Eleanor was in the portrait room. She had gone there because she could not linger in the hallway. The girl was about to leave, when she saw the door move inward. Fascinated, she watched a streak of blackness form a silhouette along the floor.
A moment later, a cloaked figure had entered. For the first time, Eleanor saw the full outline of The Shadow. The slouch hat hid his face; but the darkness that it cast was like a background for the burning eyes that Eleanor had viewed before.
The Shadow approached. His lips spoke in their steady whisper. The words that Eleanor heard held her breathless. The Shadow had expected to find her in this room, he had reserved final statements until this meeting. What Eleanor heard left her in total amazement. Only the touch of cold steel in her hand awakened her.
The Shadow had given Eleanor a loaded automatic of small caliber. His words told that the gun would be needed.
"You have heard -"
Eleanor nodded at that final statement. Firmly, the girl said:
"I understand. I believe you. I shall be ready."
Leaving the portrait room, Eleanor put the gun in a pocket of her dress. She did not return to that lower room until eight o'clock, when Cardona arrived with the headquarters men. Eleanor was a bit qualmish, for the servants had been on constant duty. No one could have left the portrait room.
Yet the room was empty; so were the side alcoves when Cardona and his men inspected them. The Shadow was gone. Where he had gone and how, Eleanor could not imagine. She knew, though, that The Shadow would return after Henshew and Shark had both arrived.
The scene was set for trapping men of crime.
CHAPTER XXII. THE TRAP SPRINGS
NINE o'clock found Chanbury and Eleanor in the portrait room, seated placidly among the painted faces that stared from every wall. A servant arrived to announce Henshew. Chanbury took advantage of the last minute to reassure Eleanor.
"Remember," he said, in a tone of highest compliment, "I am relying on your bravery to help snare Henshew. I shall keep you here as long as possible to make the fellow show his hand.
"If it proves impossible, you can leave. In that case, go directly to the second floor, where all the servants are. They will look out for you, Eleanor."
The girl was busy at the typewriter when Henshew arrived. The machine was a noiseless one but the jewel broker noticed Eleanor. For a moment, he appeared annoyed; then his expression became a smiling one.
Henshew liked the set-up. Only one servant was on duty, a sleepy fellow who had come from the second floor to answer the doorbell. With Eleanor present, it seemed certain that Chanbury could expect no trouble.
"Too bad about Tyrune," expressed Henshew. "The chap looked bad when I saw him last night. He stopped at my apartment, you know, right after Meglo attempted his robbery."
"Tell me about the attack," suggested Chanbury. "Didn't you lose anything of value?"
"A few items." Henshew's tone had a significance that Chanbury could take any way he liked. "Nothing, though, that I felt necessary to mention to the police."
"Then the jewels -"
Henshew gave a warning shrug; looked toward Eleanor, who was still busy at the typewriter. Chanbury smiled and nodded.
"I forgot," remarked Chanbury. "You told me that you keep all valuable gems at your office."
"Yes." Henshew reached into his pocket. "I brought along a few special items that may interest you."
THE jewels that Henshew displayed upon the desk were new ones; a topaz setting that he pronounced as something of rare value, some amethysts that were fine specimens, but not uncommon.
Examining the gems, Chanbury guessed that Henshew was stalling for time. He tested the jeweler.
"I have never seen these before," said Chanbury.
"Quite naturally," returned Henshew, smoothly. "You have never been to my office to inspect my gems. I do not make a practice of taking stones elsewhere. Except in a few instances; then I never carry many."
The present case supported Henshew's statement. The gems that he had with him were worth a few thousand dollars at best.
"I expect a call from the office," added Henshew, eyeing Chanbury cannily. "They will keep open late, if I say the word. Perhaps you would like to go there tonight."
"Tomorrow would be better -"
The telephone interrupted Chanbury. He reached for it; heard a high voice inquire for Mr. Henshew.
Chanbury passed over the telephone. Henshew spoke his name; the voice inquired:
"Are you coming back to the office, Mr. Henshew?"
"Back to the office?" repeated Henshew. "No, not tonight. If you want me again, I shall be here for a while."
That call was from Shark, another fact that Chanbury had guessed. The art collector listened indulgently while Henshew discussed the merits of the topaz settings. Each passing minute showed a tightness of Henshew's tone, until the visitor noted that Chanbury's desk clock had reached half past nine.
Leaning across the desk, Henshew stated in a tone loud enough for Eleanor to hear:
"Regarding those uncut diamonds, Chanbury. I should like to see them again. I feel that I may have underpriced them."
Chanbury produced the chamois bag. Henshew examined the diamonds as he spread them on the desk.
"Worth much more," he declared. "I might be prepared to pay you four hundred thousand dollars for them."
"But what about your gems?" queried Chanbury. "I still want to buy them."
Henshew made no further attempt to stall.
"Those jewels were stolen," he declared. "It is all right for you to know it, Chanbury, but it would ruin my business if people learned that I had been foolish enough to keep them in my apartment. They are gone!"
"All of them?" Chanbury whipped out his penciled list. "All these that I jotted down from memory?"
Henshew's eyes stared at the list. For a few seconds his lips showed an ugliness that he usually concealed. Changing his manner, Henshew passed back the list and acknowledged:
"They were stolen, all of them. By Shark Meglo."
"I thought so!" Chanbury came to his feet. "Henshew, that is just what I wanted to hear you say. I have a witness - Miss Merwood - who has heard everything you stated. You have told so much that you can afford to tell more. I know, at last, that those jewels were the ones that belonged to Hugo Silsam!"
HENSHEW had risen also. He was stepping toward the door; but he was not disconcerted. Instead, he delivered a harsh laugh which ended with the chortled comment:
"I have a witness, also! One who can speak for himself. Shark Meglo!"
Henshew hauled the door open. On the threshold stood Shark, a trio of trigger-men behind him. Those three men were the only thugs that Shark had been able to muster; but Shark's contemptuous look showed that he thought he had all the men he needed.
Entering, Shark covered Chanbury with a big revolver, and nudged to a follower, who swung a gun toward Eleanor.
"Take it easy, Shark," suggested Henshew. "The way it's going, I might as well leave first. I can talk to the servant when I go out. Hold the fireworks until I've gained a head start."
"Sure!" agreed Shark. "Go build your alibi. We'll fix the flunky afterwards. There was nobody around when we came through, so why leave anybody that might squawk?"
With a narrow look at Chanbury, Shark stepped closer to the desk and picked up the uncut diamonds, to pass them to Henshew.
"You handle these," suggested the killer. "Nobody will know the dif. Keep 'em in your safe-deposit vault, along with the dough. I'll lam tonight; you can ship me my cut later -"
In turning toward Henshew, Shark let his gun swing slightly away from Chanbury. The thug who was covering Eleanor was telling a pal that the girl was a swell-looking dame, but that he didn't mind croaking a moll. No time could be better for the law's thrust. It came.