“The same,” returned the entrant. “Who are you?”
VIC closed the outer door. At the same moment, the obscure door near the inner end of the room again moved until it was slightly ajar. The Shadow was once more listening in to what happened here.
Vic Marquette was drawing back his coat lapel. Cady saw the glitter of the secret-service badge, and nodded his understanding.
“My name’s Marquette,” announced Vic. “I’m here on an important job — and I need your help.”
“Shoot,” said Cady, quietly picking out a chair.
“I’m after a couple of counterfeiters,” declared Marquette. “Two men — Cyrus Barbier and Tony Cumo. One’s an old, stoop-shouldered bird; the other’s an Italian. They ought to be easy to spot; but I haven’t found them.”
Vic drew a sheet from his pocket, and read off detailed descriptions of the men. Cady listened. The Shadow listened also. He had heard of these names through Harry Vincent’s report, but he had not been informed of the men’s activities, nor of their actual appearance.
“You think they are in New Avalon?” questioned Cady.
“Maybe,” vouchsafed Vic.
“Why didn’t you let us know about them?” queried Cady.
“I’ll tell you why,” said Vic. “These fellows are clever. They slipped out ahead of me in New York. They’re shrewd enough to get wise when a police hunt starts. That’s why I called you — and not headquarters.”
“Why me?”
“I study things when I’m in a town, Cady. I learned that you’re a pretty keen detective. One that goes about his own business. I was ready to give up tonight; then I decided to call you before I quit.
“I’ve been doing a lot of searching in this town — going to the types of places where I figured these birds would hang out. But I’ve had no luck. It struck me that you might steer me to some spot where I could locate them.”
“What did these men do in New York — I mean, what was their blind while they were counterfeiting?”
“Barbier ran a brass shop. Tony Cumo hung around the place.”
“Humph. Maybe they’ve landed a job up at the silverware plant.”
“I thought of that,” said Vic. “I was up there, and I watched the workers going in and out. No sign of either man that I wanted. They’ve got to live somewhere, Cady.”
“Did you took into that little settlement up by the Kendall plant?”
“No,” said Vic in surprise, “I saw some houses near the place, but I didn’t think anything about them.”
“Quite a number of the employees live there,” informed Cady. “You can only see a few of the houses from the plant. The rest are off in back of the hill.”
“Say — that’s an idea! I’m glad I called you, Cady. I’ll stay over and go up there tomorrow.”
Cady shook his head thoughtfully.
“You’d be up against it, Marquette,” he said. “The place is well policed by Kendall’s men. If you told them who you were, it would be all right; but since you appear to be keeping your identity a secret—”
“I see,” interposed Vic. “They’d be apt to question me.”
“That’s it,” declared Cady. “But my case is different. I could go up there tomorrow and do some real work. The special police know me. I drop around there right along. Suppose I see if there’s any one up there answering the description you have given? If there is, I’ll notify you.”
“I’d appreciate it,” said Vic warmly. “But remember this; you’re acting unofficially. I don’t want anything to be known until we can lay the finger on these men — if they are still in New Avalon. When we have located them, we’ll go after them; and I can give you my word that Donald Cady will get the proper credit for landing a pair of wanted counterfeiters.”
“You’ll need the help of our local force?”
“Yes — when I’m ready. This business of tracking down counterfeiters is a tough one. When those fellows blew from New York, they had baggage with them. Chances are that they’ve carried along their dies. They were knocking out nickels in New York, and I have samples of the phony coins.”
“I’ll take a look up toward the settlement tomorrow morning,” assured Cady, now convinced that Marquette was offering him a remarkable opportunity to gain credit for detective work. “Where will you be?”
“In and out of this hotel,” responded Vic. “Remember now — not a word to any one until you talk to me; that is, if you think you’ve located the men I want.”
Cady was nodding as he turned to leave the room. Vic Marquette accompanied the local sleuth into the hallway; their voices dwindled, and it became apparent that Vic had gone down in the elevator to the lobby.
The door opened and The Shadow entered. A soft whisper came from lips and were concealed by the upturned collar of the crimson-lined cloak. Vic Marquette had sought aid; he had gained the assistance of Detective Donald Cady; he had revealed the game that he was playing.
The Shadow knew now the game in which others were engaged. With his knowledge of Silk Elverton’s connection with Foulkrod Kendall, the man of mystery was directly on the trail of crime.
Detective Cady would act tomorrow.
The Shadow, too, would act!
CHAPTER XIV
THE GIVEAWAY
EARLY the next evening, Detective Donald Cady dined in a little lunch wagon located in the settlement near Foulkrod Kendall’s factory. The sleuth chatted with the man behind the counter, and also talked with a man who was seated on another stool.
Browsing around in this vicinity was part of Cady’s duty. There was nothing surprising in the occurrence. When trouble started at the settlement, the New Avalon police were always summoned by Kendall’s private officers. Hence, Cady had made it a practice to check up on conditions at regular intervals.
Tonight, Cady was playing a careful game. The detective felt a keen sense of responsibility, since he had agreed to work in behalf of Vic Marquette. His stroll about the settlement had been carefully planned. His inquiries had been neatly worded. The upshot had been satisfactory results.
Cady had learned that two new night workers were living in a little cottage on the outskirts of the settlement. No one seemed to know much about these men. It was supposed that they went on duty after eight o’clock. Hence Cady, as he finished his repast, was planning to watch that cottage.
When the detective left the little lunch wagon, he glanced cautiously about him to make sure that no one was observing his actions. He started on a circuitous course that would bring him to the cottage. As the sleuth walked along, another figure followed. Cady knew nothing of the presence that was close behind him.
Small wonder! The fitting figure that took up the detective’s trail was a veritable phantom of the darkness. When Cady passed lights, his own form was visible, but the ghostly shape behind him gave no other token than a splotch of blackness that appeared as a lengthened silhouette upon the ground. The Shadow, silent and invisible, had picked up the detective’s trail.
The Shadow’s plan was a wise one. He had let Cady investigate by day; now, after nightfall, he, too, was interested in matters hereabout. That Donald Cady had learned something was evident. Soon, The Shadow, too, would know as much — if not more.
THERE were dry bushes near the isolated cottage. Cady crouched in the brush and waited. He could see a light glimmering in one window — a glare that was dimmed by a drawn shade.
As Cady stared, a cloud seemed to pass across that square of illumination. The detective could not understand the phenomenon. He gazed steadily until it disappeared.
Cady had seen The Shadow — but he had not recognized the master of the night as a living being.