him.
That phenomenon was explained by the fact that The Shadow had planted his cloak and hat in that particular corner. He had entered the night club by a side door, carrying the garments over his arm. Starting first for Ondrey's office, he had left his garb in that convenient spot; then had stepped into the
night club to find someone who would announce his arrival to Ondrey.
CLOAKED in black, The Shadow made quick strides to the office. The door was unlocked, as he expected, for Ondrey hadn't wasted time in getting to the telephone. The night club owner had just managed to get his number, when The Shadow peered in upon him.
Through the crack of the door, The Shadow could see Ondrey at the desk; and every word that the man uttered was plain.
'Hello... That you, Maude?' Ondrey was smiling when he recognized the voice. 'Yes, this is Ondrey... Yes, Pinkey was here; but he didn't have time to
call you... Yes. He'll meet you. At the usual place...'
There must have been a flow of talk across the wire, for Ondrey fidgeted for the next two minutes. At moments, he opened his mouth as if to say something; but he couldn't manage to insert a word. When his chance finally came, Ondrey spoke pleadingly.
'Don't be angry, Maude,' he insisted. 'It was actually my fault that you weren't called sooner... I know you don't like The Hayrick, but it's one of the
few places where Pinkey can go...
'Here? Certainly he comes here; but he always stays in the office... No, he never goes into the night club... No, it wouldn't be safe. At least, that's what he says. Pinkey's supposed to be on the lam...
'You'll meet him? That's good! But you'd better hurry... Yes, he'll be at The Hayrick within the next half hour...'
The call finished, Ondrey mopped his forehead, shaking his head as if in testimony that the ways of women baffled him. He came out to the night club proper. Ondrey saw no sign of The Shadow in the passage.
The cloaked intruder had stepped to that blackened corner where he had formerly placed his cloak and hat.
Moving into Ondrey's office, The Shadow, began a rapid search of the desk.
He found nothing in the way of evidence that linked Ondrey with Pinkey Findlen.
In fact, The Shadow wasn't at all certain that Ondrey knew the details of Pinkey's present racket. The only way to settle that point would be to accost Ondrey and question him. But with the chances to the contrary, it was preferable to leave Ondrey alone, particularly because he might prove useful later.
Moreover, The Shadow saw an excellent chance to meet Pinkey himself, when the racketeer reached The Hayrick. Mention of the place by name was all that The Shadow had needed. The Hayrick was well-known as a nightclub in Greenwich Village.
FINISHING his short search of Ondrey's desk, The Shadow tried the paneled wall. He found the hidden catch, opened the panel and looked into the elevator shaft. There he saw a switch and pressed it to bring the car downward.
The elevator hadn't quite reached the bottom, when The Shadow heard muffled footsteps beyond the door of Ondrey's office. He waited coolly, calculating that the car might arrive before Ondrey entered. It did.
The Shadow was aboard and closing the panel when Ondrey opened the office door. He caught a glimpse of the portly man speaking to someone in the hall.
The panel went shut while Ondrey was turning about. The fellow did not notice its motion.
This time the silence of Ondrey's private elevator worked against its owner. The Shadow made the slow trip to the top of the shaft. He found himself in the deserted fourth floor of a building that had once been a private residence.
There was a door that led into an adjoining house; it was probably the route used by Pinkey and other secret visitors. There was another exit, however, that pleased The Shadow better.
It was a fire escape outside the window at the end of the hall. It had a metal ladder leading to the roof, and The Shadow raised his head above the edge, to learn facts for future reference.
One thing that he saw was a trapdoor that evidently topped the hidden elevator shaft. That was something that could prove useful later. His inspection finished, The Shadow descended by the fire escape.
TWENTY minutes later, The Shadow was in Greenwich Village; near an alleyway that afforded entrance of the side door of The Hayrick. Looking along the street, he saw a man loafing near the corner; another, shambling along in aimless fashion.
These were agents of The Shadow. He had summoned them through a short wave
radio call to Burbank. With his agents on the watch, The Shadow could later receive reports on any outside developments.
Entering the side door, The Shadow stopped for a view of The Hayrick.
The place formed one big barnlike raftered room, with the stacks of hay around the sides. There were about forty tables, half of them occupied by customers. In the center was a dance floor; an orchestra dressed as farm hands occupied the far end of the room.
To his right, The Shadow saw a little stairway that led up to a gloomy balcony. Beyond the rail were the doors of small private dining rooms, which explained why Pinkey had chosen to meet Maude here. By using the side door, Pinkey could reach one of those little rooms unnoticed by the patrons on the main floor.
The Shadow took the stairway to the balcony. He entered the first empty room and closed the door behind him. Using a tiny flashlight, he decided that this room was probably unused, for its table and chair were stacked in a corner.
There was a connecting door next to the little room. It was locked, but The Shadow opened it with a skeleton key. Again he found a little-used room; so
he took another door into the third room in the row. There, the gleam of his flashlight showed a table set for two.
Positive that this was where Pinkey intended to dine with Maude, The Shadow approached the table, his flashlight cleaving a path before him. He hadn't taken five steps, before there was a click from beside the partly closed
door that led to the balcony passage.
The room was filled with light. Just inside the doorway stood a striking blonde, whose large blue eyes were fixed upon the center of the room. The girl was Maude Revelle.
She wasn't the type that The Shadow expected her to be. She was attractively attired in a black velvet evening gown that sparkled with a line of small rhinestones from neck to hem. That decoration was tasteful; quite different from the cheap finery worn by the usual racketeer's moll.
There wasn't any question, though, regarding Maude's identity. She recognized The Shadow when she saw him, and the sudden narrowing of her eyes told that she knew him to be the arch-foe of crooks like Pinkey Findlen.
Whatever else happened, Maude intended to make sure that Pinkey didn't walk into a surprise meeting with The Shadow in this room.
Nervily, the girl ignored the gun that The Shadow whipped from his cloak.
Yanking the door fully open, she made a dive to the balcony, at an angle which took her from The Shadow's range. As she went, Maude delivered a long warning scream. The Shadow reached the same doorway, hoping that his arrival would cause the girl to end her tactics. His move proved a bad one. Hardly had he leaped out to the balcony, when someone turned on another string of lights.
Those bulbs glimmered along the balcony, revealing The Shadow where he stood. Tough faces bobbed suddenly among the patrons of The Hayrick, while quick fists went for guns. As The Shadow wheeled to find cover, he faced along the balcony toward the stairs. There, he saw another menace. On the steps stood
Pinkey Findlen, revolver gleaming from his lifting fist.
Luck had reversed the trap. Pinkey had attained an advantage over The Shadow!
CHAPTER VIII
