BLACKMAIL BAY............................................................................................................................................1

Walter B. Gibson.....................................................................................................................................1

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VI...........................................................................................................................................................13

UNDER the gleam of a bluish light, the chart depicting Cobosco Bay stood out in vivid detail. Jutting in from

the lower left corner was a promontory that marked the fishing village of Gosport, a stopping place for the

oldfashioned doubledecked steamers that still plied the bay, as indicated by a dotted line continuing

northward. That line veered to the westward to avoid the Twins, two tiny isles that stood side by side, with a

narrow channel in between; then the dotted line took a curve toward the northeast as it approached Spruce

Island, the biggest thing on the map, which was portrayed in full topographic detail.

Stretching from the southwest to the northeast, Spruce Island began with Hiram's Head, a domeshaped bluff

which, judging from the numerous contour lines, probably loomed to considerable proportions. It bore a

distinct resemblance to a monstrous head, due to a deep indentation to the right, which was marked as

Hiram's Cove. Continuing almost due east, the shoreline showed a steamboat landing, indicated by the dotted

line and half a dozen tiny blocks that represented buildings. From there, the shore wangled to the northeast, to

terminate in a narrow strip of land called Beacon Neck, which led to an oddly formed mark that represented

The dotted steamship route ended at the central landing, making it the key factor of the map. As proof of that,

a long, thin hand moved into the bluish glow and placed a pointed forefinger on that very spot. It was a left

hand, as evidenced by a gem that sparkled from the third finger with its scintillating rays running the gamut

from deep crimson to brilliant purple, vivified by flashes of flame that burst into being as though attracted by

the allpervading blue light. This was The Shadow's girasol, one of the unmatched fireopals that

symbolized his ability to conquer crime by dulling the brains of its wouldbe perpetrators.

Right now, crime was afoot on Spruce Island. The Shadow's fingers were already stalking it, as they moved

westward from the landing along the island's only wellmarked road that moved inland as it approached

Hiram's Cove. There, the Shadow paused to note a short turnin that led up to a house on the cove; then he

continued along the main road, which skirted the cove itself, until it ran directly into Hiram's Head where the

bristling contours forced the road to jog sharply to the right and wend northward until the west shore of the

island moved in gradually to meet it on a contour marked by a building on a spot called Moffat's Point.

Due west from the Point was Round Island, with a few contours and indentations, plus a sprinkling of

buildings that gave it the appearance of a summer resort, though it had no steamboat service. After studying

Round Island, The Shadow reverted to Spruce Island, but only briefly enough to note that it had a few

irregular back roads, stemming chiefly from the landing which led to buildings that were obviously summer

The left hand rolled the chart into a cylinder, revealing the surface of a polished table, which vanished as the

right hand clicked off the bluish glare and plunged the room into absolute blackness, stirred only by a

whispered laugh. This was The Shadow's sanctum, the secret headquarters where he planned his campaigns

against crime. As proof, a pinpoint of yellow light appeared suddenly amid the Stygian surroundings and a

It was the Shadow's contact man, responding to an automatic flash. In return, The Shadow spoke:

"Instructions to Burke. He is to proceed with feature stories covering vacation areas, as accepted by the New

"Instructions to Vincent." Again, The Shadow spoke in a subdued, sibilant tone. "He is to confirm the rental

"Instructions completed," came The Shadow's final tone. "Switch to outside wire."

THERE was a click in the darkness. A luminous phone dial showed on the sanctum table. Swiftly, The

"Hello, Margo." The response was no longer The Shadow's but a quiet, easy tone that the girl immediately

"I'm already packed," replied Margo, "but please, Lamont, tell me where and why "

"You will go to Baxter Harbor on the Maine Coast and take the noon boat on the Cobosco Bay Line to

Spruce Island. At the general store, you will pick up a reservation for a week's stay at the old hotel on Moffat

"In your name, Margo Lane. A local taxi driver will take you to the Moffat House and back to the home of

Margo's quick interruption brought an eventoned chuckle from Cranston. It carried a touch of The Shadow's

"Definitely, no. I've never even met Judge Kroft. The man who wants you to meet him is our mutual friend,

There was a pause, the type that signified that there was more to follow. Margo broke it with an abrupt query:

THE bayliner 'Priscilla' was an antiquated wooden steamer that had long ago been converted to Diesel power,

but still moved in plodding style as it ploughed its way from Baxter Harbor toward Cobosco Bay. From the

high upper deck abaft the pilot house, Margo Lane watched small craft with sails and outboard motors scud

from the bayliner's course until the 'Priscilla' had the whole bay to herself. Half an hour of steady plodding

brought her to the end of a rocky promontory where some fishing sloops were gathering about a pier with a

The few houses looked as dilapidated as the pier itself, though, farther back, the roofs of some cottages

showed among the pine woods. The 'Priscilla' unloaded some crates and boxes but only one passenger came

on board, a tall, lanky man carrying a brief case and, as the 'Priscilla' got under way, he bobbed up through

the companionway from the lower deck and gave a cheery "Hello" to the halfdozen passengers. Everybody

returned the greeting except Margo and, noting her silence, the man gave an apologetic smile, saying, "I

"And mine," rejoined Margo, "is Margo Lane. This happens to be my first trip to Spruce Island."

