The Shadow donned cloak and slouch hat. He laid his coat and fedora against the terrace, with the briefcase upon them. They marked the right location, and would prove useful later; for The Shadow had ordered an aid to join him here. His telephone call from Charing Cross had been received by Harry Vincent, at the Addingham Hotel.
Harry’s job was to watch the front of the building, to see if persons entered. If they did, Harry was to come to the side and signal from the spot where he found the hat and coat that The Shadow had worn as Cranston. For The Shadow intended to pay a visit to the rajah’s sumptuous living room. He could take care of himself within; but he needed to avoid intrusion from outside.
BY this time, Harry must have arrived, despite the thickness of the fog. The Shadow decided not to linger. Pressing close against the wall, he gripped the roughened stone and crept upward like a mammoth beetle. His toes dug into depressed surfaces during the climb. Though the course would have been precarious for the average climber, The Shadow proved himself a veritable human fly. He reached a window of the second floor.
A catch yielded as The Shadow probed between the sections of a heavy sash. The window slid upward, noiselessly. High and old-fashioned, the opened window provided a four-foot space. With gloved hands, The Shadow slowly reached through and parted the thick, velvet curtains that hung within.
The living room was bathed in mellow light that came from table lamps. Those fixtures were the only modern fittings in an Oriental room. The place was empty, yet its subdued glow seemed foreboding.
Nevertheless, The Shadow entered. He let the curtains close behind him.
The end door was provided with draperies; it was behind those hangings that the rajah must have stood when he heard Delka question Ranworthy. Gliding in that direction, The Shadow peered through the curtains and spied an empty, dimly lighted hall. No one was about; neither the rajah nor his Hindu servants.
The Shadow stalked back into the living room. He eyed the outer door that led in from the outer hall.
After that glance, he began to look about him. The Shadow had not forgotten the veiled challenge issued by the Rajah of Delapore. The rajah had mentioned jewels, hidden somewhere in this room. The Shadow had caught a peculiar note in the rajah’s expression of self-confidence. It had been enough to arouse his doubts. There was a chance that the rajah had no jewels. That constituted an important point in the present issue. Hence, The Shadow had come here to learn the exact state of the rajah’s wealth.
Keen reasoning backed the method which The Shadow used in his prompt search for a hiding-place. He was confident that there could be no hidden wall space, for the rajah had merely rented this apartment.
Similarly, The Shadow rejected the many Oriental objects that stood about the living room. Those were the obvious furnishings that an intruder would search.
INCONSPICUOUS about the room were the lamps that provided the mild illumination. These were useful, rather than ornamental. They were objects that no thief would want. For that very reason, The Shadow studied the table lamps. He spied one that was not illuminated. Approaching the lamp, The Shadow discovered that its cord was not attached to the wall.
The lamp had a wooden base; set upon that was a brass ball, some four inches in diameter. The sphere supported a miniature lion, upright, with its paws upon a brass shield. A rod straight up from the lion’s head supported a lamp shade that resembled an inverted bowl of glass.
The lower ball was flattened at the top, to serve as a level base for the ferocious-looking brass lion.
Eyeing that portion of the fixture, The Shadow became immediately active. Gripping the lion with one hand, the sphere with the other, he began a reverse twist.
His assumption was that the portions of the fixture screwed together; that the thread would be a left-hand one, to deceive any one who guessed the fact. The surmise proved correct. The lion came free from the brass ball.
Glimmers showed within the sphere. Tilting the lamp base, The Shadow caused the contents to trickle to a thick pad which rested on the table. A shimmering array of jewels spread about. The Shadow had uncovered the rajah’s cache.
Examining the jewels, The Shadow saw stones of red, others of blue. Rubies and sapphires. Then he spied glittering gems of green; large emeralds among the other stones. Carefully, The Shadow dropped some of the gems back into the spherical container. They landed without noise, for the interior was padded.
There was a dullness about the stones that another investigator might have attributed to the gloomy light.
Not so The Shadow. He knew why these gems lacked lustre. The final proof came when he had completed the operation of replacement. The gems bulged from the ball; it was necessary to press them into packed formation in order to screw back the upper portion of the lamp.
These reputed jewels were paste, imitation stones that had been provided in proper quantity to jam tightly in the container, so that they would not rattle. The Rajah of Delapore had bluffed about bringing jewels to London; yet he had been wise enough to back that bluff with these false treasures that would deceive the average person who viewed them.
WHAT was the rajah’s game?
The Shadow replaced the upper portion of the table lamp; then began a brief consideration of the factors.
There was more to this than the present bluff. If the rajah wanted to impress persons with the fact that he had jewels, he would have logically exhibited the false stones; at least, with caution.
Instead, he was guarding these fake gems as carefully as if they were real ones. Upon making that discovery, The Shadow had been faced with an entirely new problem that concerned the motives of the Rajah of Delapore.
While The Shadow still pondered, a sound came to his ears. It was from below the opened window — a low, subdued whistle. Harry Vincent’s call. The agent had arrived; he must have seen some one enter the front of the building. It was time for The Shadow to leave.
At present, The Shadow was at the innermost corner of the room. To reach the window; it was necessary for him to pass in front of the curtained doorway that led to the inner apartments. The Shadow started his journey; then stopped suddenly. A key was clicking in the outer door. It was too late to depart.
Quickly, The Shadow stopped by the hanging draperies of the inner doorway. They were thick curtains like those at the window, double in their formation. Opening the front portion of a curtain, The Shadow edged between. He stopped when his body was half obscured. He did not want to allow a bulge that might be seen from the inner hall, should a servant appear from that direction.
The door had opened. The Rajah of Delapore appeared and closed the barrier behind him. He was clad in Oriental attire; but his present garb was quiet, rather than resplendent. It lacked the decorations of the clothes in which The Shadow had previously seen him.
Looking about the room, the rajah gave a frown; then clapped his hands. The sound must have carried, for The Shadow immediately heard footsteps in the inner hall. Barkhir came past the curtains, not noticing The Shadow. The servant salaamed when he saw his master.
“You have been keeping watch, Barkhir?” queried the rajah, his tone severe.
“Yes, highness,” assured Barkhir. “Soon Sanghar will replace me.”
This reference was to the other servant. The rajah put an immediate question:
“Where is Sanghar?”
“He sleeps,” replied Barkhir. “Shall I awaken him, highness?”
“Not at present. First, tell me if Mr. Canonby called by the telephone.”
“He did, highness. One hour ago. He said that he would expect a return call from your highness.”
“Good. I expected to be here, but the fog delayed me. Remain here, Barkhir, while I call Canonby. He is at home, I suppose. He would not be at the jewelry shop at this hour.”