Biff Towley had found two who would do. He and Glade Tremont had made their choice — Pinkey Baird. But circumstances had altered that decision. Pinkey Baird was not to be their man.
Instead, Cliff Marsland had received the job.
Cliff Marsland was The Shadow's choice!
Chapter VIII — Orlinov's Castle
Cliff Marsland was seated on a broad veranda, smoking a cigarette. Before him was a wide lawn that ended in a thick clump of trees, cleaved by a narrow road. Beyond that were the rolling mountainsides of the Catskills.
Cliff leaned his head back in his chair and let his eyes rove straight upward. There he saw a wall of gray stone, topped by a thick, projecting turret. This huge building was a replica of a medieval castle. A remarkable place, this large estate situated three miles from the town of Glendale. Cliff had first spied it from the hillside road, the day that he had arrived in Glendale.
It had amazed him then, the gray-walled building with its squat wings and uneven battlements. It looked like the fortress of a baron of the Middle Ages — a sight that would have been commonplace in Europe, yet which was astonishing in New York State.
It had not taken Cliff long to learn the history of the place. It had been built by a wealthy railroad magnate, some forty years before, and had been disposed of by his heirs. The name "Glamartin" was still inscribed over the old stone entrance gate — for that had been the name of the estate. Now it was the residence of Ivan Orlinov, wealthy Russian of the czarist realm, who had become a naturalized American citizen.
To the casual observer, Orlinov's castle was a secluded and placid place. The estate comprised some thirty acres, fenced with a high-spiked iron fence, well posted with signs that forbade trespassing. Besides this barrier, Orlinov employed the services of more than a dozen men, who served in various capacities.
Gardeners, chauffeurs, cooks, and butlers — these were the positions that they occupied.