"I thought so." With a longjawed smile, the man handed Margo a card that bore the name: LEWIS G.

BARTON INSURANCE. Then, whimsically, he added: "You see, it's my business to know everybody on

"Good enough for a start," decided Barton. "Let's go forward, so I can show you the sights as we come to

The 'Priscilla' was heading straight for what Margo mistook for a small island until she saw a split in the

"They are the Twins," explained Barton, "but usually we swing around them. Right now, it's high tide, which

They made it nicely enough, though the sides of the widebuilt steamer almost scraped the alders on the

banks. Then, Margo gave another gasp as she looked ahead and saw a massive bulk of rock and thick trees

"Hiram's Head," identified Barton, "don't try climbing that, Miss Lane, while you're staying on Spruce Island.

As the boat followed the shore, Barton pointed out Hiram's Cove and Margo was enthralled by the brilliant

sheen of the sparkling blue water. Well back in the cove was a large float with a long gangplank stretching to

the foot of some steep steps leading to an attractive ranch house perched on a ledge. It struck Margo that this

could be the home of Judge Kroft, but she ignored that fact as she exclaimed: "What a beautiful setting!

Imagine, having friends come in and out, in their own speedboats, at any hour of the day or night!"

"You'd have to imagine it at low tide," laughed Barton, "because when the tide goes out, coves like this one

become mud flats and so does most of the shore. So half the time, you wouldn't have enough water to dive in

That put a chill on Margo's enthusiasm, but she smiled it off in a casual way as the 'Priscilla' plodded along,

arriving at a solid stone landing that ran along the water's edge. There, Barton politely helped Margo down

the companionway to the lower deck, where a gangplank had been thrust down on to the stone wharf. Barton

insisted on carrying Margo's bags to the porch of a large frame building which bore an imposing sign:

Outside the main door was a bulletin board decorated with a variety of notices, small and large, some printed,

others handwritten, all held in place by handy pushpins. Barton gave the array a rapid glance as he

remarked to Margo: "This is Spruce Island's information center. People tell everybody else what's going on,

or leave messages for one another. There's nothing extra special today, so let's go in and talk to Earl."

THEY found Earl Torgesen seated on a high stool behind one of the store's halfdozen counters. He was a

stocky, stolid man who kept his arms folded as he nodded a routine greeting when Lew Barton introduced

Margo Lane. Hearing the name "Miss Lane," the storekeeper reached to a handy shelf and drew down two

"Hobbs brought these yesterday but didn't post them on the board because he figured you wouldn't know to

One was a note from Judge Kroft, inviting Margo to lunch when she arrived; the other was signed by a

woman named Madge Moffat, saying that Margo's room at the Moffat House was available and that supper

would be ready whenever she arrived there. Margo showed the notes to Barton, who commented:

"Hobbs will take you to both places. He runs the local taxi, or jitney, whichever you want to call it. He's

Through the doorway, Margo saw a relic that looked like an old ModelA with a slouchy man of the same

vintage hovering alongside it. Five minutes later, she was on her way to Kroft's, her bags in the trunk

compartment where Hobbs said they would be safe until he came to take her to the Moffat House, later in the

day. As Margo expected, Kroft's house was the one she had seen on the cliff above the cove, but from this

side it was reached by a narrow, rocky path that zigzagged from the road up through a grove of birch trees.

Judge Kroft met Margo at the doorway. He was an elderly, stoopshouldered man who leaned heavily on a

stout cane, but he had keen eyes that peered from a face as smooth as parchment beneath a shaggy crop of

whitish hair. His thin, taut lips moved in a precise, mechanical fashion as he spoke in a crackly tone, but his

manner was courtly as he conducted Margo to the veranda that overlooked the cove, where lunch was served

by a middleaged woman named Hulda. The judge chatted casually during the meal but when Hulda had

"I have a problem, Miss Lane," he stated, "which Commissioner Weston thinks you might help me solve. I

am preparing a book from confidential discussions of important cases that I decided while I was an active

judge. They were all carefully recorded, but I find that some of the key tapes are missing."

The judge's accent on the word "missing" prompted Margo to respond: "You mean lost? Or stolen?"

"An apt question," returned the judge, approvingly. "I mean stolen, because I have received anonymous

phone calls from a blackmailer who offers to return them for fifty thousand dollars. Cash."

"This blackguard correction, I should say blackmailer is apparently well acquainted with Spruce Island,

but we have no other link to him. So the commissioner suggests that I have you listen to my remaining tapes

and list the names of persons mentioned on them, as that may give a clue to the miscreant involved."

With that, Judge Kroft led the way into a miniature law library, where buckrambound books lined the walls.

