Part 8 (2/2)
”I am going straight to the office,” returned Henshew. ”They are waiting there for me, to put the gems in the vault.”
Chanbury seemed reluctant because he had postponed the purchase. He stopped Henshew at the door and questioned: ”If I decide to buy, would you require cash?”
Henshew smiled, queried: ”What else have you?”
Chanbury beckoned him to the desk. From deep in a drawer, he produced a chamois bag and poured its contents into the light. Henshew saw rough, uncut diamonds in a quant.i.ty that amazed him.
”I have gathered these for years,” remarked Chanbury, ”but they give me very little satisfaction. I should prefer finished stones, instead. I also like variety. I have been told that these uncut diamonds are worth close to two hundred thousand dollars.”
Henshew examined the uncut gems. He spoke frankly when he said: ”They are worth more. At least a quarter million. They would do as payment for the gems that you saw tonight.”
”I shall consider it.”
Chanbury walked to the door with Henshew; he asked when his visitor could call again.
”I am going to Philadelphia to appraise some gems tomorrow,” said Henshew. ”Any other evening would do.” ”I shall be at home every night this week.”
The doork.n.o.b was turning as Chanbury reached for it. That door had been ajar, but neither man had noticed it. As the two stepped into the outside gallery, darkness moved ahead of them. Lights were dim; the occurrence escaped observation. That darkness blocked itself beneath the marble stairs before Chanbury and Henshew arrived there.
A servant ushered Henshew up the long, curved stairs. Chanbury went back to his portrait room. After ten minutes, another caller arrived. The man was Tyrune. He went through to Chanbury's room; the servant who conducted him returned upstairs.
Darkness stirred beneath the marble staircase. A silent gliding shape, The Shadow followed the gallery, to reach the door of Chanbury's portrait room. The Shadow had traveled here ahead of Tyrune, arriving soon enough to witness the finish of Henshew's visit. He had a present opportunity to view what followed.
Under The Shadow's expert pressure, the k.n.o.b of Chanbury's door turned slowly. The door itself moved imperceptibly inward. Through a narrow crack, The Shadow saw and heard all that happened within.
”HENSHEW is a crook!” The firm words were Chanbury's. ”Without a question, Jim. Look” - busy at his desk, Chanbury pa.s.sed over papers that he was rapidly writing - ”see these lists. They describe the gems that Henshew showed me tonight. They are the ones that were stolen from Silsam's!”
”They don't tally with Silsam's gems.”
”Of course not! But you have just told me that you found mountings in Henshew's desk drawer. Can't you see what the rogue had done? He cut those gems; changed their settings.”
Tyrune was still doubtful. Chanbury brought out a list of Silsam's collection. He spoke triumphantly.
”The total tallies. Emeralds, rubies, sapphires - even the little diamonds. That's one trick Henshew missed. How can he explain that his gems number the same as Silsam's?”
Tyrune was impressed. Chanbury drove home another point.
”What price do you think Henshew gave my uncut diamonds? A quarter million! Because I hoaxed him into it, by saying they were worthless. He'd be glad to take them for those planted jewels that have been going the rounds. Of course he would. My uncut diamonds have been appraised at four hundred thousand dollars. Henshew mistook me for an eighteen carat sucker.”
Chanbury reached for the desk telephone.
”I'm calling Inspector Cardona.”
Tyrune shook his head.
”What can you prove against Henshew?” he questioned. ”After all, his gems don't fit the weak description that we have of Silsam's. Henshew is safe. He can deny everything.”
Chanbury settled back in his chair. He thought over what Tyrune had said. He picked up a key that Tyrune had laid on the desk.
”If you had only brought back more evidence, Jim,” he said, ”we could pin the goods on Henshew. I'll label this pa.s.s-key Exhibit A; but it means very little. I hoped that you'd find clues in the apartment, whileI was holding Henshew here.”
”Here's the whole layout, Mr. Chanbury.” Tyrune produced the notebook. ”But you told me not to disturb anything. So I didn't. I didn't think it wise to pinch any of those things in the desk drawer.
Henshew might have missed them.”
”Yes, he probably would have.”
Chanbury's face was troubled. Tyrune made a suggestion.
”How about going through with the deal?” asked the d.i.c.k. ”Let Henshew sell you those gems. Then be ready when Shark comes to get them. If Henshew's the crook, Shark will surely show up, later.”
”I've had that idea,” returned Chanbury. ”I'm in deep, though. If I give Henshew the uncut diamonds, he will make so huge a profit that he may be satisfied. Then there would be no attempted robbery.”
That stumped Tyrune. Chanbury arose and paced the floor impatiently, shoving his fingers through his graystreaked hair. At last he stopped, with a snap of his fingers.
”I'll call Henshew tomorrow! I'll tell him that I intend to keep my uncut diamonds. I'll say that I want his gems anyway; that I've raised the cash to buy them outright.”
”That may make him suspicious -”
”Let it. The harder he's pressed, the more chance he'll make a mistake. His nerve is colossal! He proved that tonight. Yes, I think the s.h.i.+ft in our game will be just the thing to settle Madden Henshew.”
THE discussion was ended. Tyrune started for the door, and Chanbury walked along with him as he had with Henshew. The Shadow was gone when they reached the gallery. Beside the stairway, he heard Chanbury's voice: ”I suspected Henshew the night that he was here. He showed a mean eye when he looked at that chap Vincent. That's why I was concerned for Vincent's safety.”
The two men reached the head of the stairway. The Shadow followed, but did not move toward the front door. Instead, he chose a convenient side pa.s.sage - one that Harry Vincent had mentioned in a thorough report.
Hardly had The Shadow edged from view before one of Chanbury's servants arrived. The man became suspicious; he turned on a light.
The Shadow was just beyond the glow, close to the blackness of the side pa.s.sage outer door, edging it slowly outward. Had the servant approached, The Shadow would have needed a swift move. The fellow delayed, because he heard Chanbury call.
When Chanbury arrived, he found the servant staring steadily at the blackness that represented the side door.
”What is the matter?” asked Chanbury. ”Did you hear anything?”
”I thought I saw some one,” answered the servant. ”But nothing's moved since.”
Chanbury's lips tightened. He feared some spy of Henshew's, here to spoil the well-laid plan to trap the master-crook. Leaving the servant on watch, Chanbury stepped away, to return promptly with a revolver and a flashlight. The servant reported no change. Chanbury advanced with the flashlight. s.h.i.+ning on the door, the glare showed vacancy. The key was in the lock; Chanbury tried the door. It was locked. Chanbury's face showed relief. There could have been no one in that side pa.s.sage.
Chanbury never guessed that an amazing intruder had eased past the half-opened door, to close it and lock it with a probing pincer-pick from the outside.
Again, The Shadow had made an invisible departure. Lost in blanketing night, he had carried away the knowledge that others were planning trouble for Madden Henshew.
The Shadow could see a way to combine those purposes with his own.
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