It was late in the afternoon. A gloom was settling about Paul Hawthorne's cottage.
Hawthorne and Stuart were seated on the porch, smoking their pipes.
Stuart had dropped in on Hawthorne with a purpose. It was the night before last that he had had his adventure at Mayo's lodge. The next afternoon, he had seen Mayo's plane return from New York. Stuart had decided it would be inadvisable to call on Sherwood Mayo that evening. He had decided to wait another day. Now he was sounding out Hawthorne, to tell whether or not a visit would be wise.
"Have you seen Mayo since he returned?" asked Stuart.
"No," said Hawthorne. "I might run up there tonight. Would you like to come along?"
"Sure," said Stuart.
"I'll stop for you at the Inn," said Hawthorne. "I'll be there in my car after dinner."
Strolling down the road, Stuart found himself anticipating tonight's visit. He felt sure that the Filipino had not recognized him during the combat, two nights ago. After all, a visit to Mayo's was a bold way in which to avoid suspicion.
There was a letter for Stuart at the Inn. He looked at the envelope, and decided it must be from Harry Vincent.
Stuart had been expecting such a letter. Harry had instructed him to watch for one, and to be sure that no one saw him read it, for it might contain important instructions.
Opening the letter in a corner of the lobby, Stuart eagerly devoured its contents. It contained both information and orders; one as surprising as the other.
There will be danger at Greenhurst, soon. Stay with Sherwood Mayo constantly. The old man who works with Grady is named Jeremiah Benson. Inform me immediately if you hear any reference to that name. If Mayo leaves Greenhurst, try to accompany him. Be near a radio at either six o'clock or nine o'clock. The announcement from WNX will have a message for you. Listen for any words that are emphasized. They will be the message.
This is a test for future use.
Stuart reread the letter. It was clear on every point, but he wanted to be sure that he understood all its contents well enough to remember the data, for he intended to destroy the note immediately. Looking across the lobby, he repeated certain facts; "Jeremiah Benson — stay with Mayo — WNX at six or nine — "
Nodding, Stuart again glanced at the letter. His eyes stared in bewilderment. While he had been looking away, the writing had completely disappeared!
Stuart turned the paper over, and found the other side blank. He crumpled the sheet and tossed it in the wastebasket.
"Clever idea," thought Stuart, as he entered the dining room.
It was after six o'clock when he had reached the hotel. He would have to wait for the nine-o'clock broadcast. He could hear it at Mayo's. Stuart had been out all afternoon; otherwise he would have received the letter a few hours before.
Hawthorne arrived after dinner. He and Stuart rode up to Mayo's home. Stuart noticed that Hawthorne was moody and thoughtful.
"What's the matter?" Stuart inquired.
"I'm just wondering," returned Hawthorne, "wondering about that last time we were up to Mayo's place. Do you remember that package of envelopes Mayo brought out of the desk drawer?" Stuart did remember them, and he felt a bit uneasy at the reference. He decided, however, that it would be best to draw Hawthorne out.
"Yes," he replied. "As I remember it, he said that they would be of interest to you."
"But he found out they were the wrong ones." Hawthorne was irritated.
"I recall that."
"Well," said Hawthorne, "I'll bet that he hasn't brought the right ones with him from New York!"
"Why?"
"Because he's bluffing me."
"What for?"
"Listen, Bruxton," said Hawthorne confidentially, "Mayo asked you to stay up here at the lodge, didn't he? Would you like to accept his invitation?"
"Yes," said Stuart, secretly alert. This was working in with his plans. "It's a much nicer place than the Inn."
"We'll try to fix it tonight, then," said Hawthorne, "and I want you to do a favor for me, Bruxton."
"How?"
"Size up Mayo while you're there. Get a good idea of what he's like. I want to know."
"Why?"
"Well," explained Hawthorne, "Mayo and I haven't always hit it up so well. I know some things about him; he knows some about me.
"So far as I'm concerned, all the unpleasantness is ended. Mayo appears to have forgotten it, too. But maybe he hasn't. That's what I want to find out."
"I understand," said Stuart. "That's fair enough."
"There's a chance," said Hawthorne, "that Mayo has still got it in for me. That stunt of his the other night made me wonder.
"I don't like to be suspicious of the man, Bruxton, but he might have been trying to coax me up there while he was away — so I'd break into the place, just to find those envelopes."
"What then?" questioned Stuart, keenly interested in Hawthorne's theory.
"Well," said Hawthorne, "if I got nabbed, it would be bad for me. I'd be discredited up here in Greenhurst. My real-estate boom would go dead. Mayo would be the kingpin again."
There was more truth than theory in what Hawthorne said. Stuart remembered that battle with the Filipino. Had the man meant murder because he had thought Stuart to be Hawthorne?