He gave Margo a corner table with a tape player, a stack of recorded tapes, some legal pads and a portable

"As you list each name," the judge suggested, "make notes of any special comments that you hear; then skip

along until you come to another name and do the same. I shall let you know when Hobbs arrives to take you

IT was after seven o'clock when Hobbs came with his antique jitney. Dusk was settling over Hiram's Cove as

he and Margo wheezed past it along the road to Moffat's Point. Straight ahead loomed Hiram's Head, its bulk

obviously responsible for the thickening gloom, because as soon as they took the sharp turn toward the right,

Cobosco Bay came into sight, glistening in the varicolored glow of a lingering sunset.

By then, Hobbs had said but little, simply mentioning that Lew Barton had gone back to Gosport on the

'Priscilla' when she left on her sunset trip to Baxter Harbor. But now, Hobbs became effusive as he pointed

across the bay to a chunk of land that was sprinkled with cottages and boat houses.

"That there," stated Hobbs, "is Round Island, owned by a city fellow named Wilby Weldon, who rents out

cottages and speedboats to summer people who have 'most as much money as he has."

Rattling further northward, the old car jounced over a rise in the road and come in sight of a sprawly,

"And this here," continued Hobbs, "is the Moffat House, right plumb on Moffat Point. Owned by Madge

Moffat, the last of the family; and there she is, waiting on the piazza. She must have heard us acoming."

Madge Moffat was a brisk, athletic type of woman who welcomed Margo in a deeptoned voice while Hobbs

was unloading the bags from the car trunk. About then, a keeneyed, bearded man arose from a porch chair

"This is Lester Blake," introduced Madge Moffat. "He is an artist who stays here during the offseason and

During the meal, Margo admired paintings that were hanging on the dining room wall and learned they were

samples of Blake's work. All portrayed the bay and its islands; and Madge Moffat bought them from Blake to

sell to guests during the regular season. After supper, Blake carried Margo's bags up a side stairway to a

corner room on the second floor, while Miss Madge came along to see that all was in order.

"I've given you the Lookout Room," Madge told Margo. "This was where they watched for boats coming into

Hardly was Margo alone before a sudden recollection struck her. Clear as a bell, she recalled Cranston's

parting words: "When you reach the lookout, look out." This room was the Lookout! But what did the rest of

Lamont's cryptic statement mean? Was it a warning to look out for danger here? As Margo mulled over that,

her mind went back to Madge's parting statement that this was where they watched for boats coming into the

bay. Acting on that, Margo turned out the kerosene lamp that illuminated the Lookout Room and proceeded

It was completely dark by now, except for a thin crescent moon that showed through fleeting clouds, but from

the blackness of the bay a semicircle of glimmering lights marked the shore line of Round Island with its

cottages and boat houses. As Margo watched, a spot of green light gave two short blinks; and that was all she

needed. Groping in a suitcase, Margo brought out a small but powerful flashlight and affixed a transparent

green cap over its lens. With it, she flashed two answering blinks from her window.

Two green flashes responded from Round Island. After a short interval, a plain yellow light began a series of

dots and dashes. Coming in a secret code that Margo understood, they spelled a single word:

MIDNIGHT. In response, Margo gave two green blinks to signify that she understood; then, with a

few hours to go, she lighted the table lamp and began going over notes she had brought from Kroft's, while

AS midnight neared, Margo turned out the light, opened the door and listened to make sure that all was silent

in Moffat House. Then, putting on a dark raincoat and a pair of black sneakers, she stole softly down the side

stairs and out through the door to a pair of steps at the end of the piazza. From there, she made her way to the

shore where an old rickety pier jutted out into the bay, which was studded with white crests of wavelets that

showed in the midnight blackness. Reaching the shore line, she realized immediately why midnight had been

It had been almost high tide when the 'Priscilla' had left Baxter Harbor at noon for its forty minute trip to

Spruce Island. Now, just twelve hours later, the tide was reaching high again. Only a thin stretch of sand

remained between the incoming wavelets and the shore. This meant that a boat, instead of docking far out on

the gangling pier to avoid the mud flats, could ride completely over them even to the very shore line

As if in proof of Margo's theory, two green blinks came from beneath the shore end of the pier and Margo

made out the shape of a broadbeamed rubber boat, its sides bulging with inflated air compartments. It had

two occupants. As Margo flicked an answer with her own flashlight, one man stepped from the boat and

Soon, Margo was seated beside him beneath the sheltering pier, going over details of what she had learned so

far. She told Lamont about her talk with Lew Barton, the insurance man; her brief meeting with Earl

Torgesen, the storekeeper; and with Ezra Hobbs, the jitney driver; as well as Madge Moffat and her artist

friend, Lester Blake. By then, they had to move closer to the shore end of the pier, as the tide, still rising, was

licking at their feet while Margo began to tell about the work she was doing for Judge Kroft, a subject that

"Checking the tapes was Weston's idea," said Cranston, "but it will take too long. I'll contact the judge

Cranston paused as a smooth, rhythmic purr came from well out in the bay and the lights of a swift speedboat

"That's Wilby Weldon, who owns the resort on Round Island," commented Cranston. "He cruises around at

night to make sure the channel markers and other devices are all in working order. I'm staying at a cabin that

That ended the discussion, but Cranston remained close by while Margo headed back to the Moffat House.

