CHAPTER XVI
THE SHADOW ORDERS
IT was several minutes before Carter Boswick had recovered from the shock that had gripped him. The sight of his cousin, here by the cabin, after all others had fled, was something that he could hardly believe. Even though Harry Vincent was anxious to get back to the front of the cabin, he waited for Carter to regain his nerve.
“Brace up, old fellow,” pleaded Harry. “I know how you feel. You wouldn’t mind shooting down a pack of gunmen face to face — but your cousin, on the run—”
“It’s not that alone,” responded Carter. “It’s bad enough for him to have been in the mess; but to find him lurking, like a snake, ready to strike.”
“Maybe he didn’t have a chance to get away,” smoothed Harry. “He didn’t attack you when you came around the cabin.”
“Lost his nerve,” said Carter gruffly. “That’s about the size of it, Harry. I feel steady now. Let’s go.”
Events had happened during the interim while Carter and Harry had been behind the house. Bodies of dead gangsters remained in view; but the wounded ones had managed to crawl to the cover of the woods.
This perturbed Harry for the moment; then he realized that pot shots from that distance would be futile. The mobsmen had been so completely routed that there was no danger of their return.
The two defenders went into the cabin. Carter turned on an oil lamp in the main room. He stopped and pointed to an old table. An object lying upon it had caught his immediate attention.
“Look!” he exclaimed. “Who left that there?”
The object was a large envelope, propped on end against a tin of tobacco. Harry picked it up and opened it. He recognized the clear blue ink and coded writing of The Shadow. Carter stared over Harry’s shoulder and gasped as he saw the words begin to disappear.
“What is it?” he questioned.
“A message from my chief,” responded Harry quietly. “It tells us what to do.”
“You mean from — from whomever it was who opened fire from the woods? Say! Has he been here, too?”
“Apparently. Come on, Carter, let’s get going! We’ll talk about it on the way to my car.”
Packing some of their belongings, Harry and Carter strode out into the clearing. Harry maintained silence while they looked over the field of battle. Five mobsmen lay dead — among them was Twister Edmonds, whom neither knew.
“There must have been more than a dozen of them,” remarked Carter. “If we figure five dead, and at least the same number wounded, they were pretty well mopped up.”
THE two men reached the woods and advanced cautiously, using a flashlight as a guide. They had brought only essential luggage, so were not heavily burdened. Both were on the alert for hidden enemies.
“Where are we bound?” questioned Carter.
“To Summit Lake,” answered Harry. “Town just over the Wisconsin line. Hotel there — that’s where we’ll stop.”
“In these outfits?”
Carter was referring to khaki knickers and leather puttees which both were wearing.
“Why not?” asked Harry. “This is primitive country. They won’t refuse to admit us at the Summit Lake Hotel. If we—” He stopped abruptly and skimmed his flashlight in wide circles, revealing a myriad of clustered tree trunks.
“Hear anything?” questioned Carter.
“I thought so,” responded Harry. “Move along easy.”
He extinguished the light, and the pair went silently forward. The night had clouded, and it was quite dark. After twenty or thirty yards, Harry stopped Carter with a grip, and waited before he again turned on the light.
“Keep listening,” said Harry grimly. “Some of that mob may still be around. I thought I heard something moving off in the dark among the trees. I think we’re clear now.”
“Over the Wisconsin line,” mused Carter softly. “That’s not far south of here, is it? Say — I didn’t think this northern peninsula of Michigan was so far up.
“It’s a strip between Wisconsin and Lake Superior,” reminded Harry. Then, with a laugh: “We’ve both been doing a good bit of map reading lately.”
Carter’s thoughts reverted to Harry’s plans. He knew that this trip to Summit Lake must be in response to instructions left by The Shadow. The idea of abandoning the cabin was now becoming distasteful to him. He had a feeling of mistrust, awakened by his chance discovery of Drew Westling. Harry sensed Carter’s uneasiness.
“We’ll be back,” said Harry, in a confidential tone. “It’s best to be away. Now that The— that my chief is here, we’ll begin to get results. Leave it to him for the time being, Carter.”
“All right,” agreed Carter. “We need a change for a day, anyway. That was a tough ordeal tonight.”
They reached the spot where they had left the coupe and found the car untouched. Harry took the wheel, and the journey began. Both riders felt an immediate fatigue; but Carter Boswick retained enough initiative to begin a cautious questioning regarding Harry’s mysterious chief.
Under the present circumstances, and in accordance with a notation that he had read in The Shadow’s message, Harry replied with a more detailed explanation. It was essential that he should retain Carter Boswick’s confidence; and with millions at stake, it was natural that Carter should have qualms.
IN brief phrases Harry mentioned the strange part that The Shadow played in the affairs of the underworld. A man who moved by night, a lone wolf arrayed on the side of justice, this weird being could strike terror into the evil hearts of the most hardened crime masters.
The Shadow, Harry stated, was a man of many capabilities. Even as his agent, Harry did not know The Shadow’s abode. He had been rescued from hopeless predicaments by The Shadow’s intervention. In fact, his acquaintance with The Shadow had begun when he had been snatched from the brink of death by the being whose will he now obeyed.
Harry’s words might have sounded fanciful to any but Carter Boswick. But with the recent demonstration still vivid in Carter’s mind, there was no doubt of The Shadow’s power.
Carter was still mulling over the amazing events and linking them with his remarkable escapes in Havana and aboard the Southern Star, when the coupe rolled into the outskirts of Summit Lake.
Harry and Carter not only found the Summit Lake Hotel to be an excellent one; but they also discovered that their garb was an accepted form of attire. Harry and Carter obtained adjoining rooms.
It was after three o’clock, but all-night card sessions were in progress. The two arrivals decided to stroll about a bit before retiring. Their nerves needed quieting after the excitement of this night.
On the veranda of the hotel, they finished a belated pipe smoke, and finally went inside. The period of vigilance had ended, and the change was a welcome relief. This was the very thought that Harry expressed to Carter, who had agreed.
Both were wrong. While they were going up to their rooms, another car was stopping outside the door of the Summit Lake Hotel. A new guest cautiously ascended to the veranda, and peered inside before entering. This newcomer grinned as he inscribed his name upon the register, and noted the signature of Carter Boswick.
For the new guest was none other than Stacks Lodi. He was one of the few who had scurried to safety in time to escape The Shadow’s fire. He had been hiding among the trees when Harry Vincent and Carter Boswick had passed. He had heard the reference to the Summit Lake Hotel.
In the woods, Stacks had been afraid to attack two men alone. Here, in a crowded hotel, he was also unable to act. But he had brought himself upon the definite mission of trailing these men whose lives Hub Rowley wanted.