CHAPTER FOUR
Feeling the silent presence of the Shadow right behind her, Margot gripped the handle of the large door and pulled it open. In a practiced manner she stepped slightly to the side so that the Shadow could pass her and enter the room first, but not in such a way that an observer would recognize the maneuver. Margot paused at the doorway in order to let her eyes adjust to the darker interior of the room.
The room was in as much disorder as Tallon's shop was tidy. Books, paintings, small sculptures, and numerous other artifacts were scattered about and on top of upturned furniture. There was an open doorway directly at the back of the room, and long curtains obscured the walls on either side. Margot realized that much of the debris was from four glass cases that had been utterly demolished. They appeared to have originally stood towards the middle of the room.
It was there in the room's center that the real horror lay.
There were four bodies, presumably Mr. Barston and three employees. Three of them, an athletic gentleman in his fifties and two younger women, lay with looks of terror frozen upon their faces. The man had been shot squarely in the forehead, and the two ladies appeared to have been strangled with silken scarves, still tied around their necks. The fourth victim's face was obscured by a third scarf, but the body appeared to be a younger man, perhaps in his thirties, wearing a dark pair of pants and shirt.
"Wait here, Margot," the Shadow whispered into her ear.
She began to look about the room, examining the artifacts that remained scattered about. She counted numerous ancient books, several jade statues of Asian origin, and a few ancient swords that appeared to be Japanese, among numerous other items.
Margot bent to examine one of the statues when she was jerked roughly to her feet from behind. As she felt her left arm encased by an iron grip, her attacker's right arm wrapped around her throat.
"Who else is here?" The voice was low and gravelly.
"No...no one else." Margot struggled to breathe against the man's arm. As she looked around the room, she tried to divine from where her assailant had come. Then she looked to the room's center.
The fourth body, the young man, was no longer there.
"Does anyone else know-"
"I know." The Shadow's voice seemed to come from everywhere.
Margot felt her assailant's arm relax slightly, confused.
"I know that you murdered Mr. Barston and his assistants."
"Who are you? Come out where I can see you!"
The assailant turned Margot and started to drag her toward the door at the back of the shop.
"Stop! I have two guns trained on you and I'm an excellent shot."
"Not unless you want to kill your little friend here," the man sounded sarcastic. "Now show yourself or I'll do the job for you!"
"Don't you see me?...I'm here...in the shadows!"
The arm relaxed further as the man realized who was taunting him. Margot took the opportunity to twist violently and drive an elbow into her assailant's torso. He grunted and released her. Her hands in front of her, Margot pushed away when she hit the floor. The man took two quick steps backward and then ran out the back door of the room.
"Margot, are you all right?"
"Yes, Shadow, go get him!"
Margot heard steps running away from her and then the back door slammed shut.
When the Shadow arrived on the roof, he saw the murderer leaping to the next roof, about twenty feet to the Shadow's right. He turned and gave chase. The assailant was an athletic man, but the Shadow managed to keep pace as they flew over the dirty buildings.
"I almost have you!"
The murderer looked over his shoulder in panic but kept running.
"That building up ahead is too far to jump. You'll never make it."
The man kept running, fear of the disembodied voice driving him on. However, as the Shadow had said, the rooftop ended ahead with about a twenty foot space to the next. As the edge approached the man put on a burst of speed.
Then he jumped.
Even as he saw the attacker jump, the Shadow did not slow. He ran to the edge of the building...
...and leapt into space.
Chapter Five.
The room was in as much disorder as Tallon's shop was tidy. Books, paintings, small sculptures, and numerous other artifacts were scattered about and on top of upturned furniture. There was an open doorway directly at the back of the room, and long curtains obscured the walls on either side. Margot realized that much of the debris was from four glass cases that had been utterly demolished. They appeared to have originally stood towards the middle of the room.
It was there in the room's center that the real horror lay.
There were four bodies, presumably Mr. Barston and three employees. Three of them, an athletic gentleman in his fifties and two younger women, lay with looks of terror frozen upon their faces. The man had been shot squarely in the forehead, and the two ladies appeared to have been strangled with silken scarves, still tied around their necks. The fourth victim's face was obscured by a third scarf, but the body appeared to be a younger man, perhaps in his thirties, wearing a dark pair of pants and shirt.
"Wait here, Margot," the Shadow whispered into her ear.
She began to look about the room, examining the artifacts that remained scattered about. She counted numerous ancient books, several jade statues of Asian origin, and a few ancient swords that appeared to be Japanese, among numerous other items.
Margot bent to examine one of the statues when she was jerked roughly to her feet from behind. As she felt her left arm encased by an iron grip, her attacker's right arm wrapped around her throat.
"Who else is here?" The voice was low and gravelly.
"No...no one else." Margot struggled to breathe against the man's arm. As she looked around the room, she tried to divine from where her assailant had come. Then she looked to the room's center.
The fourth body, the young man, was no longer there.
"Does anyone else know-"
"I know." The Shadow's voice seemed to come from everywhere.
Margot felt her assailant's arm relax slightly, confused.
"I know that you murdered Mr. Barston and his assistants."
"Who are you? Come out where I can see you!"
The assailant turned Margot and started to drag her toward the door at the back of the shop.
"Stop! I have two guns trained on you and I'm an excellent shot."
"Not unless you want to kill your little friend here," the man sounded sarcastic. "Now show yourself or I'll do the job for you!"
"Don't you see me?...I'm here...in the shadows!"
The arm relaxed further as the man realized who was taunting him. Margot took the opportunity to twist violently and drive an elbow into her assailant's torso. He grunted and released her. Her hands in front of her, Margot pushed away when she hit the floor. The man took two quick steps backward and then ran out the back door of the room.
"Margot, are you all right?"
"Yes, Shadow, go get him!"
Margot heard steps running away from her and then the back door slammed shut.
When the Shadow arrived on the roof, he saw the murderer leaping to the next roof, about twenty feet to the Shadow's right. He turned and gave chase. The assailant was an athletic man, but the Shadow managed to keep pace as they flew over the dirty buildings.
"I almost have you!"
The murderer looked over his shoulder in panic but kept running.
"That building up ahead is too far to jump. You'll never make it."
The man kept running, fear of the disembodied voice driving him on. However, as the Shadow had said, the rooftop ended ahead with about a twenty foot space to the next. As the edge approached the man put on a burst of speed.
Then he jumped.
Even as he saw the attacker jump, the Shadow did not slow. He ran to the edge of the building...
...and leapt into space.
Chapter Five.
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