From her window, she blinked a signal that meant "All's well," and fancied that she saw the rubber boat

drifting out on the receding tide, but whether it had two passengers or just one, she could only guess.

BREAKFAST was late the next morning. During the meal, Hobbs arrived with an urgent message from

Judge Kroft, asking for Margo to come to his place as soon as possible and to stay there over the next night

because of important work. Realizing that Kroft must have heard from Cranston, Margo went to her room and

was packed by the time Hobbs and Blake came up to get her bags. On the way downstairs, Blake told Hobbs:

"I'd better go in with you, Ezra, as I have to buy a lot of art materials and hiking boots, so I can climb Hiram's

"You'll have to come back before the 'Priscilla' docks at one o'clock," returned Hobbs, "because there's a

mechanic coming out from Baxter Harbor with new parts for my old car, so there won't be any taxi service

"But I'm expecting a package from Boston! It will be left in my name at the general store "

"And I'll tell Earl Torgesen about it," soothed Hobbs. "You know how accommodating he is, Miss Madge.

After he closes the store, he'll bring it up here on his bicycle. He needs the exercise."

"Good enough," agreed Madge. Turning to Blake, she added: "You remind Earl, too. And there's my

shopping list for the weekend supplies. Bring them along when you come back with Ezra."

During the ride in past Hiram's Head, Hobbs and Blake talked about the problems of Spruce Island, which

were chiefly lack of communication. Since the telephone connection came by cable directly from the

mainland, the cost of a private line was so prohibitive that there were only two telephones on the island; one

at the general store and the other at Judge Kroft's. In contrast, Margo learned, Round Island had a private

phone in every cottage and boat house. That proved that it would be easy for Cranston to contact Judge Kroft.

After passing Hiram's Cove, Hobbs stopped at Kroft's to let Margo off and again, he and Blake obligingly

carried her bags for her. They left while Kroft was greeting Margo, but hardly had the old car jounced away

"I wanted you to go down to the landing with them!" he exclaimed. Then, shaking his head, he added: "But,

no! It's not far, so it's better you should walk down there a little later. I'll show you why."

Conducting Margo into the little library, he picked up a square of paper on which he had inked the following

"Exactly," agreed the judge, "But it is also a unique code, consisting entirely of anagrams. Rearrange the

"The anonymous caller instructed me to concoct such a message," the judge continued. "This is the last day

for a reply; otherwise, new negotiations will be necessary. Today, I heard from a friend of Commissioner

Knowing that the friend was Cranston, Margo remarked that the judge seemed to be handling the situation

"Rather so," he nodded, "though I had trouble finding an anagram for 'money' so I had to use 'lucre' instead. I

hope whoever reads it will know that 'cruel' means that I will pay fifty thousand dollars for delivery of the

"That, we shall see." Judge Kroft tightened his already taut lips. "But you must get this message to its

appointed destination around noon. That is why I had Hobbs bring you here early."

"Very simply." The judge crackled a mild laugh. "It is only a short walk to the general store. Just see that it is

The judge handed the cryptic message to Margo, who was duly impressed by the terms demanded by the

anonymous caller, inasmuch as it gave the unknown blackmailer ample opportunity to read it without running

"If I should stay around the store awhile," suggested Margo, "I might notice people who are interested in the

"And you wouldn't have to wait too long," injected Kroft. "The commissioner's friend seemed sure that others

THE clock in the general store showed quarter past twelve when Margo arrived there and found Lester Blake

still shopping with Ezra Hobbs hovering uneasily in the offing. Seeing Earl Torgesen behind his usual

"Judge Kroft would like this posted on the bulletin board. Would you mind putting it there?"

"No, no," he said indulgently. "People post their own notices. They've done it long before I took over the

store a year ago, so they're free to go right ahead. But if you want to ask Hobbs" he gestured politely with

"Certainly, Miss Lane," agreed Hobbs, taking the sheet from Margo. Turning to Blake he added: "We'd better

Blake finished his shopping while Hobbs was posting the coded message. Chatting with Margo on the way

"That reminds me! Miss Madge always has me take note of anything special on the board." Turning over his

bundles to Hobbs, Blake made a notation on a pad, stopping, a bit puzzled, when he came to Kroft's cryptic

notice; then writing it down in detail. Hobbs began honking the jitney's horn, so Blake hurried over and they

took off together. That gave Margo a chance to stroll the waterfront, keeping a casual eye on the few

customers who went in and out of the store. All seemed already familiar with the board, for none looked at it.

