Fellows had delivered a letter himself, making the trip to the vacant office in the building on Twenty-third Street. No reply had arrived on Wednesday. He had repeated the operation the next day, to no avail.
Now it was Friday afternoon. He had sent a third letter in the morning. Still no reply. Fellows had good cause to be worried. What had become of The Shadow?
A clipping lay upon the insurance broker's desk. He had clipped it from a paper that morning. It stated that Harrison Glover, a real-estate man of Scranton, Pennsylvania, had mysteriously disappeared.
The missing man had left home Monday afternoon, stating that he would be home Wednesday night. He had not come back. There were important reasons why he should have been back in Scranton at the time he had stated. His case had been reported to the police, but they had no clue regarding him.
'The fourth man,' murmured Fellows. 'Missing. Vincent was mistaken when he reported he had discovered the meeting place. The Shadow has failed to appear.'
It was the first time in Fellows's experience that such well-laid plans had gone wrong. Where was The Shadow? In New York? On another enterprise, relying solely upon Vincent?
Fellows shook his head. It seemed more likely that The Shadow had met with foul play, The chubby man mopped his forehead with his handkerchief.
The telephone bell rang. Fellows lifted the receiver of the instrument.
'Mr. Fellows?' came a voice.
'This is Mr. Fellows.'
'I am Doctor Wells, of Merwyn, New Jersey. Are you a friend of Lamont Cranston, who lives near here?'
'I am.'
'Mr. Cranston is in a very serious condition. He has mentioned your name twice. I would appreciate it if you would come to his home as soon as possible.'
'I shall come immediately. What is the trouble?'
'An accident. I shall explain later. There is a train from the Pennsylvania Station at four thirty-five. Mr.
Cranston's car will meet you at Rahway.'
Fellows's mind was working actively as he hurried to the depot. An accident to Lamont Cranston, coincident with the disappearance of The Shadow! He had not thought of it before. The incidents of his previous visit to the millionaire's home now loomed large in his memory.
THE physician met Fellows in the hallway of Lamont Cranston's home. He took the insurance broker to one side, and ushered him into a small room where they were joined by Richards, the millionaire's valet.
'Mr. Cranston is sleeping now,' explained Doctor Huston Wells. 'We must not disturb him for a while.
But matters have been serious. Only servants in the house - although Richards here is very capable. But the circumstances are most unusual, and when I heard that Mr. Cranston had spoken your name, I questioned Richards. I learned that you have long been a friend of Mr. Cranston, so I summoned you.'
'I am glad you did,' replied Fellows. 'Tell me what has happened.'
'You must keep the matter strictly confidential,' said the doctor.
'Mr. Fellows will do that, sir,' put in Richards. 'He has had business dealings with Mr. Cranston for several years. They are very good friends. When Mr. Cranston spoke this morning, I was sure that he wanted Mr. Fellows here.'
'I shall preserve absolute secrecy,' promised Fellows.
'Good,' said the doctor. 'Tell what you know, Richards.'
'It was on Monday night,' said the man. 'Mr. Cranston went upstairs to his room in the tower. He has a wireless set there, you know. It is a hobby with him. He was sending and receiving messages until about nine o'clock. Then he hurriedly left the house. He had ordered Stanley, the chauffeur, to be waiting with the car. I was at the door, and I heard him tell Stanley to lose no time getting in to New York.'
'I have questioned Stanley,' interposed Doctor Wells. 'His story coincides with what Richards is telling you.'
'Mr. Cranston told Stanley to come in town on Tuesday night and wait for him at the usual parking space on Forty-eighth Street,' continued Richards. 'Stanley did so; he waited until long after midnight, wondering why Mr. Cranston did not arrive. At two o'clock, a cab drove up. Mr. Cranston alighted and entered the limousine. Stanley was holding the door open; he says that Mr. Cranston stumbled as he entered the big car.
'Mr. Cranston told Stanley to hurry home, which he did. I was awake; the other servants had gone to bed. I heard the car coming up the drive and I opened the front door. I saw Stanley get out and open the door of the car. But Mr. Cranston did not appear. I walked down the front steps and joined Stanley.
'We both looked in the back of the car. For a moment, I thought that there was no one there. It was all dark, and no one moved. Then I turned on the light. Mr. Cranston was lying in a corner. His coat and vest were open; there was blood all over the side of his shirt.
'I thought for a minute that he was dead. He was limp when Stanley and I brought him in the house. I called for Doctor Wells, who came here immediately. Mr. Cranston seemed very badly hurt, sir.'
'He had four knife wounds, and a bullet in his left side,' announced the physician. 'One cut, on his left shoulder, was a nasty one. The bullet caused a lot of trouble. The case was a bad one because he had evidently received the wounds several hours before I arrived. He had suffered greatly from loss of blood.
'When he regained consciousness, Cranston became delirious. He said nothing coherent. I was afraid that he would not survive, but his vitality is wonderful. His condition was critical Tuesday and Wednesday. It improved a bit Thursday, but it was not until this morning that he spoke so we could understand him. Then he mentioned your name twice.'
'And spoke as though he wanted to see you, sir,' added Richards.
'What is his condition now?' inquired Fellows, with anxiety in his voice.
'It is improving rapidly,' said Doctor Wells.
'How soon will he be better?'
'I cannot tell. It may be a matter of weeks.'
Fellows suppressed a groan.
'It depends a great deal upon how he is when he awakens,' explained the physician. 'The wounds are doing nicely. The fever has been the greatest complication. I hope that it will lessen, now that he is sleeping quietly. If it passes away rapidly, he will be sitting up within two days. Possibly to-morrow. If it continues, we may have a long siege.'
'I shall wait until he wakes,' declared Fellows.
'Very good,' responded the doctor. 'But I have wanted to talk with some friend of Mr. Cranston's regarding this affair. What should be done about it? I have hesitated to report it to the police.'
'Don't do that,' said Fellows promptly. 'He was wounded in New York. This is New Jersey. It would be best to keep the matter quiet.'
'Yet steps should be taken to discover the men who are responsible for Mr. Cranston's injuries.' The doctor was solicitous, but Fellows was thinking rapidly.
'Let him decide that matter,' he said. 'He knows what happened and where it occurred. Has he said anything that might be a clue?'
'Not a word,' the doctor replied. 'Am I correct, Richards?'
'You are correct, doctor,' replied the valet.
'Since it happened Monday night,' said Fellows, 'it would be wise to let the matter rest for the present. I say that emphatically. You have called upon me as a friend of Mr. Cranston. I know him well enough to believe that he would agree with me.'
'Very well,' said the doctor.
FELLOWS dined with Doctor Wells, and later in the evening, Richards informed them that Mr. Cranston had awakened. They went upstairs, and the wounded millionaire greeted them with a feeble smile on his pale face.
'Fellows,' he said weakly.
The insurance broker sat down.
'Don't let him talk much,' whispered the physician. 'Don't say anything that will worry him.'
'How are things going?' asked the man in the bed.
