Shadow Magazine Vol 1 57

A wealthy financier, Frederick Thorne is attempting to purchase an invention of Meldon Fallow. Fallow refuses the offer believing Thorne will only use this invention for profit at the expense of lower class workers and mechanics. Fallow is in agreement with a group of men that aided with this invention. They will use it in a positive way that will benefit more than harm. As Fallow leaves Thorne’s servant brings in a tall middle aged man named Shelburne. Thorne tells Shelburne they will need to try and sway one of the men working with Fallow. Shelburne believes they won't get the results they want from these men. Thorne analyzes papers from his desk and says they must make a second attempt to persuade them. It’s revealed The Shadow has observed the night's meetings. He reads the papers Thorne had read to himself earlier then departs from the Manhattan department.

Jerry Laffan enters a secretive triangular room. He uses the number three to identify himself. He meets a man silhouetted behind a silkscreen who goes by the name Charg. Charg speaks of removing furniture from an apartment and for Laffan to wait for further orders.

Fallow attends a meeting with his committee. Bryce Towson, an engineer and Loring Dyke, a chemist are there and they are waiting for Herbert Whitlon, an old philanthropist who has called ahead after meeting a friend at the Cobalt Club and intends to bring that friend to the meeting. They discuss Fallow’s internal combustion motor that runs on a formula of nitroglycerin. One quart of fuel dubbed Q-M 1 will outperform 10 gallons of high grade gas. Dyke is pleased with the news. Fallow credits Towson for the use of his lab and machinery.

Whilton arrives with his friend Lamont Cranston, an aviation enthusiast who has interest in testing the motor. The four men behind the production of the motor sign documents stating any use of this invention must be agreed to unanimously by them. In the event of one of their deaths the decisions would still require unanimous decision from remaining members. Fallow speaks of Thorne’s attempt to purchase the motor. The other three men reassure they aren’t interested. After showing the motor to Cranston, Fallow speaks of moving to a pre furnished apartment and Shelburne documents his new address along with the other details of the meeting.

Later in The Shadow’s sanctum he sends orders to his agents to watch Thorne and Shelburne as he goes to investigate murders in San Francisco.

Cardona and Klein are called to a murder scene. The body of Meldon Fallow has been brutally mangled in his apartment. They are brought upstairs by officer Loftus. Fallow’s body is found next to his desk surrounded by papers. One of the papers has the name of a patent attorney, Morris Jackling who was paying out royalties to Fallow. Cardona calls the attorney to the scene. Cardona and Klein question the janitor who found Fallow. He let in two movers that were there to remove furniture and they found Fallow’s body. Cardona and Klein have trouble finding the entry point of the murderer. The two movers give Cardona a note from a furniture dealer named Ephriam Goggins who was buying Fallow’s furniture.

Two days later, Clyde Burke meets Cardona at the precinct to learn details on the murder. They go to Fallow’s apartment where they find the two movers who work for Goggins. In the apartment Burke notes the scene to report details to The Shadow. Burke sees the challenge it was to the two movers to move the desk Fallow was found next to. Burke reports his findings to Rutledge Mann who delivers them to the B. Jonas office.

The Shadow returns from San Francisco after dismantling an unrelated Chinatown dope ring. He analyzes Burke's report and decides he needs to investigate the desk. The possibility of the desk being the hiding place of Fallow’s killer appears to be the best lead. The Shadow visits the shop of Goggins looking for the desk. Goggins informs him that he just sold it. The Shadow goes to Thorne’s office to pick up a new lead.

Charg is visited by another henchman, the thuggish Bart Daper who uses the number two to identify himself. Bart says that “the box” has been picked up. Charg tells him to meet with Laffen and report back the next night.

Thorne and Shelburne meet. The Shadow is hidden in Thornes office, spying on the conversation. Thorne discusses Fallow’s death and his desire to become the most powerful engine magnate in the world. Shelburne goes to Towson’s home to handle their next committee meeting. Towson lectures Shelburne on his tardiness due to the importance of their work now that fallow is gone. The three of them wait for Loring Dyke when Cranston shows up they discuss Loring’s public and private phone line and that he has answered neither. Cranston excuses himself. He is going to check on Loring’s well being. At Dyke’s home one of his servants, Talbot, is acting shady. He is confronted by another servant Parsons who thought Talbot had already left for his vacation. Talbot says he's leaving now. Parsons asks if express men had picked up a small but heavy box that was delivered by mistake. Talbot says it had been picked up and makes his way to the train station. At the station Talbot opens a note with a key in it. He tears up the paper and lets it blow away in the wind.

The Shadow picks the lock to Loring Dyke’s house. In his private lab he finds the mangled body of Loring, killed in similar fashion to Fallow. Neck broken and skull cracked he had been beaten beyond the point of necessity for the crime. The shadow sees the dumb waiter as the entry point to the room but it would seem too small to hide the killer. The Shadow starts to imagine the killer as machine-like. Cranston returns to meet with Towson and Whilton. Towson gets a phone call from the police alerting him to Loring’s death. Towson, Whilton, Cranston and Shelburne all agree to keep quiet on the details of Fallow’s motor. Whilton and Towson discuss the possible danger they are in. Whilton and Cranston leave the residence. Whilton tells Cranston of his concerns for Towson’s safety. Whilton believes that his Long Island home and company of his chauffeur Halliwell and servants: Randham, Parker, Hodge he will be in a secure location surrounded by trusted men.

