He, too, would go to Glendale. There, Lamont Cranston, under the subtle treatment of Ivan Orlinov, would be induced to disgorge his wealth, at the bidding of his captors!
Chapter XVIII — Orlinov's Threat
It was long past midnight. Orlinov's gray castle stood bleak and barren in the flooding moonlight. Its stone walls were deserted; yet its sullen battlements and sturdy towers spoke of hidden men-at-arms, ready to rise should the ramparts be threatened by an enemy.
A heavy truck glided up to the massive gate that bore the half-defaced name "Glamartin."
The lights clicked off and on. In response to the signal, the gate opened, and a stocky man stepped out and walked to the side of the big vehicle.
The watcher had recognized the truckmen who were bringing a new shipment to the castle. All three two truckmen and one watcher — were handpicked gorillas in the service of Biff Towley. The truck passed on. The gate clanged behind it. The truck stopped in front of the stone building. Men came from the door. Strong hands unloaded the heavy box from the truck.
Through the door went the box, into the hallway, then to the security of Orlinov's living room.
The handlers noticed the heavy fastenings of the box, its long pivot hinge, its solid padlocks. The burden rested on the floor as they surveyed it. Then the men left, locking the door of the room. There was no light in the living room, save the dying glow of embers in the fireplace. The mysterious box loomed large in the vague light. The only tokens of activity were the flickering, changing shadows that wavered across the floor in response to the faint glow from the large fireplace. Strange shadows in a strange room! Shadows that varied with the dying of the coals. Shadows that flitted like ghostly, goblin shapes. Shadows that were unreal, yet shades that seemed possessed of an uncanny life.
The faint crackling of the embers; the occasional creaking of the floor; these were the only sounds within that room. Then, shadows and sounds took on a more eerie trend. They were vague and uncertain as the firelight dwindled almost into nothingness.
One might have thought that elfin footfalls were creeping through that room, that the heavy door that led to the hall had opened, and then closed.