The Crime Clinic
- Автор: Грант Максвелл
- Серия: The Shadow #43
- Год: 1933
- Язык: английский
- Год: Street and Smith
- Жанр: Крутые детективы
Электронная книга - «The Crime Clinic». Краткое содержание книги:
The ace detective realized that a new combat was afoot. The Jackdaw would surely know that the police had not arrived in time to obstruct the mobsters whom he had launched on a drive of wholesale robbery. The Jackdaw, if he intended to persist with his baffling ways of crime, must manage to evade The Shadow.
Oddly, the defeat of The Jackdaw’s gangsters had broken the chain which Cardona had been following. Bing Claver was dead. He, alone of the rowdies who had fallen, could have told Cardona facts that the ace detective wanted. Those of Bing’s outfit who still lived, persistently stated that they were working for Bing. They denied all connection with any other master.
Had this defeat ended The Jackdaw’s power? Had the unknown crook scampered for cover?
These were questions that Joe Cardona sought to answer; and he realized their importance. The hunch that Joe held was that the threat of The Jackdaw still remained.
IN studying past crimes which he attributed to The Jackdaw, Cardona saw that the crook was rising to his zenith. The theft of the Bishenpur diamond had been a master stroke of crime. The huge gem was still missing. The Jackdaw had simply failed to add to the collection of valuables of which the diamond was evidently intended as a nucleus.
Previous robberies, from The Jackdaw’s former activities, totaled a large amount, as Cardona summed them up. Yet it was obvious that until now The Jackdaw had operated only in a small way. His murder of Rutherford Casslin appeared to be the beginning of a new and greater era in his mad career.
Stealth at Casslin’s — a lone hand working startling crime. Violence at Winchendon’s — a mob attack launched under a lieutenant’s command. These events showed The Jackdaw’s versatility. Gangless, he now had but two choices. One was to retire; the other was to resort to craft once more. Cardona decided that The Jackdaw would choose the latter course.
It was imperative that Joe should flag The Jackdaw. The detective was determined to end the crook’s mad career; he wanted also to solve the murder of Rutherford Casslin and regain the Bishenpur diamond. But Joe found himself balked.
Limps Silvey had disappeared. Stools had thought that they had seen him once or twice. They had not managed to follow him. This brought Cardona back to a consideration of Doctor Lysander Dubrong. He decided to match wits with the physician.
Joe’s first step was to visit the neighborhood of the East Side Clinic. He went there on a night when he had made certain that Dubrong was at his Park Avenue residence. He found that the house directly in back of the clinic was vacant.
On the second floor, Joe made a discovery. The floor here — so Joe figured — was lower than the ceiling of Dubrong’s consulting room. The wall was crumbling. It offered opportunity. Joe put a competent man to work. A hole was drilled through to Dubrong’s consulting room.
A perfect job, Joe was positive that the physician would not observe this well-made peephole. To make certain, the detective sent a stool pigeon into Dubrong’s clinic. The stool got by with the visit. He reported to Cardona that the hole could not be seen.
It was then that Cardona decided to visit Doctor Dubrong and pave the way to the result he wanted. One evening found the detective at the large apartment house on Park Avenue where the physician lived. Cardona inquired for Dubrong. He was sent upstairs to the doctor’s apartment.
DUBRONG’S sumptuous abode proved a striking contrast to the plainness of his East Side Clinic. Joe Cardona was impressed by the extravagance of the furnishings. He knew that Dubrong was a wealthy man; but thick rugs, paneled walls, and magnificent furniture proved more than the detective had expected.
Dubrong received Cardona in his study. The suave physician seemed pleased to see the detective.
“Congratulations, Cardona!” he exclaimed. “Your handling of that affair at Winchendon’s was excellent. How are you making out with the Casslin case?”
“No results,” returned Cardona.
“Indeed.” Dubrong’s tone seemed disappointed. “I thought that you might have gained some results. Ah, well — I am afraid that you have let the bird escape. I am still convinced that the Hindu dropped the stolen diamond from the window.”
“To another Hindu?”
“Of course. Cardona, I doubt that the Bishenpur diamond will ever be reclaimed.”
“I’m not so sure of that.” Cardona stared squarely at the physician. “I’ve learned something, Doctor Dubrong — something that may surprise you. There is a supercrook at work. These gangsters who were killed at Winchendon’s were unquestionably in his employ.”
“Ah! That is remarkable!”
“Besides that, I have a hunch that the same crook was in back of Casslin’s murder.”
“You do?” Dubrong arched his eyebrows. “Have you any idea as to his identity?”
“Not as yet. I have stool pigeons in the underworld. They have brought me unusual reports. They are talking about a crook whom they call The Jackdaw.”
“A jewel thief?”
“Yes. Wherever gangsters meet, this talk of The Jackdaw has begun to buzz. Whenever a mob is wiped out — as we cleaned up Bing Claver’s outfit — other gangsters begin to look into the matter. They want to know who the big shots are; they want to find out if there was any double-crossing.
“This case seemed to have them buffaloed, until — well, I received my first detailed report today — somebody wised up to a big boy in back of the jewel-stealing game. The Jackdaw — that’s what they call him — and I’m going to find out who he is.”
“Could I be of aid to you?”
“Yes,” replied Cardona. “That is why I have come to see you. Did you ever have, among your patients at the clinic, a man called Limps Silvey?”
“Let me see,” mused Dubrong. “The name sounds familiar. I should have to look him up in my records.”
“Limps Silvey,” declared Cardona, “had some minor connection with Bing Claver. In fact, by intercepting a message for Limps, I learned of the trouble impending at Winchendon’s. There was only one unfortunate consequence. Limps disappeared after that.”
“Naturally,” laughed Dubrong.
“Hardly,” returned Cardona. “After all, I had nothing on the fellow. I did not intend to arrest him. I expect him to be back in town.”
“You will arrest him then?”
“No. I shall leave him entirely alone. I want to watch him; but I don’t intend to put stools on the job. I am pretty sure, from what I have heard, that Limps Silvey was one of your patients. He is apt to show up at your clinic. If he does, you can aid me by questioning him.”
“I am not a police official,” protested Dubrong. “I am willing to give you advice — to tell you what I may chance to learn — but to aid in an arrest—”
“I am not asking you that.”
“It would defeat the purpose of my clinic. You must understand that.”
“Get me straight, doctor.” Cardona’s tone was earnest. “I don’t want to arrest Limps Silvey. I give you my word that he will be entirely immune. The Jackdaw is the man that I am after. I think Limps may know who he is.”
“Ah!” An idea came to Dubrong. “You want to use this Limps Silvey as a stool pigeon?”
“If I can get him. Fellows of his type are easily gained. Perhaps, through overtures on your part—”
“Leave that to me.” Dubrong smiled wisely as he interrupted. “If this man Silvey was one of my patients — and I believe he was — he will come back. If he is afraid to show himself at the clinic, he may call up for advice. I have had men do that on various pretexts. I can let him come to my clinic, then, with a guaranty of no trouble for him?”
“No trouble.”
“And if he appears to be worried, I can advise him to see you, promising him that he will be immune from arrest?”