Cranston is dropped off at The Cobalt Club by Whilton but he returns to Towson’s house as The Shadow to listen to the conversation soon to be had between Towson and Cardona. Talbot meets with Charg in his apartment house. He uses the key from his note to enter. This is his first face to face with Charg. He uses the number five to identify himself. He tells Charg that Jerry Laffen and another man delivered the box that he placed in the dumbwaiter then the two of them returned to remove the box. Charg tells Talbot he can receive his reward for his work in a room to their right. Talbot opens the door to the room when a powerful force begins to choke him.

Cardona meets with Towson to discuss dead men. Cardona tells Towson that the dumbwaiter would have been the only way in the room and that Talbot seems suspicious in the matter and they are looking for him now. Bart Daper and Jerry laffan come to speak with Charg the identify themselves with numbers two and three. Charg orders them to remove and dispose of the mangled body of Talbot.

At Throne’s home a servant ushers in Shelburne. The Shadow is now hiding in Thorne’s office listening to their conversation. Shelburne tells Thorne that Loring is dead. Thorne looks surprised yet pleased. Shelburne tells Thorne that word of the super motor and Thornes name haven't been given to Cardona to maintain secrecy of the invention. The next day the murders are front page news. The shadow orders Cliff to watch Thorne’s home and monitor the comings and goings of Shelburne and Harry is to watch Towson and any interaction he may have with Shelburne. Realizing Whilton is the next likely victim he intends to protect him personally.

Bart dapper meets with Charg he tells him that he has received “the box” and it's in the car Charg tells him to meet with Laffan and another man named Quinton who uses the number one as his token to identify himself.

Cranston meets Whilton at his home in Long Island. They discuss the murders briefly then Whilton decides to move on to less tragic conversation. He shows Cranston his library that has recently been redecorated, the new shelves end at roughly two feet above ground so Whilton doesn't have to strain himself by bending. He tells Cranston that he plans on unloading the heavy boxes filled with books from storage that evening. Whilton’s servant Randham reminds him that he has a meeting with Dr Ayres at 10pm. Cranston and Whilton leave. Cranston returns as The Shadow to spend the next hour attempting to intercept crime before Whilton’s return.

The shadow approaches Randham with a gun drawn. He opens a hidden compartment built into the bookcase meant to be used as a trap for Whilton. He commands Randham to confess. Randham says he had stolen from Whilton and Quinton had approached him on behalf of Charg to blackmail him. The Shadow wants Randham to bring them to Charg’s lair but Quinton, Laffan and Daper arrive. A gun fight ensues. The shadow lands a shot on Quinton, Randham leaps on The Shadow. The Shadow uses Randham as a shield from shots from Laffan and Daper. The two criminals manage to escape with the box they were bringing. The Shadow escapes knowing that Charg will be aware of The Shadows' involvement.

The following evening Towson, Whilton and Cranston meet in Towson”s conference room. Whilton decides to leave considering the crimes and his old age. Cranston will act in his place regarding the motor. When Whilton leaves Cranston tells Towson that he believes the Shadow had interfered in the crime. Shelburne hears this and later meets with Thorne and informs him of the shadows' theorized involvement. Thorne laughs this off believing The Shadow to be a simple radio host that speaks on a weekly program. Later while The Shadow is speaking over the air, a mysterious figure records this program on a record for future unknown use.

Laffen meets with Charg three nights after the shootout at Whitlons. Charg tells him to meet with Daper at an apartment at 11 to use a trap they had set long ago. The Shadow arrives at Whitlons and finds a letter where the writer says he knows who tried to kill Whilton and will reveal his identity in private at the Arulia apartments. The Shadow knows this is a trap and has Harry and Cliff watch the apartment as he goes in. The Shadow approaches a large shelf and pulls a gun believing it houses a hiding foe. The Shadow laughs with sinister triumphs then the cabinet open and a mass of machinery unfolds itself "steel cylinders shot upward, like an opening spyglass. A rounded object, like a head of metal; a larger cylinder that served as body; then, in a twinkling, four armlike rods snapped forward." These were the same machines that killed Fallow Dyke and Talbot. They are activated by voice, each machine tuned to the voice of their specific target. The recording of The Shadow’s voice has been used against him. The machines is secured in the cabinet which is anchored to the floor the arm are gripping and striking The Shadow. He uses his knee to loosen the grip around his torso and catches the arms of the machine. The Shadow holds these arms and remains still in a deadlock long enough that the machine disengages and returns to the box. These machines pummel their target until they stop moving. Since The Shadow held these arms long enough without moving he managed to survive when others hadn't. He falls to the floor semi conscious.