Margo was still strolling when Hobbs came back in his jalopy, just in time to meet the 'Priscilla' as she

loomed up beside the wharf on the dot of 12:45. As passengers came from the lower deck, Hobbs shook

hands with the man who was obviously the mechanic he expected, but Margo was more interested to see Lew

Barton come ashore. He was chatting with a man she recognized as Clyde Burke, who represented the New

York 'Classic'. Margo kept a straight face while Barton introduced Clyde as a feature writer who was doing a

story about Cobosco Bay, because she knew that from now on, Clyde would take over and keep tabs on

people who stopped too long at the bulletin board, even interviewing them to get their names and opinions

While Margo was being interviewed by Clyde, Barton went over and spent a long time studying the notices

on the bulletin board, a point that Margo undertoned to Clyde, who responded with a nod. Then Margo

strolled away and increased her gait to a brisk walk until she reached Kroft's and found the judge waiting to

have lunch with her on the veranda. After lunch, she resumed work in the library, checking the available tape

Down by the landing, things were going not only as Margo hoped, but even better. All afternoon, Clyde

Burke had been checking on all patrons of the general store, going and coming, by playing the part of what he

really was: an inquiring reporter, no more and no less. That fact was proven late in the afternoon, when the

'Priscilla' was ready for her six o'clock sunset trip back to Baxter Harbor. Just then, a speedboat pulled in

below some steep steps beside the wharf and two men clambered their way up to the top.

One was a big, bluff character, who looked like he either owned everything in sight, or could buy it, which

was true in this case. He was Wilby Weldon, who owned Round Island outright and could easily buy Spruce

Island for half the price. The other was Harry Vincent, a personable chap who, like Clyde Burke, was an

As Clyde stepped up and asked Weldon for an interview, he was shoved roughly aside in the very manner he

expected from such a character. So Clyde settled for Harry Vincent and both smiled as they watched Weldon

"Some special tobacco that they sell here," replied Harry. "You know how pipe smokers go for exclusive

"He's lost his impetus," rejoined Clyde, "considering how he's stopped to read those notices on the bulletin

A clang of bells from the 'Priscilla' interrupted the conversation and Clyde hurried over to join Lew Barton,

who was beckoning for him to come on board. All that was visible of the 'Priscilla' was her smokestack

poking above the wharf, for the tide was approaching its very lowest. Harry watched the two passengers go

aboard a gangplank that led downward from the wharf to the bayliner's upper deck. Then, with another clang

Wilby Weldon was coming back with his precious tobacco to join Harry Vincent; and Margo Lane was

doubly right. Other agents of The Shadow had covered the waterfront during her absence. Whatever was

DUSK was deepening over Hiram's Cove when Kroft and Margo had supper on the veranda. The judge

looked over the sizeable lists that had kept Margo busy until after seven o'clock. Approvingly, Kroft

remarked that when all the names from the tapes had been fully checked, some would surely provide links to

the past, but their value would depend chiefly on what happened here tonight. Looking up at the clouded,

They went to the living room on the land side of the ranch house. When they settled there, Margo was

convinced that Kroft must have had a meeting with Cranston while she had been working in the library. The

old judge displayed a confidence that she herself had invariably felt when she knew that The Shadow was

somewhere in the offing. Even the slightest sound attracted his attention, as though it represented a vital

moment that he expected. Then Kroft's smooth forehead suddenly wrinkled at the sound of a steady thumping

"That sounds like the old windmill pump that Hobbs was going to fix," declared Kroft. "But who could have

As the thumping continued, Kroft came to his feet and stepped to the back door, beckoning Margo to join

him. When he opened the door and stepped to the rear porch, a voice came hoarsely from the dark: "Who's

that! Who's there!" On impulse, Kroft pressed a switch and floods of light came not only from the house, but

the surrounding trees as well. The circle of light carried almost to the pumphouse; and there, on the fringe of

the glare, stood Hobbs, holding a large satchel in one hand, a doublebarreled shotgun crooked over his other

That sight literally produced a chain reaction. An answering shout came from the path leading up from the

birch grove. As Hobbs dropped the satchel and raised the shotgun, he heard the call, "Hi, Ezra!" and

recognized Torgesen, who was wheeling a bicycle up the path. Hobbs lowered the gun. The storekeeper

leaned the bicycle against a tree and approached with a wave of greeting, but by then, Hobbs was aiming for

another target farther down the path, a white, roundish figure that flitted in ghostly fashion as though about to

The effect was so startling that Margo could understand why Hobbs fired on impulse, but as he did, he

floundered backward as if the recoil had acted before the shot, sending the gun blast straight upward. Margo

looked just in time to see a weird, cloaked figure merge with the blackness beyond the circling light.

Apparently The Shadow's intervention had prevented a fatal shot, for the white shape proved to be a human

and not a ghost. Stepping forward from the birches was Madge Moffat, wearing white slacks and jacket. But

Lurching forward from a level path through the pine trees that skirted the cove came a roughly clad man with

a noticeable limp, evidently determined to reach Hobbs before he could fire a second shot. Obviously, he

hadn't seen The Shadow's intervention, while Hobbs, jarred by that same action, was befuddled enough to

blame this new attacker. Up came the shotgun and again, The Shadow swirled in from the gloom just in time

That left Hobbs standing with an empty shotgun and staring puzzled at another person whom he knew quite

well: Lester Blake. By then, The Shadow had again wheeled into darkness and Margo realized that the others

had probably been too far away to gain as good a glimpse as she had. The sole exception was Judge Kroft,

who was as close by as Margo and also probably aware of The Shadow's presence. In any case, Kroft showed

magnificent style, beckoning all the persons toward the porch, as though holding court there. Turning first to

"Congratulations on your bad aim, Ezra. Now, may I ask the purpose of your surprise visit?"

