Chapter XVII
THE SHADOW INTERUPTS
FRANK THURSTON, a squattish-looking man, was up late again, going through the stacks of paperwork piled on his desk, which never seemed to stop coming. Thurston pushed up his thick, black reading glasses, which tended to emphasize the length of his slender nose. His gaze focused on the clock on the far wall.
"Miss Trinh, you are allowed to leave. There is no need for you to stay any longer, I can manage alone from here."
Tracy stood up from her desk and walked over toward Thurston's. "Really, sir, it's no trouble."
"I insist. You should go home."
"But, you'll be the only person here…"
"I thank you for your concern, Miss Trinh," he cut off her comment. "I'll be fine." He returned to the papers on his desk.
"Alright, sir." She turned around and headed back to her desk to gather her things.
Thurston looked up slightly from the paperwork, for the first time, he noticed the low cut front of her dress as she bent over. He felt his skin grow warm and perspiration begin to form on his forehead. He cleared his throat and Tracy looked up.
"Is something wrong, sir?"
"Uh…" His eyes zeroed in on her chest. He forced himself to stop and look at her face. "No, no, not at all."
"Very well, I'll see you in the morning." She turned to leave.
"Wait!"
Tracy turned, looking as shocked as Thurston was about his statement. "Yes?" Her voice was now one of seduction.
"I do get a little lonely now and then."
She grinned, her bait was hooked. "I'm sorry, sir."
"It's passed business hours, you can call me Frank."
"Very well, Frank. Is there something I can help you with?"
He stood. "Oh yes." When he stood, he looked quite handsome. All the weariness from the stress of his business seemed to disappear. He walked closer to her and caressed her shoulder. "I'm a very lonely man."
She edged up closer to him and brushed the hair out of his face. "Let me ease all your problems."
Thurston lost all self-control. He suddenly found himself wanting to be with Tracy in a more than a business associate type of way. Her eyes gently closed as her lips brushed his. Slowly, her hand reached up towards the tightly wound bun and pulled out the clip that housed a thin dagger. With the corner of her eye, she positioned it for strike. She grinned inwardly.
Just as she was about to strike, an invisible forced reached out of nowhere and prevented her. She squealed and Thurston broke from the kiss to notice the knife just above his chest. Horror swept across his face. Tracy's knife hand was forced behind her back, she fought against the force. The dagger dropped from her hand and moved from her reach. The force let go of her and she fell to her knees, favoring her wrist.
A blob of blackness moved across the floor. Thurston stood dumbfounded. As the blackness moved toward the door, it began to take shape to that of a human. Thurston could not believe what he was seeing. A figure appeared, cover in black. The upturned corner of his cloak covered his face and his slouch hat cast a shadow over the rest of his face, only his eyes were visible. Eyes that could see into the soul of anyone. Thurston felt cold. A chilling, merciless laugh resounded throughout the room, originating from the location of the man in black. Without saying a word, the man in black slipped out of the room.
Tracy was still on the floor, muttering to herself. "I told him The Shadow would be after us."
Thurston was stunned. The Shadow had suddenly appeared to save his life and just as suddenly, he left. His senses quickly returned and he forced Tracy into a corner. "You." He couldn't get his thoughts in order. "Get out! And don't come back!" He barked.
Tracy scrambled to her feet and left without a word. She got in her car and headed to the outskirts of town, to John's house.
JOHN FLANNIGAN paced across the floor of his rundown cabin on the outskirts of Hillsboro. He was waiting for the arrival of Tracy Trinh and the news that she had completed her mission. The sound of a car driving up the gravel road caught his attention. The headlights were out, meaning it was Tracy. He smiled. Tracy entered the house visibly shaken.
He walked over to her, taking her by the shoulders. "Tracy, dear, what's wrong? Did you bump him off?"
She shook her head. "No."
His grip tightened. "No?! What do you mean, no?"
"I-I was prevented."
"Was Frank too much for ya?" His voice was condescending.
"No. It was The-The-The Shadow."
"I told you he was only a rumor."
"No. I saw him. He knows, John. He knows!"
"Calm down, Tracy. I gotta think."
She looked off to the side and noticed a blob of blackness in the corner by the door. She stiffened. "John." She whispered hoarsely.
"Quiet, wench!"
The shadow moved towards them.
"John! The Shadow, he's here!"
"Will you shut up!" He posed to slap her across the face when a laugh prevented him. An eerie, mystical laughter. With his hand still posed for attack, he cautiously turned his head in the direction of the sound. Fear consumed his features as a man dressed completely in black came out of the shadows. The shadow cast by his slouch hat covered the upper half of his face, while the up-turned collar of his cloak hid the rest. Two piercing eyes where the only things that appeared out of the darkness that was the man's face.