Time passes until 11pm when Laffen and Daper arrive to find what they believe is the dead form of the shadow. Daper removes the box with the machine and takes it to the car while Laffen holds a gun on The Shadows form. Laffen wants to ensure The Shadow is dead but doesn't want to fire any shots until the heavy box is loaded and ready to be moved. Harry and Cliff see Daper loading the car. Laffen turns over The Shadows body to see he is still alive. The Shadow attempts to pull his gun on Laffen but doesn't have the strength Laffen aims a gun at the shadow but he is shot by Cliff. Harry tails Daper who is unaware of Laffen plight. The Shadow learns from the dying Laffen the coded speech used when speaking to Charg. The shadow and Cliff lock Laffen’s body in the apartment and escape unnoticed. Harry tails Daper and learns of Charg’s hidden lair.

Before his meeting with Charg The Shadow learns from Burbank that Harry reported Daper dropping off a radio cabinet at Towson’s home. The Shadow disguises himself as Laffen. The Shadow meets with Charg who tells him to meet with Daper at 10 pm and he will give further instructions. Before leaving the shadows pulls a gun a rips the silk screen that Charg sits behind while meeting his agents. The Shadow finds that Charg is a wax figure and the box he sits on contains a phonograph that speaks to his agents. Charg is a facade of machinery. Records are automatically loaded based on number and the specific knocks each man uses before entering the lair. Quinton with number one, Dapper with number two, Laffan with three, Randham with four and Talbot with five.

The room has locked itself since the removal of The Charg wax figure. The Shadow moves towards the room where Talbot was killed. Out comes a much larger version of the murder machines. “It was a gigantic murder machine, a device that stood eight feet high. It was equipped with rounded legs of steel, set upon massive feet. Its body was a heavy cylinder; its head, a smaller one. As with the killer that The Shadow had met before, this huge robot possessed four arms.” The Shadow attempts to bob and weave the strikes from the robot. He tries to shoot the robot and gets no results. While dealing with the machine another door opens and a second giant robot begins to attack. The Shadow moves until he centers himself between the approaching machines. He dives out of the way right before they strike resulting in the machines colliding and striking each other. One robot destroys the other. The winning machine is greatly damaged, giving THe Shadow the chance to shoot into its exposed mechanics. With both robots defeated, The Shadow uses a powder explosive to escape the room.

Shelburne enters Towson's conference room. He arranges papers on a radio cabinet. He is trying to find information to give to Thorne. He hears Towson speaking with one of his servants and does not want to be seen by them. He makes a call to police headquarters pretending to be Towson. He says he needs to speak with Joe Cardona. Cardona is out of the office. Shelburne tells the officer on the phone to send Cardona to his house right away. The robot within the radio cabinet activates and attacks Shelburne and kills him.

Cardona arrives to see Towson who claims he never called him. They discover the body of Shelburne. Cardona asks if anyone had been to the home that night. Towson tells him just the man that delivered the radio tower. Cardona puts two and two together. He knocks over the radio tower revealing the machine that killed Shelbburne. He remembered the heavy desk at Fallow's. He recalled the dumbwaiter at Dyke's; also some talk, on Parson's part, about a box that had been shipped to the chemist's home. Towson proclaims the death machine was meant for him. A servant tells them that Thorne has come to see Towson. Thorne finds Towson in the room with the murder machine. Cardona holds a gun on him. Cardona finds a revolver on Thorne. Towson claims that Thorne wanted Fallow’s super motor and must have committed the murders to gain possession of the machine. He knew that Shelburne was a spy for Thorne. He left letters for Thorne in Towsan’s office and came that night to collect them. Thorne says that Shelbune found evidence that Towson is behind the murders. He stumbled on murder machines in Towson’s building. Towson holds a gun on Cardona and admits he is behind the murders. He built the death robots and operated under the guise of Charg. Four servants of Towson produce revolvers. One of them is Daper. Towson wanted the machine for himself. He plans on shipping a death robot to Whilton in his hiding place in Florida but first he will kill Thorne and Cardona.

Towson looks at the doorway and sees The Shadow with his guns drawn. Daper tries to tackle The Shadow. The Shadow fires a shot into Daper’s heart and uses his body as a shield. The Shadow manages to shoot and slay another servant. The other two servants manage to escape past the doorway. Cardona and Thorne leap on Towson. Towson manages to land a blow on each of his attackers and aims his gun at The Shadow. The Shadow tosses the body of Daper at Towson causing him to miss his shot. Towson tries to aim again but The Shadow fires, ending Towson. Shots sound from the hall. The Shadow looks out the doorway to see the two remaining servants of Towson dying from gun fire inflicted by Cliff and Harry, the two agents then leave into the night from the front entrance. The Shadow watches Cardona and Thorne coming to their senses and then escapes out the back. All Cardona could hear was the triumphant laugh of The Shadow.

Notes

Reprinted as Pyramid Books #20.
The story was also reprinted as a simplified comic book plot in Shadow Comics #8.

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Shadow Magazine Vol 1 57

Appearing in "Charg, Monster"

Synopsis for "Charg, Monster"

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