The Plot Master s-71 Read online

  window and entered the laboratory.

  He needed no flashlight for the work that lay ahead. About the lab were tables. The drawers

  contained papers—formulas, typewritten instructions— that were of little consequence. An

  intruder, however, might have found them worthy of inspection. Opening the various drawers,

  Harry removed the papers and scattered them about.

  There was a file cabinet in the corner. Harry approached it in the dark and opened the

  topmost drawer. He removed several files, let their papers scatter; then took another sheaf

  and raised it to the top of the cabinet. In three minutes, Harry had given the appearance of a

  quarter hour search. He was ready for the finish.

  On top of the cabinet was a rack of test tubes, several beakers and a hydrometer jar. The

  last named was a tall object, easily toppled. Thrusting a stack of papers along the top of the

  cabinet, Harry deliberately knocked over the hydrometer jar, which he could barely see in the

  semidarkness. The glass object toppled against the rack of test tubes.

  With a final push, Harry sent the jar and the tubes clear of the filing cabinet. The wavering

  hydrometer jar took along a beaker; the entire lot went crashing to the stone floor of the

  laboratory.

  As the crash was sounding, Harry was diving for the window. He sent a chair skidding

  against a table; another jar toppled and rolled to the floor. Then Harry was through the

  window, heading back across the inner court.

  AS he gained his own room, Harry pulled in the grating and lowered the sash. Amid the

  clatter of his fake typewriter, he could hear the sounds of scuffling feet from the outer hall.

  At the table, Harry never bothered to turn off his machine. He simply yanked the cord from

  the floor plug, dropped it in the box and shut the lid. The interruption of the current stopped

  the ticks of the fake typewriter.

  Next, the door. Harry reached it just in time. He pressed the light switch, turned the knob and

  opened the door. Wilkins was already on the threshold, coming to summon him to join the

  others. The rest of the men had headed for the lab.

  "Come along, Vincent," ordered Wilkins, in an excited tone. "We're heading for the lab."

  "What's up?" inquired Harry, as they started along the hall.

  "Didn't you hear the glassware smash?" returned Wilkins.

  "No," responded Harry. "I was typing; then I heard you fellows shouting out here."

  "That's right," nodded Wilkins. "You wouldn't have heard the noise from the lab. I remember!

  I heard your typewriter clicking away. Before the noise came from the lab—and after that,

  too."

  Harry smiled to himself as they reached the door of the laboratory, where the two patrolling

  men had used a key to enter. His first task had been accomplished. He had started trouble

  here at Cedar Cove.

  Yet, with it, he had established a perfect alibi. Wilkins had already put himself on record as a

  witness to the fact that Harry had been working when the crash sounded within the

  laboratory. The Shadow's plan had worked.

  Confident that his own part in the game would never be known, Harry Vincent entered the

  laboratory along with Wilkins. There they joined the half dozen men who were already

  speculating on what had become of the mysterious intruder.

  CHAPTER VIII. THE CONFERENCE

  IT did not take long for the warning of a marauder to spread about the headquarters at

  Cedar Cove. The alarm was passed to guards outside the buildings. Wilkins ordered a

  prompt search of the entire premises.

  All the while, the men remained in pairs. Wilkins had a teammate, like the rest, a fellow

  named Holgate. The two remained on guard in the laboratory after the others had set out to

  look for the intruder. Harry remained with Wilkins and Holgate.

  While these three were looking about the laboratory, Commander Joseph Dadren entered.

  He had been summoned from the boat house.

  The arrival of the skipper brought a prompt report from Wilkins, who accounted for every one

  in the place. Holgate seconded all of the statements. Both men mentioned that Harry had

  been working on the typewriter.

  Pair by pair, searchers and guards returned. All made their reports. No trace had been

  found of any intruder. Dadren sent the men back to their posts. Leaving Harry in the

  laboratory, he went into the inner office. He returned, wearing a satisfied smile. Harry knew

  that he had found the plans still safe.

  "Everything is all right, sir?" questioned Harry.

  "Yes," returned Dadren, dryly, "except for the fact that some one actually broke into the

  laboratory. That is serious enough. Don't you think so, Vincent?"

  HARRY studied the commander. Dadren was a tall, wiry man, whose weather-scarred face

  marked him as a sea dog. Blunt featured, square-jawed, he was a type of person who dealt

  in facts. His inventive genius lay chiefly in his ceaseless experimenting and his

  perseverance. The commander was a man who seldom deviated from a fixed purpose.

  Harry knew that. He realized, also, that he must use tactful methods in suggesting that new

  danger might be encountered. Dadren was a fearless man. The simple suggestion that

  Dadren should postpone his trip would not go far. Harry used the commander's question as

  a wedge of another sort.

  "I think it is serious," agreed Harry. "Look about, sir, and see for yourself. That fellow must

  have been mighty anxious to get in here, the way he chewed up those wires."

  "He blundered, though," remarked Dadren, looking about the room. "Knocking over a lot of

  glass looks like the work of some ordinary miscreant."