Then came the recollection of the man in black who had been Stuart's rescuer. It made the mystery all the more perplexing. Stuart wisely said nothing to let Hawthorne know that he had gone to Mayo's in Hawthorne's stead. He began to feel a suspicion of Hawthorne.
Perhaps the real-estate man was doing the bluffing. Harry Vincent's note had said to stay with Mayo, if possible. Stuart realized that Hawthorne might be trying to involve him in a plot against Mayo.
"You're a good fellow, Bruxton," said Hawthorne. "I think you're a square-shooter. That's why I said what I did. I want to know if I stand all right with Mayo. That's all that I have in mind."
"All right," said Stuart; "if Mayo invites me, I'll stay." They were passing the stone pillars, and Stuart glanced from the window of the car. He saw no sign of the man in black tonight.
Nevertheless, he could not be sure that the man was not there. The strange being in the cloak seemed to have power to melt away before observant eyes.
Sherwood Mayo seemed pleased by the arrival of his visitors. He received them in his living room, and smiled when Stuart asked him about his trip to New York.
"That's just commuting, in my ship," he said. "We hit two hundred miles an hour all the way. The trip only takes an hour and a half."
"You must have a great pilot," said Stuart.
"I have," declared Mayo. "George Fleming is one of the best men in the business. He's been with me four years.
"I'm going down to New York come morning. I'll take you along. We'll come back in the evening."
"How do you find this place at night?" asked Stuart.
"Easily. The course is well marked. I have a big searchlight on the lodge, and Louie always has it set to show the landing field. There's plenty of space here. Better than the Brookdale landing field, a couple of miles from here."
The mention of the Brookdale field brought another recollection to Stuart. He remembered the distant hum of a motor that he had heard two nights ago.
"I'll make a suggestion, Bruxton," declared Mayo, "why don't you come up here and stay a few days. I invited you the last time you were here."
"Yes," interposed Hawthorne, "why don't you, Bruxton?"
"I'd be glad to," said Stuart.
"Louie," ordered the millionaire, turning to the Filipino, "ask Fleming to run down to the Inn and bring Mr. Bruxton's luggage up here."
The matter settled, Mayo glanced toward his radio set and turned the dials. A note chimed, and the announcer stated that it was exactly forty-five minutes past eight o'clock. Mayo pointed to the clock on his mantel.
"Look at that," he said. "The clock's on the dot. It's always right. The best clock I ever had!"
"What's coming over the air from WNX?" questioned Stuart, in a casual tone.
"I'll see," Mayo turned the dial and tuned in on a soft musical program. "That's WNX. I'll leave it there." He settled back in his chair; then looked suddenly back and forth from Stuart to Hawthorne, as he uttered a sudden exclamation and snapped his fingers.
"What do you think happened here two nights ago?" he asked. "We had burglars!"
"Burglars?" echoed Hawthorne uneasily.
"Absolutely," declared Mayo. "Two of them. Both masked. Louie came down and found them."
"Did he chase them out?" asked Stuart.
"Yes and no," answered Mayo. "He nabbed one of them, but before he could overpower the fellow, the other showed up and spoiled it all. He knocked Louie unconscious.
"When Louie woke up, the pair of them were gone. They didn't get away with anything."
"That's fortunate," said Stuart. He glanced at Hawthorne as he spoke. He saw that the real-estate man doubted Mayo's story. It made Stuart feel, more than before, that Hawthorne's disbelief in Mayo's statements was unfounded.
Comparing Mayo with Hawthorne — the former a successful man, the latter a man of doubtful business practices — Stuart felt that in case of controversy, he would prefer to side with Sherwood Mayo. The millionaire gave more details of the attempted burglary. They did not include an exact description of Louie's actions with the knife. Mayo mentioned that the Filipino had used his knowledge of jujutsu in disposing of the first invader; but he went no further with the details. It seemed evident to Stuart that Louie must have soft-pedaled that part of the story when he related his adventure to his employer.
The clock on the mantel began to chime nine. Stuart listened intently as the voice of an announcer cut in on the radio program.
"You have listened to a few melodies from " Days of Long Ago." Times are changing; and time is too precious to waste. Why wait? The watch you buy should keep perfect time. It should be on time all the time. Remember, the Paragon watch is the only watch — "
The rest of the announcement carried no emphasized words. Stuart was surprised at the ease with which he had picked up the secret message. Through his mind was flashing the sentence.
"Few days to wait. Keep on the watch."
It was the message that Harry Vincent had written him to expect. Stuart knew that it came from someone more important than Harry. In that he was right.
Without knowing its source, Stuart Bruxton had received a message from The Shadow!