lot on Sixtieth Street, right next to the old Zenith Apartments. From there, she
always takes a cab. So it ought to be easy to grab her.
"But remember: Tell Pinkey there's to be no rough stuff. He's not going to
know where I am, tonight, and if I hear that this dame gets hurt, it's going to
go bad with Pinkey! He and I made a deal; tell him to remember it."
A few minutes later, Maude was on her way to the front door, wearing her hat and coat. Beth met her, asked if she intended to go into New York.
"You can come with me, Maude," suggested Beth. "I'm leaving in just a few minutes."
"Thanks, Beth," returned Maude, "But I can't wait. Not even one minute."
Maude's smile told much to Beth, even though it didn't give the details.
Beth's tone was sweet softly:
"The message solved everything?"
Maude nodded, happily. She gave Beth's hand a squeeze, then hurried out into the darkness.
MEANWHILE, Maude's message had reached its destination. In the hide-out, Pinkey repeated the details to Slick and Bugs, chiefly for the latter's benefit.
"It's your job, Bugs," said Pinkey. "Get up there to the parking lot and grab that doll in a hurry. And remember: no rough stuff. We ain't taking chances on Maude making trouble.
"Take the dame down to Ondrey's. Let him look out for her. The office is a
good place for him to keep her; and Ondrey has enough sense to make her know we
won't hurt her.
"Tell him to give her a feed, if she's hungry; and if he hears from Maude,
to let her know that everything's being done in style. Dames are soft to handle,
if you kid 'em right."
Bugs left the hideout. There was a thug in the hall; he growled for the fellow to come along. Pinkey and Slick heard the hoodlum follow him. A few minutes later, Pinkey and Slick stole out of the lair.
On their way through the alley, Pinkey undertoned remarks regarding their next step.
"We'll handle it together," he declared. "Only, this time, I'll spill my real moniker; but you're still Bill Quaine. The more we tell old Jondran, the better, provided we keep that part of the story straight."
They had neared a parked car. Slick gave a sudden shift; a quick exclamation.
"What's up?" snapped Pinkey.
Slick turned a flashlight toward a wall beside the alley. The glow showed nothing more than bricks.
"It was like some guy nudged me!"
"There's nobody here," rasped Pinkey. "Better take a look around, though.
There's one guy we don't want to meet. That's The Shadow!"
Pinkey was stepping toward the car when Slick flashed the light back into the alleyway. He saw something; made a pounce. Pinkey scrambled from the car in
time to hear the thud of a slugging gun; the clatter of a person in the alley.
Pinkey's oval flashlight beamed; his gun was leveled, but he lowered it a moment later when he saw the face of Slick Thurley. Stepping out to meet the big-shot, Slick beckoned.
"Douse your glim, Pinkey," suggested Slick. "We won't need it. I fixed the
snooper!"
Slick led the way back, turning his flashlight on a huddled man whose hat was bashed over his eyes. The fellow lay face downward, his shoulders so hunched that Slick found it difficult to turn the flashlight on his features.
Even then, he managed only a partial view of the man's profile; and Pinkey
saw no more than the fellow's chin.
"He ain't The Shadow," assured Slick. "Maybe he's some snooper The Shadow sent here; but even that ain't likely. I'd say he was just a guy that showed up
where he wasn't wanted."
"Yeah," agreed Pinkey. "He probably saw Bugs and the crew sneaking out of here, and thought he'd find out where they came from. Leave him lay, Slick.
We're in a hurry. What's more, we're never coming back to this hide-out.
A FEW minutes after Pinkey and his companion had driven away, there was a stir from the inner reaches of the alley. A flashlight glimmered; the tiny torch was The Shadow's. The beam reached the slugged man who lay in the alley
-
a relic of the brief fight staged by Slick Thurley.
The huddled form was senseless. Who the man was; how he had come here, were questions that did not seem to trouble The Shadow. He simply extinguished his flashlight, lifted the victim from the cobblestones and carried the man across his shoulder.
Soft mockery came from The Shadow lips, as he lugged the senseless burden from the alleyway. That tone was edged with prophecy - one that crooks would not have liked, if they had heard it.
Both Pinkey Findlen and Slick Thurley were later to regret this brief episode in which they had figured.
The Shadow knew!
CHAPTER XVIII
CRIME'S CAPTIVE
THE first stop on Pinkey's route was the Bubble Club; and for a very important reason. Ondrey was in the office; he looked pleased when he saw Pinkey and Slick step from the elevator. Ondrey started at once to open the safe, while Pinkey made a suggestion:
"Take a gander outside, Slick. See if there's any phonies in the night club. Don't show yourself much. We don't want any guys saying they saw Bill Quaine here."
Ondrey's safe bulged with swag from previous crimes, for this was where crooks stored their profits. Whenever Ondrey opened it in Pinkey's presence, he
always let the big-shot see him handle the combination.
That was one reason why Pinkey had sent Slick out to look around. But there were eyes, tonight, that saw Ondrey manipulate the dial; other eyes than those of Pinkey Findlen. The Shadow was atop the elevator, watching through the
panel.
Ondrey produced two envelopes; both were opened. Pinkey was going over the
contents, when he saw Slick return. He showed the envelopes to the man who looked like Bill Quaine.
"This is the one we keep," said Pinkey. "The other, with the mark on it, goes to Jondran."
Slick nodded. Then: "You're going to let me handle them?"
"Sure thing," returned Pinkey. "You're supposed to be the copper, ain't you? All right, let's go."
They were starting for the elevator when Ondrey said something about Bugs Hopton. Pinkey stroked his chin. "We'll wait a couple of minutes," decided Pinkey, "just in case we hear from Bugs."
Slick stood half in the elevator, so close, that The Shadow could have reached down to touch him. Pinkey remained chatting with Ondrey. A few minutes passed; impatient, Pinkey decided to get started, when the phone bell tingled.
It was Bugs. Ondrey turned the telephone over to Pinkey.
"It was a pipe!" Pinkey heard Bugs declare, eagerly. "The moll didn't even
know what it was about! The guy in the parking lot had gone across the street to
get a sandwich; so we just grabbed the skirt and shoved her into our own bus."
"Where's the car now?" demanded Pinkey.
"Our bus?" questioned Bugs. "A couple of blocks away, outside the store where I'm phoning from. We left the moll's fancy boat up in the parking lot."
"That part wasn't smart. Never mind, though. We can cover it later. Get her down here in a hurry."
Pinkey told the others how Bugs had made out; but he added that he and Slick weren't going to wait for Beth's arrival. Pinkey summed it with the comment:
"You can handle the soft soap, Ondrey. Me and Slick are the guys that will
use the heat. Only, we're working on the old man."
WHEN the pair had gone, Ondrey went out for a look around the night club.
He wasn't trusting Slick's report, that all had been well there. But Ondrey came back, smiling broadly.
Though there were a good many strangers present, all looked to be the sort
who were out for a good time. None of them appeared to be headquarters men; or the sort of snoopers that Ondrey fancied would serve The Shadow.