  "I don't agree, sir," put in Harry. "I think the man was working in the dark. He may have seen

  the light in my room, where I was at the typewriter. He was probably afraid to use a flashlight,

  while somebody was about."

  "But why should he have searched the laboratory? If he came here after my plans, he should

  have known that they were in the office."

  "I don't think so, sir. This is your private lab. He found papers here. He would have been a

  fool not to inspect them first. He probably used a flashlight for that, keeping it well guarded."

  "But what about the filing cabinet?"

  "He made a natural mistake there. Opening the drawer without the light, he may have set

  some papers on top in a perfectly off-hand manner. That could have started the crash."

  The commander nodded. He was half convinced. Harry put in another thrust.

  "The fellow's get-away," he said, "is proof that he was no apprentice. He made his way out

  of the court, even while the alarm was on."

  "That is true," nodded Dadren. "He came in, too, while the place was guarded. Over the roof

  was the only way."

  "Unless he started from the inside," suggested Harry.

  The commander stared steadily at his secretary. Harry met the gaze unflinchingly. He saw a

  troubled look cloud Dadren's face.

  "I take it, Vincent," he said, dryly, "that we have a spy in our midst."

  "Maybe two, sir."

  "Two?"

  "Yes. The men are paired."

  "I see"—Dadren was nodding slowly—"yes, Vincent, your point is well chosen. At the same

  time, I doubt it. I took great care in teaming up my men. I doubt that any one man could

  induce another to act as his accomplice."

/>   THERE was a pause. Harry saw Dadren look to the door of the inner office. The

  commander had locked it after coming out. Harry saw a new chance to talk.

  "I mentioned a possibility, sir," he said. "I do not think it would be wise to ignore it. You can

  never trust too fully in the men whom you choose. In fact, that was why you obtained me

  through Professor Whitburn."

  "Did Whitburn tell you that?"

  "Yes. He said that you wanted a first-class recommendation before taking any one into your

  employ."

  "I wanted you for a secretary, Vincent. That was a more important post than any other. I had

  men whom I could trust; but they were not qualified for the job."

  "I know that, sir. Don't think that I am trying to belittle any of the men who were here when I

  came. I am merely speaking of my own experience."

  "With Whitburn?"

  "Yes. I worked for him once, when he was developing his aerial torpedoes. He thought that

  all of his men could be trusted. He was wrong."

  "Suppose I change the men about," suggested Dadren, in a tone that indicated a

  willingness to receive advice. "If two of them have conspired, they would be separated."

  "That might end trouble here," agreed Harry. "In fact, it would certainly put a quietus on their

  game."

  "I shall do it," declared Dadren. "To-night, Vincent, I shall prepare the new list and give it to

  you in the morning. If spies are present, their efforts will be nullified."

  "Except for one point," put in Harry. "The most important point, commander."

  "What is that?"

  "They will have no further purpose here."

  "Why not?"

  "Because the plans will be gone. You are taking them to Washington."

  "That is a point, Vincent. Well, that makes it all the better. They made their attempt to-night.

  They failed. There is no cause for further worry."

  "There is every cause for worry, Commander."

  Dadren looked at Harry in surprise. The commander thought that his final statement had

  settled the matter. Harry had reopened the question. What was more, he spoke with

  assurance; for he felt certain that the trend was turning the way he wanted it.

  "To-night was the beginning, sir," stated Harry, in a serious tone. "The beginning—not the

  end. An attempt was made to steal the plans for your new submarine. That attempt will be

  repeated."

  "Not here, if I have taken the plans away."

  "That is exactly what I fear. An attack made elsewhere might succeed. You are heading into

  danger, sir. Grave danger, as to-night's episode proves."

  "I do not fear danger, Vincent. It cannot be avoided."

  "It can. Most effectively."

  "How?"

  "By keeping the plans here."

  THE commander stared at his secretary. Harry's suggestion seemed preposterous to

  Dadren. Shaking his head, the naval officer spoke emphatically.

  "I am taking those plans to Washington, Vincent," he declared. "They are ready to be

  delivered to Senator Releston. After he has seen them and approved, they will go directly to

  the Navy Department."

  "I advise a postponement, sir," returned Harry, boldly. "Put the men on new shifts. Keep the

  plans here. Bait those spies. Make them reveal themselves -"

  "Enough," interrupted Dadren. "You are here to take orders, Vincent - not to give them. Have

  you completed those letters I gave you this afternoon?"

  "Not quite, sir."

  "Finish them. I shall be in to sign them."

  Dadren's tone was terse. Harry acknowledged the order; then left the laboratory and went

  back to his office. He was determined that when Dadren came to sign the letters, he would

  bring up the subject once again. At any cost, the commander must be prevented from taking

  the plans to Washington.

  Harry looked glum when he reached the big hall. Wilkins was at the fireplace; the fellow

  arose and followed Harry into the little room. He watched Harry sit down at the typewriter to

  finish the half-completed letter.