"Do you intent to confess peacefully? Or…" He pulled out two silver automatics. "Must I force it from you?"
Tracy's knees buckled, but John caught her before she felt to the floor. "You don't got anything on us, Shadow." John replied.
The Shadow aimed one of his guns at John and fired. John and Tracy ducked as the debris from the ceiling fell on them. A warning shot. "I will only ask once more. Confess!"
"Never. You can never catch me, Shadow! You can never catch me!"
"John, no! It's useless." Tracy cried. John didn't hear, or at least he didn't comprehend. He laughed as though he lost his mind. He ran towards the door, The Shadow changed his aim. John fell to floor with a whimper. Tracy screamed, expecting to find him dead, but only his left arm was rendered useless.
The Shadow moved towards them, his automatics on both of them. Tracy was panicking. The once firm resolve she so expertly held throughout this entire plan was now gone. "Don't shoot. I'll confess!" She cried. The Shadow still kept his guns on the two on the floor.
"I don't like to wait." Came the harsh whisper.
Her story came out a mile a minute, but The Shadow caught every word. "It wasn't all my fault. Really, I only did it because…" Her statement was never finished. Her body crumpled to the ground following the report of a gun. John was now standing, holding a revolver aimed at the innate form of Tracy Trinh.
"I'm sorry, Tracy, but I would have to do it sooner or later." He focused his aim at The Shadow. "Now, it's your turn. You will never catch me, no will ever catch me." He laughed. "I'm too smart for you."
Before John could fire, The Shadow shot the wrist of John's arm that was holding the gun. The gun fell to the floor and John groaned.
"I'm afraid you're wrong about that." The Shadow kept both automatics trained on John and slowly backed him into a corner. "You will confess."
"Alright. Alright." John whimpered. "I did it. I ordered the murders for Bobrick and Thurston, but Fisher was all Tracy's idea."
The Shadow's invisible lips twisted into a sneer.
"You may have gotten my confession, Shadow, but the police never will!" John fumbled with his revolver, but managed to get a hold of it and aim it true. "The police never will!" With that John fired the gun and fell limp on the floor.
The Shadow looked down at the forms of John Flannigan and Tracy Trinh. He re-holstered his automatics and headed out the door. A faint laugh echoed throughout the now empty house. The forces of evil were now at bay, thanks to the help of The Shadow!
THE SHADOW INTERUPTS
FRANK THURSTON, a squattish-looking man, was up late again, going through the stacks of paperwork piled on his desk, which never seemed to stop coming. Thurston pushed up his thick, black reading glasses, which tended to emphasize the length of his slender nose. His gaze focused on the clock on the far wall.
"Miss Trinh, you are allowed to leave. There is no need for you to stay any longer, I can manage alone from here."
Tracy stood up from her desk and walked over toward Thurston's. "Really, sir, it's no trouble."
"I insist. You should go home."
"But, you'll be the only person here…"
"I thank you for your concern, Miss Trinh," he cut off her comment. "I'll be fine." He returned to the papers on his desk.
"Alright, sir." She turned around and headed back to her desk to gather her things.
Thurston looked up slightly from the paperwork, for the first time, he noticed the low cut front of her dress as she bent over. He felt his skin grow warm and perspiration begin to form on his forehead. He cleared his throat and Tracy looked up.
"Is something wrong, sir?"
"Uh…" His eyes zeroed in on her chest. He forced himself to stop and look at her face. "No, no, not at all."
"Very well, I'll see you in the morning." She turned to leave.
"Wait!"
Tracy turned, looking as shocked as Thurston was about his statement. "Yes?" Her voice was now one of seduction.
"I do get a little lonely now and then."
She grinned, her bait was hooked. "I'm sorry, sir."
"It's passed business hours, you can call me Frank."
"Very well, Frank. Is there something I can help you with?"
He stood. "Oh yes." When he stood, he looked quite handsome. All the weariness from the stress of his business seemed to disappear. He walked closer to her and caressed her shoulder. "I'm a very lonely man."
She edged up closer to him and brushed the hair out of his face. "Let me ease all your problems."
Thurston lost all self-control. He suddenly found himself wanting to be with Tracy in a more than a business associate type of way. Her eyes gently closed as her lips brushed his. Slowly, her hand reached up towards the tightly wound bun and pulled out the clip that housed a thin dagger. With the corner of her eye, she positioned it for strike. She grinned inwardly.
Just as she was about to strike, an invisible forced reached out of nowhere and prevented her. She squealed and Thurston broke from the kiss to notice the knife just above his chest. Horror swept across his face. Tracy's knife hand was forced behind her back, she fought against the force. The dagger dropped from her hand and moved from her reach. The force let go of her and she fell to her knees, favoring her wrist.