"You wanted the windmill pump fixed," replied Hobbs, "but I've been busy working on my car. Tonight, I've

got a mechanic working on it, so I brought along my tools" he gestured to the satchel "and fixed the

"In case I ran into a wildcat or some other varmint," rejoined Hobbs. "Guess I just got confused, judge."

"Glad to see you here, Earl," he said to Torgesen. "Just how did you happen to stop by?"

"I had a package to take to Miss Moffat's," returned the storekeeper, pointing to a handlebar carrier on his

bicycle. "I rode up there with it, but nobody was home. So I decided to stop here coming back and see if Miss

"And I," put in Miss Madge, without waiting for the judge to quiz her, "thought maybe Earl forgot to bring

the package, so I walked down to the store by the old Indian trail, which is a lot shorter than by road. The

store was closed up tight, so then I walked up here thinking you could phone Earl and wake him up."

"I was up on top of Hiram's Head," explained Blake, "painting a long range view, when I realized it was

getting dark below. I started down the back way and slid off a ledge." Showing his torn shirt sleeves and

scratched arms, he added: "Got all chewed up by tree branches and lost my sketches. Hurt my knee, too, so I

JUDGE KROFT nodded as though he accepted everybody's story; then invited them all in for coffee. While

Hulda was preparing it, Hobbs offered an abject apology to both Madge Moffat and Lester Blake for his

"Around noon today," Hobbs said to Blake, "I drove you up to Moffat Point and when we went past Hiram's

Cove, I saw a speedboat alongside the float. I pointed it out to you, remember?"

"It was gone when I came back to meet the 'Priscilla'," continued Hobbs, "and I figured somebody might have

dropped off and stayed around here. That's one reason I came to fix the pump. I thought I might meet a

If that made sense for Hobbs, it made sense for Margo, too. Obviously, Lamont Cranston had come to Kroft's

and stayed there, letting Harry Vincent take the speedboat back to Round Island. That, in turn, explained

While Blake was phoning a doctor on the mainland, Torgesen left to ride to the store on his bicycle and find

out if Hobbs' car had been sufficiently repaired for Hobbs to take Madge and Lester up to Moffat Point.

Twenty minutes later, the mechanic arrived with the old relic in good working order and said that Blake

wanted them to stop at the store to pick up Miss Madge's package from Boston, since she had gone to so

much trouble over it. With Hobbs and the mechanic in front, Margo got in back with the others, saying she

At the store, Torgesen gave Madge's package to Hobbs, who put it in the trunk of his car; and while the

"I'm glad you came along, Miss Lane. You remember what Hobbs said about seeing a speedboat down in

Hiram's Cove around noon today? Well, I saw the same thing along about seven o'clock."

"You mean when you were riding your bicycle up to Moffat's Point?" exclaimed Margo. Then, as Torgesen

"Lew Barton has a speedboat over in Gosport," he recalled. "He left on the 'Priscilla' at six o'clock, so he

would have plenty of time to return. You'd make it in ten minutes in a speedboat."

"I'd guess so, but it was too dark for me to see. I wasted time getting up at the Point trying to scare up Miss

Moffat, not knowing she was hiking down along the trail." Torgesen paused. As an afterthought he remarked:

"Then there's that Wilby Weldon, who owns Round Island and came in yesterday for special tobacco. He

kites around at all hours in a speedboat. He rents out others, so there's no telling who might come traipsing

Hobbs dropped Margo off at Kroft's on his way to Moffat's Point with Miss Madge and Lester Blake. But it

was Hulda, not Kroft, who met Margo at the door to tell Margo that her room was ready and that the judge

had turned in for the night. So Margo turned over her bundles to Hulda and decided that Torgesen's report

could wait until morning. Looking out from her window, the night seemed serene, regardless of the threat of

No wonder, since no matter what happened, The Shadow might already be in the offing, prepared to take full

AT breakfast the next morning, Judge Kroft was busily writing a report of all that had been said and done the

evening before. That gave Margo her chance to repeat what Torgesen had told her; and how his description of

the speedboat in the cove at dusk confirmed Hobbs statement regarding a similar craft that he had seen there

around noontime or a bit later. Writing down all that Margo said, the old judge announced: "I shall add this to

At one o'clock, Hulda came to the library and told Margo that lunch was ready. When Margo reached the

veranda, she heard the spurt of a motor from the cove and looked below to see a speedboat scooting out

from the float. Recognizing Harry Vincent at the helm, she looked toward the steps leading up from the cove

and saw Lamont Cranston almost at the top, with Judge Kroft greeting him. Together, they came onto the

veranda where Cranston gave Margo a casual "Hello," remarking to Judge Kroft that they were both friends

During lunch Margo wondered if The Shadow had left late last night and come back as Cranston today; or

whether he had instructed Harry to come over in the speedboat to account for his arrival. The impassive Mr.