  Wilkins suspected nothing. He merely wanted to talk about Commander Dadren. Wilkins

  was afraid that the skipper would be wrathful because the unseen intruder had escaped.

  Harry assured him that Dadren was calm. Wilkins went out and Harry resumed his typing.

  TEN minutes later, Commander Dadren appeared carrying a letter file. He closed the door

  of Harry's room and stood by while his secretary completed the typing of the last letter. He

  wrote his signature on the different letters that Harry had typed. Then he opened the folder

  that he had brought with him. From it, he removed a large, flat envelope. He placed the

  envelope on the table beside the typewriter.

  "Vincent," remarked the commander, quietly. "I have been thinking over what you had to say.

  I am beginning to agree with you. There is danger ahead. I do not fear it; but that is no

  reason why I should jeopardize my invention.

  "This envelope contains plans for the new submarine. It is to be delivered, unopened, to

  Senator Releston, in Washington. But I do not intend to take it on my flight to-morrow

  morning. I shall carry a portfolio that will apparently contain the plans. This envelope,

  however, will be in your briefcase.

  "To-morrow morning"—the commander's voice was scarcely more than a whisper—"I shall

  order you to come to Washington by train. Purely for incidental work, so far as anyone else

  will know. But I am counting upon you to carry the envelope to Senator Releston. Deliver it to

  him the morning after your arrival, unless you hear from me in the meantime."

  "Very well, sir," agreed Harry.

  "I have great confidence in you, Vincent," added Dadren. "Particularly because you were

  recommended by Professor Whitburn. I liked the way you spoke to-night. You went beyond

  your province; but you gave me something to think about.

  "You are right when you believe that I may be the target of the enemies who failed in

  to-night's plot. They will never suspect that I turned this important envelope over to you. Lock

  it up in your table. Keep it there until you leave."

  With this admonition, the commander turned and opened the door. As he stepped into the

  hall, he swung about and spoke to Harry in a matter of fact tone.

  "Don't forget to include my forwarding address," he said. "Put it in every letter, Vincent. Then

  go over those expense sheets and check the figures. I want to find out exactly where the

  errors lie. File all my old correspondence. I want all that done before morning."

  The commander walked away. Harry feigned dejection as he stood in the doorway. Wilkins,

  at the fireplace, noted Harry's expression.

  "Did the skipper hand you extra duty, Vincent?" questioned Wilkins.

  "I'll say he did," replied Harry. "I've checked those expense sheets three times. Five dollars

  and thirty-two cents is the error that shows up. I'd rather pay it out of my salary than bother

  about finding it."

  "Tell that to the skipper," laughed Holgate, who was seated beside Wilkins.

  "Maybe I will," growled Harry.

  Returning to his room, Harry closed the door. He left the light on while he locked the big

  envelope in the table drawer. Then, as an afterthought, he opened the door and began to go

  over expense sheets, at the table, where men in the hall could see him.

  HALF an hour passed. The men
turned off the radio and headed for their rooms. Ten

  minutes after all were gone. Harry closed the door and extinguished the light. He was sure

  that no one suspected the important part that Commander Dadren had given him.

  The Shadow's scheme had worked. Harry Vincent had done well in the emergency. He had

  managed to obey The Shadow's order. He had prevented the plane trip with the plans. Yet

  Harry was not quite sure that he had fulfilled the complete injunction.

  Commander Dadren was flying to Washington, as scheduled. That trip had not been

  prevented. Nor could it be. Further argument with the stern commander might cause trouble.

  Yet Harry felt that he had accomplished the important part of The Shadow's order. The

  plans, at least, were not going with Dadren.

  The Shadow relied upon his agents to use their own judgment in a pinch. Harry Vincent had

  played his hand with success. He had done the most within his power. To-morrow, a report

  to The Shadow. Then to Washington with the plans that Dadren had given him.

  CHAPTER IX. THE SHADOW STRIKES

  ONE hour after dawn, Harry Vincent was awakened by a knock at the door of his room. He

  answered the call, to find Wilkins and Holgate awaiting him.

  "The skipper's ready to take off," informed Wilkins. "Wants you down at the cove, Vincent.

  Says to bring along those expense sheets and whatever else you have."

  With the order delivered, Wilkins and Holgate departed. Harry dressed hurriedly. He

  unlocked the drawer of the desk and removed the envelope that contained the plans. He put

  it in a briefcase along with other papers. Then he hurried from the big blockhouse.

  Commander Dadren's plane was drawn up beside the boat house landing. An amphibian

  ship, it was equipped to take off from water or ground. This type of plane was suited to

  Dadren's needs, for the cove offered the only landing spot in the vicinity. Traveling to

  Washington, Dadren would be flying over land; hence he could use any airport that he might

  require.

  The commander was standing on the planking by the boat house. Although attired in civilian

  garb, he had the bearing of a naval officer. Harry, approaching, easily distinguished the

  skipper from the rest of the crew.

  Arriving, Harry noted Hasker in the amphibian. The mechanic was a heavy-set, rough-faced