A blob of blackness moved across the floor. Thurston stood dumbfounded. As the blackness moved toward the door, it began to take shape to that of a human. Thurston could not believe what he was seeing. A figure appeared, cover in black. The upturned corner of his cloak covered his face and his slouch hat cast a shadow over the rest of his face, only his eyes were visible. Eyes that could see into the soul of anyone. Thurston felt cold. A chilling, merciless laugh resounded throughout the room, originating from the location of the man in black. Without saying a word, the man in black slipped out of the room.
Tracy was still on the floor, muttering to herself. "I told him The Shadow would be after us."
Thurston was stunned. The Shadow had suddenly appeared to save his life and just as suddenly, he left. His senses quickly returned and he forced Tracy into a corner. "You." He couldn't get his thoughts in order. "Get out! And don't come back!" He barked.
Tracy scrambled to her feet and left without a word. She got in her car and headed to the outskirts of town, to John's house.
JOHN FLANNIGAN paced across the floor of his rundown cabin on the outskirts of Hillsboro. He was waiting for the arrival of Tracy Trinh and the news that she had completed her mission. The sound of a car driving up the gravel road caught his attention. The headlights were out, meaning it was Tracy. He smiled. Tracy entered the house visibly shaken.
He walked over to her, taking her by the shoulders. "Tracy, dear, what's wrong? Did you bump him off?"
She shook her head. "No."
His grip tightened. "No?! What do you mean, no?"
"I-I was prevented."
"Was Frank too much for ya?" His voice was condescending.
"No. It was The-The-The Shadow."
"I told you he was only a rumor."
"No. I saw him. He knows, John. He knows!"
"Calm down, Tracy. I gotta think."
She looked off to the side and noticed a blob of blackness in the corner by the door. She stiffened. "John." She whispered hoarsely.
"Quiet, wench!"
The shadow moved towards them.
"John! The Shadow, he's here!"
"Will you shut up!" He posed to slap her across the face when a laugh prevented him. An eerie, mystical laughter. With his hand still posed for attack, he cautiously turned his head in the direction of the sound. Fear consumed his features as a man dressed completely in black came out of the shadows. The shadow cast by his slouch hat covered the upper half of his face, while the up-turned collar of his cloak hid the rest. Two piercing eyes where the only things that appeared out of the darkness that was the man's face.
"Do you intent to confess peacefully? Or…" He pulled out two silver automatics. "Must I force it from you?"
Tracy's knees buckled, but John caught her before she felt to the floor. "You don't got anything on us, Shadow." John replied.
The Shadow aimed one of his guns at John and fired. John and Tracy ducked as the debris from the ceiling fell on them. A warning shot. "I will only ask once more. Confess!"
"Never. You can never catch me, Shadow! You can never catch me!"
"John, no! It's useless." Tracy cried. John didn't hear, or at least he didn't comprehend. He laughed as though he lost his mind. He ran towards the door, The Shadow changed his aim. John fell to floor with a whimper. Tracy screamed, expecting to find him dead, but only his left arm was rendered useless.
The Shadow moved towards them, his automatics on both of them. Tracy was panicking. The once firm resolve she so expertly held throughout this entire plan was now gone. "Don't shoot. I'll confess!" She cried. The Shadow still kept his guns on the two on the floor.
"I don't like to wait." Came the harsh whisper.
Her story came out a mile a minute, but The Shadow caught every word. "It wasn't all my fault. Really, I only did it because…" Her statement was never finished. Her body crumpled to the ground following the report of a gun. John was now standing, holding a revolver aimed at the innate form of Tracy Trinh.
"I'm sorry, Tracy, but I would have to do it sooner or later." He focused his aim at The Shadow. "Now, it's your turn. You will never catch me, no will ever catch me." He laughed. "I'm too smart for you."
Before John could fire, The Shadow shot the wrist of John's arm that was holding the gun. The gun fell to the floor and John groaned.
"I'm afraid you're wrong about that." The Shadow kept both automatics trained on John and slowly backed him into a corner. "You will confess."
"Alright. Alright." John whimpered. "I did it. I ordered the murders for Bobrick and Thurston, but Fisher was all Tracy's idea."
The Shadow's invisible lips twisted into a sneer.
"You may have gotten my confession, Shadow, but the police never will!" John fumbled with his revolver, but managed to get a hold of it and aim it true. "The police never will!" With that John fired the gun and fell limp on the floor.
The Shadow looked down at the forms of John Flannigan and Tracy Trinh. He re-holstered his automatics and headed out the door. A faint laugh echoed throughout the now empty house. The forces of evil were now at bay, thanks to the help of The Shadow!