Cranston had a bag that could account for The Shadow's cloak and equipment, but the question itself

remained unanswered. Margo promptly forgot it when Judge Kroft came to his agenda, which proved to be

complete in every detail, including Margo's added report from Torgesen. Cranston's response was an

"I am quite sure that I could name the blackmailer from the data as given," stated Cranston coolly, "but our

main aim is to catch the culprit in the act. You would have accomplished that last night, Judge Kroft, if

everything had gone as planned, both by yourself and the blackmailer, but too many people arrived

unexpectedly upon the scene. So the only course is to set up another such meeting."

Cranston's words were suddenly interrupted by Hulda, who came rushing in waving a sheet of paper that she

"I just picked up a coffee tray from last night!" exclaimed Hulda. "And I found this underneath it!"

Judge Kroft spread the sheet of paper on the table and revealed the following inked lines:

"From the blackmailer," decided Cranston, "who undoubtedly had it ready to leave here in case something

"And anybody in the group," declared Kroft, "could have left it here after I foolishly invited them in for

"Or somebody could have come up from the cove," insisted Margo, "left it, and sneaked out again before you

"Since this appears to be another anagram message, why not decode it and see what the culprit has to say?"

Tearing the sheets from the judge's pad, Cranston handed them around and all three began transposing letters,

"It's two miles along the shore to the causeway leading out to the old Beacon Light," declared Kroft, "so that

"Which leaves the question of who should go," summed Cranston, "and how. Suppose you finish listing those

SHORTLY after six o'clock, a sharp rap brought Margo to the library door. She opened it to find

"Hobbs is on his way here," said Kroft, "to take the two of us to Beacon Point. Cranston will remain here to

handle contacts by telephone. I will carry the money bag" he lifted a suitcase as he spoke "and you will

bring along a box lunch that Hulda has made up for us in case we have too long a wait."

Fifteen minutes later, they were riding past the landing in Hobbs' jalopy. Since the 'Priscilla' had left on her

six o'clock trip, the wharf was almost deserted, with only a few late customers coming out of the general

store. Those few stared, somewhat puzzled, as they saw the ancient taxi take the little used twomile road

along the shore to Beacon Light. The terrain was barren and the wind had swept sand in from the narrow

beach, beyond which Margo saw the broad mud flats, a somber, almost ominous sight in contrast to the

highly tinted sunset. A blue sparkle off beyond the flats proved that the bay was still there, despite the low

The causeway was a raised, stony road, too narrow for a car to take, but providing a firm path across a solid,

level strip straight to the old lighthouse that loomed from a mound of rock at the far end. Alighting from the

jalopy quite spryly, the judge paid Hobbs a fee and told him to return around midnight, an order which gave

Margo a slight shudder for, with the settling dusk, the surroundings were becoming spooky. Judge Kroft was

wearing an oversized yellow oilskin slicker draped around his shoulders, so as he led the way over the narrow

causeway, it was easy for Margo to follow. Again, she was surprised at the agility he showed, particularly in

When they reached the old lighthouse, the judge pulled open a shaky, creaky door and Margo saw tables and

benches on the stone floor. Oldfashioned lanterns hung from the walls of a large, rounded room. The judge

explained that the islanders occasionally held picnics in the place. Still in a spry mood, he moved about,

lighting enough of the lanterns to offset darkness, which was now complete; and as an afterthought, he

chortled: "Speaking of picnics, Miss Lane, let's open Hulda's boxlunch and have one of our own!"

They did as suggested and after the repast, Kroft regaled Margo with accounts of his legal career and legends

of Cobosco Bay. As minutes turned to hours, the judge seemed to grow younger, though at times his voice

became wheezy and he was forced to pause. Then, the only sound was the lapping of waves from the slowly

rising tide around the base of the lighthouse until suddenly Kroft said: "Listen!"

As he raised his hand for silence, the creaky door swung open with a clatter and in from the threshold stepped

a sinister figure heavily muffled in baggy trousers and a thick sweater topped with a hunter's cap. A bandana

The strange intruder clumped steadily forward to thrust a square box on to the table. From the bandana mask

came a forced voice: "Here are the tapes. Let's see the lucre." The speaker pronounced the final word

"lookar" in a derisive manner, but it gave no clue to the intruder's identity. Margo, seated rigidly in her

chair, was trying vainly to identify the forced utterance, but it could have represented anything from Hobbs'

harsh voice to the contralto pitch occasionally affected by Madge Moffat, with a whole range of tones in

between. As for Judge Kroft, he came slowly to his feet, pressing his hands on the table to support the weight

"It's here," he wheezed. Numbly, he opened his suit case, which was lying on the table. "All of it. You can

take it." He removed a folded cloth from the suitcase and gestured to packages of currency beneath. "But

The intruder thrust a thickly gloved hand into the suitcase and brought out a sheaf of bills only to emit a

"And what would you expect?" came Kroft's highpitched crackle. "A personal check made out to the order

Margo couldn't catch the name that Kroft gave, for the masked intruder drowned it with a savage roar while

peeling off a glove and pulling a revolver from deep in a hidden holster. In contrast, Kroft's action was not

From the cloth beside the bag, Kroft whisked a black slouch hat that he clamped on his shaggy head and, in

the same action, whirled fully about, rearing his stooped form to full height so that the yellow slicker dropped

from his shoulders, disclosing a black cloak beneath. The crackly tone changed to a sinister laugh of mockery

as the spin continued and, in a trice, the masked blackmailer was confronted by the cloaked figure of The

A snap of The Shadow's thumb and the forefinger produced a blast that sounded like a miniature bombshell.

