlow. I’ll do the work at Satruff’s. After you talk with Harlow, be sure you get an alibi—”

“I’m starting on one” — Tex indicated the clothes that he was wearing— “with these glad rags. They’ll do to visit that swanky apartment where Harlow lives; and they’ll look good when I go to the Club Madrid for the rest of the night. Lots of the boys will be glad to see good old Tex back around the bright lights. Some of those blond babies up at the Madrid won’t mind either. Leave that to me, Rabbit.”

“O.K., Tex. I’ll be out at Satruff’s when Harlow gets there. I’ll wait until he gets inside. Then I’ll be all set unless I get a signal to hold off.”

Tex nodded; then his voice became speculative.

“I wonder,” he said, “just how well Harlow knew Pug — just how Pug worked to double-cross us—”

“It don’t matter,” interrupted Rabbit. “Cardona’s got his eye on Harlow— if he hasn’t, he’ll put it there after to-night. I’m going to make a real job at the place.”

“You’ve been out there?”

“Last night. Satruff has a new bird working for him — a young fellow named Vincent. Okum is still on the job, of course; so Vincent don’t count particularly much. He won’t be the one that answers the door when I ring.”

“Say” — Tex voiced another suspicion — “it was pretty easy the way Pug cornered Okum. You don’t think that Okum is pulling a double-cross of his own—”

“Okum couldn’t have known that Pug and his mob were coming in. Okum is dumb, that’s all. I think Cardona spotted him as a poor old gazebo who could hardly find his way around.”

“Cardona’s dumb in his own way,” laughed Tex, “but sometimes those dumb dicks learn too much. I figured maybe you’d be ready to pull this big raid as soon as I got back. After we spring it, Cardona will be hot.”

“Satruff will have to tell him that he is Dorand.”

“You bet he will.”

Tex Lowner smiled wisely. There was a cryptic expression on the big gang leader’s face that Rabbit Gorton seemed to understand. The pasty-faced rat grinned in reply.

“Mum’s the word, pal,” remarked Tex. “We’re a couple of eggs who are gunning for each other—”

“And spoiling the other guy’s game whenever we can—”

“Right. It’s time for you to get going, Rabbit. Duck out the back before I start down the front. I’m visiting to-night. Park Avenue for a first stop. Harlow will have to see another nerve specialist when I get through talking with him.”

“Just one thing, Tex.” Rabbit paused anxiously as he reached the door. “If Cardona’s snooping on Harlow, what’ll you do about it?”

“What’ll I do about it?” snorted Tex. “Say — I’ll give him the bummest steer he ever got. A good tip, Rabbit — I’ll be watching for that dumb dick. I’d like to have him trail me” — Tex was laughing— “so I could get a real alibi.”

“That’s good, Tex,” agreed Rabbit. “Except that when things bust at Satruff’s, Cardona is liable to figure that I’m working with Harlow.”

“Sure he is. Because you’re the guy that barges in on all of my jobs. You’re taking it on the lam, anyway. You’ll be out of town before Cardona knows anything, and Harlow will be the only person left for Cardona to grab.”

“And with you clear,” nodded Rabbit, approvingly, “Doc Harlow won’t be able to square himself at all. Say, Tex — we’re a couple of brainy guys, the way we’ve been working. It’s always looked like each of us was on our own — all the time.”

With this final statement, Rabbit Gorton sidled from the room. Tex Lowner continued to make ready for his evening visit. A glimmer of light on the ground floor announced Rabbit’s departure by the rear door.

THE SHADOW’S suction cups squidged. The discarded pair had gone back on the gloved hands. With an easy descending motion, The Shadow reached the darkness of the alleyway below.

When Tex Lowner appeared in front of the Hotel Spartan a short while later, he did not observe the long patch of darkness that seemed a part of one of the elevated pillars. The gang leader hailed a passing cab and gave an address on Park Avenue.

It was then that the shade of darkness became a living thing that moved swiftly from the pillar. The Shadow, a gliding phantom, headed across the street and reached a byway where his coupe was waiting.

He entered the car and started on an uptown course.

The Shadow had heard the cryptic conversation between Tex Lowner and Rabbit Gorton. Obscure though many of the remarks had been, The Shadow had understood many facts that were not mentioned.

Strange crime was brewing to-night; Tex and Rabbit, presumed enemies, were to be separate participants in a common cause. The laugh of The Shadow, soft within the coupe, came as an unheard challenge to the machinations of these evil crooks.

The Shadow, too, had planned as he had listened in the darkness. The Shadow was on his way to counter crime.