Читаем The Ghost Makers полностью

"Doing nicely," interposed the quiet voice of the chief. "But if your new father begins to talk about buying stocks, shift to Mutual Industries. That's the next buy on the list. Bert is going to send word to the different cities very shortly."

There was a short silence; then the quiet voice of the man behind the spook racket spoke in a deliberate tone.

"Tell Slade about the trouble in Chicago," were the words.

"Trouble in Chicago?" questioned Slade.

"Yes," said Rajah Brahman. "Joe Cardona is out there."

"Cardona! How did he get into it?"

"We don't know. He dropped into one of Madame Plunket's seances, a few days ago. He's been coming every night since.

"She spotted him for a dick, and at last she got him placed. Sent a letter here to me. She's worried, because she was working strong in Cincinnati. She wants to know what to do about it."

"When is her next seance?"

"To-night — and she thinks Cardona will be there."

"Hm-m-m. What do you think about it, Bert?"

"I think it's the Little Flower angle, Slade," said Rajah Brahman seriously. "We've been working it too strong. It was a great racket, because it linked up one place with another, so that the visiting suckers would feel at home.

"But Jacques was using Little Flower — and that means Cardona may have heard about it. If he's traveling the whole circuit, he's liable to strike a clue that will bring him back to New York."

"To find Rajah Brahman."

"Yes. If we could get him out of the way for a couple of weeks— even for one week — I'd have time to clean up here. Then off for the tall timber of the Himalayas. The old stuff; not a trace behind me."

"It's pretty dangerous business monkeying with Cardona," began Slade.

"Here in New York, yes," interposed Rajah Brahman. "Out in Chicago, no. You know some mobsters out there, Slade. You can fix it like you did for Dick Terry.

"The stunt is to make Cardona talk. If he knows nothing, they can let him get away. If he knows a lot — curtains for him!"

"It might have a bad come-back—"

"Not on us. Cardona's working alone. He hasn't reached the end of the trail yet. What would it cost to fix it?"

"Five grand. Through Snooks Milligan."

"What do you say, chief?" asked the rajah.

"Go ahead," declared the quiet voice.

"All right," said Rajah Brahman. "You make the call, Slade. They can watch for him at Plunket's. It's only a little after eight, now. That's about seven in Chicago. Madame Plunket usually starts her seance at eight-"

His voice broke off suddenly. Rising in the dark, Rajah Brahman strode rapidly across the room and threw aside the curtain into the anteroom. He stood there, staring.

The others could see his form in the dim light that came from the anteroom. Rajah Brahman was attired in a dressing gown. In his hand he held a revolver.

"Tony," he called.

The white-clad form of Imam Singh appeared from the outer door.

"Have a gat ready," ordered Rajah Brahman. "Stay by the front door of the apartment. I've got a hunch that someone is around this place. I'm going to find out!"

As Tony departed, Rajah Brahman dropped the curtain and stepped back into the sanctum.

"I saw the curtain move," he explained quickly. "Come on — we'll make a round-up. You stay here, chief. Slade, you cut in by the seance room, I'll go through the anteroom."

Rajah Brahman's theory was incorrect. As he stood with his back toward the anteroom, a tall form clad in black emerged from beside the curtain, and moved through another entrance. It did not take the path toward the outer door where Imam Singh was on guard. Instead, it was headed directly toward the reception room. Reaching that apartment, it turned toward the seance room — the very place where Rajah Brahman intended to make search!

None of the three men in the sanctum were cognizant of what had taken place. The curtain which Rajah Brahman had dropped now obscured their view. The rajah lifted the curtain again and gave his last word to Martin Slade.

"Wait about a half a minute," he said. "Then cut into the seance room. I'm going around the other way. We'll meet there."

As the seer left on his search, Martin Slade nervously drew a revolver from his pocket. He did not like this job. He was too worried about the possible identity of that invisible presence. Could The Shadow be here?

Slade did not voice his thought, because of the chief. Steadying himself, he started toward the seance room and cautiously opened the door from the sanctum. He waited, revolver in hand, then slipped through the door.

The seance room was empty. Its indirect light showed every spot, and there was no sign of a hidden person.

A man appeared from another door. It was Rajah Brahman. He shook his head as he saw Martin Slade. Together, they searched the room.

"Guess I'm the goat," declared Rajah Brahman. "Not a chance of any one being here. I looked all around."

"How about there?"

Slade made a significant gesture toward the center of the room. Rajah Brahman laughed.