Harry tore the blank paper in half; then in quarters. He threw the pieces in the wastebasket. Taking the telephone, he called up another hotel. He was connected with Stuart Bruxton's room.
"We're taking a trip, today," said Harry. "Let's get started as soon as possible. It may mean some interesting business. Are you ready?" There was an affirmative answer. One hour later, a coupe was speeding along the road from Baltimore to Philadelphia. Harry Vincent was the driver. Beside him, Stuart Bruxton was listening intently to what his companion had to say.
The murder of Grant Chadwick was the subject of discussion.
Did this crime have a bearing on the adventures which Stuart had encountered? Was it connected with the murder of Wallace Powell? Could the unsolved death of Grant Chadwick be solved?
Only The Shadow knew!
Chapter IX — The Shadow at Work
Rutledge Mann was busy in his finely furnished investment office. His mind was not on stocks and bonds. Instead, he was studying a mass of newspaper clippings and typewritten reports. It was after dusk, and the skyline of busy Manhattan formed a glowing spectacle from Mann's window. But the quiet, deliberate investment broker had no time for enjoying such a view. He was centered entirely upon the work before him.
His friends knew Rutledge Mann as a person whose business was securities. Actually, Mann was a most important and dependable agent of the mystery man called The Shadow.
Here, in this comfortable office, he assembled data and compiled reports in a methodical and efficient manner. The material upon which he was now engaged formed a most interesting problem. It had been gained from numerous sources, and important portions of it had been supplied by agents of The Shadow.
Upon one sheet, Mann had compiled notations in reference to Herbert Brockley. To the police, the death of the wealthy American had become a closed issue. Three Apaches had been implicated in Brockley's murder. Two had been killed while resisting capture. They had died at the hands of Parisian gendarmes. The third was a fugitive in France. But to Rutledge Mann, the matter of Brockley's death was not ended.
The investment broker was marking down facts in reference to Herbert Brockley's history. Briefly, Brockley had been successful in business in New York, and it had not been difficult to trace his contacts. A list of a dozen names comprised the persons with whom he had, at one time or another, had definite dealings.
Outstanding in that list was the name of Sherwood Mayo, the multimillionaire. Brockley and Mayo had been associates in certain mining enterprises, some years before. Details were meager, but they showed a definite connection between the two men. Rutledge Mann drew a line under Mayo's name.
There was apparently no reason why he should choose that one particular name from the list, unless he might have been impressed by Mayo's wealth.
The reason became evident, however, when Mann picked up another sheet that was headed with the name of U. Grant Chadwick.
There were only a few names here; and one of them was that of Sherwood Mayo. Mann had made notations. These stated that Grant Chadwick and the multimillionaire had at one time been partners in the manufacture of safes; but that Mayo had branched out on his own.
The company which Mayo now controlled — the Mayo Safe Lock Co. - was a dominating concern in the industry. The original company — the Holyoke Safe Manufactory — was still in business, and it was assumed that Grant Chadwick had retained a large share of the original stock. Mann took pains to mention that shares of Holyoke stock were not available, although they had been sought by purchasers. The concern, although small, held rights to important patents, some of recent issue, and did a profitable business on that account.
The coincidence of Sherwood Mayo's name on both lists made that name conspicuous.
The importance of the matter became still more noticeable when Rutledge Mann referred to the data that concerned Denby Chadwick.
Here, the investment broker had a mass of facts, for newspaper clippings were in abundance, and there were also records that had come in that day from Harry Vincent.
From these records, Mann wrote his report.
Denby Chadwick's position with the Mayo Safe Lock Co. was gained through his connection with Sherwood Mayo. Denby Chadwick has had varied sales experience. He obtained the job as manager of the Philadelphia office of Mayo's company less than a year ago.
He probably used his uncle's name to secure the position. The fact that Grant Chadwick and Sherwood Mayo were once associated in business is significant. Inquiry has shown that the
Mayo Safe Lock Co. pays large royalties annually to the Holyoke Safe Manufactory for use of patented appliances. This shows an indirect business relationship still existing between Grant Chadwick and Sherwood Mayo.
Investigation by Harry Vincent (data inclosed) states that Denby Chadwick showed incompetence on previous jobs and that his present position was a great jump over anything he did before. It is assumed that influence had everything to do with his appointment in his present capacity.
As if in corroboration, Mann referred to a report marked by Harry Vincent. He nodded as he read a paragraph:
Denby Chadwick spends very little time in the office. Stuart Bruxton has been in three times, trying to make a business appointment with him. He has been unsuccessful.
Charles Brady, the assistant manager, handles practically all of the business.
The excuse is given that Chadwick is busy settling the affairs of his uncle's estate, and that the old man's death has been so great a strain upon him that he has been unable to come to the office.
But this is only a pretext, as the stenographer stated twice that Chadwick never came into the office before noon, and that sometimes he did not come in at all.
The one point that filled Rutledge Mann with perplexity was the situation that existed between Denby Chadwick and his uncle at the time of the old man's death. It was obvious that the two had disagreed about something, although it could not have been extremely serious.
Denby Chadwick had lived at the old house for several years. Grant Chadwick was his only relation. The old man was eccentric, and his frugality must have been annoying to Denby.
The uncle, in turn, had evidently regarded Denby as a ne'er-do-well up until the time when the young man had obtained his position with the Mayo Safe Lock Co.
It was after that time that Denby Chadwick had abandoned his uncle's home. Perhaps the young man had felt an independence in his new position, and had taken advantage of his new circumstances to depart from an environment that had always been distasteful to him.
Whatever the situation, it could not have been serious, for Denby Chadwick was sole legatee to his uncle's estate. This announcement had been made by Egbert Cromwell, the Philadelphia attorney who managed the affairs of Grant Chadwick.
The estate was now in the course of settlement, and Denby Chadwick had come into considerable wealth — the exact amount unknown.
Rutledge Mann sat back in his swivel chair and smiled languidly as he looked toward the ceiling. It was not his business to deal in theory. His duty was to assemble facts.
At the same time, The Shadow placed no restrictions on his agent's reports. They were allowed to express themselves in any way they chose. Hence, Mann, as a matter of custom, was indulging in speculation on these strange connections.
He was convinced that blackmail was at the bottom of the whole matter. Herbert Brockley had gone abroad to escape some threat or menace.
In Paris, Brockley had been befriended by Wallace Powell. He had given some information — in the form of documents — to Powell. That information may have concerned himself; it probably concerned others also.