Blinded by the sudden smoke and flame, the intruder reeled back; then drove forward, slugging wildly with

his gun, only to find that his cloaked adversary was now behind him, clamping him with a forearm hold.

Margo heard The Shadow's order, "Get the gun " as the revolver dropped to the table. She complied, as the

Snatching the bandana from the helpless intruder, Margo saw the face of the culprit whom The Shadow,

While Margo kept Torgesen covered, the master of darkness clamped a pair of handcuffs on the helpless

prisoner and brought a signal flare from the suitcase, telling Margo to take it outside and set it off, which

she did. In response to the burst of red light, two speedboats idling well off shore immediately revved their

motors and came in to a landing beside the lighthouse. Rushing in to inform The Shadow, Margo found that

he had already packed his cloak and hat to resume the pose of Judge Kroft, but only momentarily. A quick

upward sweep of his hands whipped away a shaggy white wig; then drawing his fingers downward, he peeled

away the thin, plastic mask that had formed a perfect replica of Kroft's smooth visage, revealing the hawklike

SO it was Lamont Cranston who met the new arrivals: Lew Barton and Clyde Burke from one speedboat,

with a deputy sheriff from Gosport; Wilby Weldon and Harry Vincent from the other, accompanied by a

federal agent from Baxter Harbor. Cranston explained that he had apprehended Earl Torgesen on orders from

Judge Kroft and therewith turned the prisoner over to the lawmen. The dazed blackmailer who had not

witnessed Cranston's transformation was packed in one boat while Cranston and Margo boarded the other

By midnight, all details were completed there, so Cranston and Margo headed back to Spruce Island in

Barton's speedboat, which was manned by Harry Vincent and Clyde Burke. As the tide was now high, they

sped directly into Hiram's Cove, moored the boat at the float and were greeted by Judge Kroft at the top of

"Hobbs just stopped by," chuckled Kroft. "He'd just gone out to Beacon Light and was amazed because I

"It had to look as though I had gone out there," explained the judge, "but we knew that only Cranston could

handle whatever happened. That's why we arranged the switch." He turned approvingly to Cranston: "So it

"As I told you it had to be," corrected Cranston. Then, for the benefit of the others, he explained: "Although

there were halfadozen suspects, only one could possibly be guilty. All the rest were totally ignorant of the

"Thus, if we caught the culprit in a single lie, we would have the only clue we needed. And you, Margo,

"On Thursday," Cranston went on, "Judge Kroft's reply to the blackmailer was posted on the board where all

the suspects could see it. When Torgesen closed his store, he waited until after dark, then rode his bicycle up

here, bringing the tapes in a box, as he did tonight out at Beacon Light. To make sure he wasn't noticed, he

just decided to wheel his bike some distance up the birch path; and it just happened that Hobbs, who was

working at the pumphouse, saw a figure moving among the trees and raised a yell that caused Judge Kroft to

"Torgesen handled it neatly. He set the bicycle aside and waved to Hobbs, who recognized him. He could

easily have given a plausible reason for coming up here, such as saying his phone was out of order and asking

to use Judge Kroft's. But the unexpected arrival of Madge Moffat and later Lester Blake started Hobbs

shooting and caused complications for everybody except Torgesen. Realizing that neither Madge nor Blake

could have been up at the Moffat House, he simply stated that he had gone up there to deliver a package and

had stopped here on the way back. That explained why he had a package on his bicycle carrier, if anyone

"Instead of giving the package to Madge," remarked Cranston, "Torgesen had her pick it up at the store,

which enabled him to switch packages. Nobody noticed the oversight, so Torgesen, having outsmarted

everybody else, went on to outsmart himself. With three people already under suspicion as prowlers, he

decided to add two more. So he claimed to have seen a speedboat in Hiram's Cove when he rode past there.

He couldn't have because he hadn't ridden up past the cove, for if he had he would have noticed that the tide

So Lamont Cranston otherwise The Shadow had spoken the truth when he said that Margo had provided

the clue that marked Torgesen as the unknown blackmailer! Not having seen the cove at low tide, she like

On Saturday, word came that the prisoner who called himself Earl Torgesen had been fingerprinted and

identified under another name as a confidence man of long standing, who incidentally, was among those

listed on Kroft's tapes. At six o'clock that afternoon, as Lamont Cranston and Margo Lane were boarding the

'Priscilla' for the trip back to Baxter Harbor, Margo looked up across the wharf to the sign:

"If you'd wondered sooner," responded Cranston, "we might have had him labeled at the very start.

"Then twist them about: Earl Torgesen and General Store, pairing them letter for letter as you go along."

As Margo did and found that they tallied exactly, a clang of bells and a shrill whistle seemed to say that the