“I should like you to come to my home,” said the girl, eagerly, as Lorenna arose. “Would you be able to come there Thursday night?”
“You must ask the manager,” smiled Lorenna. “Meestaire Jerwyn — he will tell you “
The Shadow was moving toward the door. The barrier opened; Lamont Cranston’s tall form appeared in the hall. The door closed. When Lorenna and the girl appeared at the door, Cranston had reached the end of the passage.
FIFTEEN minutes later, Claude Jerwyn and Madame Lorenna were ready to leave the house. Lamont Cranston, unviewed as he stood within the entrance of the dance room, saw the blond girl approach to speak to the gypsy’s manager.
“Thursday night,” the girl remarked. “You will remember, Mr. Jerwyn?”
“I have made the appointment,” Jerwyn bowed as he opened the pages of a pocket date book.
“Thursday night. Lorenna is to come to the home of Miss Shirley Laustin.”
As Shirley Laustin returned to the dance floor, Jerwyn and Lorenna left by the front door. The thin smile showed on the lips of Lamont Cranston.
Eager though Shirley Laustin had been, the appointment was actually of Lorenna’s making. The gypsy queen had promised to foretell the future. Perhaps her statements to Shirley Laustin would be guesswork: but there was one phase of the future that could be rightfully predicted.
Lorenna had found the first trace of the Spanish jewels. On Thursday night, the gypsy would learn more.
Then would come the struggle for the stolen wealth.
The Shadow, too, could see the future!
CHAPTER X. JERWYN STALLS
IT was midnight. Claude Jerwyn and Madame Lorenna had returned from Rupert Murnick’s. Their house stood gloomy in the middle of the quiet block.
A figure glided past a patch of light. It merged with darkness at the side of the house. The Shadow had arrived; tonight, he was choosing the entrance used by Valdo.
The lock of the side door clicked. Invisibly, The Shadow entered. The door closed; another click. The Shadow moved into the passage that led toward the stairway.
A light showed in the reading room. The door was ajar; curling smoke came from the opening. The odor was that of tobacco — not of incense. It was evidence of Jerwyn’s presence.
The Shadow reached the doorway. His keen eyes stared through the opening. They noted Jerwyn, seated in a far corner. Lorenna’s manager had drawn back a hanging curtain to reveal a filing cabinet. He was consulting folders that he had taken from an opened drawer.
Finishing one cigarette, Jerwyn extinguished it in an ash tray; then lighted another. With pencil, the manager made notations on a pad.
The Shadow’s keen eyes were on the upper end of the pencil, tracing the words that Jerwyn wrote by the motion of the rubber tip.
Suddenly, The Shadow moved away. His cloaked form faded with incredible swiftness, as it dropped silently toward the front entry. The reason for the sudden shift became apparent. Valdo had entered by the side door; The Shadow had heard the gypsy’s footfalls.
Valdo’s shrewd eyes gleamed in the dim light of the hall. Like The Shadow, the gypsy noted the open door and the curls of tobacco smoke. Unlike The Shadow, he did not choose to spy on Jerwyn. Instead, he moved up the stairs, treading softly. Jerwyn evidently did not hear him.
A DOZEN minutes passed. Again, Valdo’s footsteps were catlike as the gypsy reappeared, descending.
This time Valdo went directly to the room where Jerwyn was stationed. He entered, leaving the door half opened behind him. The Shadow, moving forward, saw and heard what ensued.
Jerwyn, hearing Valdo enter, turned suddenly, snatching up the pad that lay beside him. There was a challenge in his stare as his eyes met the gypsy’s gaze. Valdo, laughing, pointed to the chair that Jerwyn had vacated.
“Sit down,” said the gypsy. “Do not let me frighten you. What is the matter, Jerwyn?”
“Nothing,” growled the manager, resuming his chair. “You startled me — that was all. I was busy with my work. You should have knocked at the door.”
“Busy, eh?” queried Valdo. “It is time that you were busy. I have been talking with the man who sent you the five thousand dollars. He has asked me when he will know something.”
“Tell him I need more time,” snapped Jerwyn. “I’m as anxious to finish this job as he is. I know he sent me five grand — but there’s twenty more to come.”
“Thirty,” asserted Valdo, “if you can find out everything within the next week.”
“Thirty grand?” Jerwyn arched his eyebrows at mention of the larger sum. “Say — he must be in a hurry to grab those jewels.”
“Why not?” questioned Valdo. “The sooner they belong to him, the better. I tell him you are working. He say hurry. He will pay more money. He wants to know if you have found out what he needs.”
“Not yet, Valdo,” said Jerwyn, seriously. “I’ve got that list you gave me — the description of some of those Spanish gems — and I’ve been working on it. We’ve been to a dozen places, Lorenna and I.”
“A round stone of yellow,” commented Valdo, forming a small circle with thumb and forefinger. “One about so big. The kind they call a topaz. You have not seen it, Jerwyn?”
Jerwyn’s lips tightened. A flush appeared upon his pallid face as he stared at Valdo.
“You were startled, eh?” resumed Valdo. “Startled when I came in here. That is what you call odd, Jerwyn. Why should you jump? I never have seen you jump before.”
The gypsy’s teeth gleamed. Again, he made the circular sign with thumb and finger.
“So big,” he remarked. “With gold about it — hanging from a chain. A topaz — that is the name they call it—”
“What makes you ask me about the topaz?” demanded Jerwyn. “Have you been talking with Lorenna?”
“Yes,” nodded Valdo. “Lorenna, she is Romni. I am Rom. We talk when we wish. No gajo can stop us.”
Jerwyn was on his feet, his fists clenched. For a moment, he glared threateningly at Valdo. Then, loosening his hands, he picked up his half-smoked cigarette and indulged in angry puffs. Valdo watched him smiling.
“I don’t like this sneaky business, Valdo.” asserted Jerwyn. “Lorenna is working for me. The deal is between us — between you and me. Come to me when you want information.”
“And suppose you do not give it?” questioned Valdo. “What do I do then?”
“You wait.” ordered Jerwyn. Then in a pacifying tone: “Look here, Valdo. I’ve got twenty grand at stake, maybe thirty now. I want to collect it — through you. That’s plain, isn’t it?”
“Certainly,” agreed Valdo.
“All right,” snorted Jerwyn. “Meanwhile, you come along and talk to Lorenna. What are you trying to do — double-cross me? Learn what you want — and pay nothing?”
“You will get the money,” assured Valdo. “I have given you my word. Among the Rom, promises are kept — but it is not always so with the gaje.”
There was a warning in the gypsy’s tone. Jerwyn was momentarily perturbed; then, with a note of apology, he resumed an injured voice.
“I trust you, Valdo,” he wheedled. “You must trust me. I shall tell you why I did not wish to talk about the topaz pendant. Lorenna saw it — only tonight; but she did not learn where it came from.
“It was worn by a girl named Shirley Laustin. She told Lorenna that her father gave it to her. She added that her father bought it from another man. She did not know his name.
“I’ve been looking up facts on Howard Laustin, the girl’s father.” Jerwyn pointed to the files that he had taken from the cabinet. “I’ve got him listed. I keep records on anybody that Lorenna may meet when she gives readings. He’s a retired manufacturer, Laustin is; that’s all I’ve found out about him.