The Shadow 157 The Golden Dog Murders
Maxwell GrantLet's begin with the back story, here. Every decade, in Rajkumana, at the feast of the Ten-year Vigil, a virgin in white robes rides in on an elephant, wearing the Necklace of Purity. The Necklace of Purity is made of twenty-one very unusual one-of-a-kind sapphires. Each is of vivid blue, and deep in the center of each stone is a hint of red ruby. There are no other sapphires like them in the entire world. The necklace is placed about the throat of the golden Dog goddess. But not this time. The necklace has been stolen. Someone has stolen the sapphire necklace and has split up the rare stones. They've been sold to collectors in New York. And now a curse has been placed upon the new owners of the stones. The Dog goddess will wreak her revenge. Horrible death will befall those who possess the stolen gems. As our story opens we meet Sam Baron, a trigger-man for a powerful underworld mob that specializes in stolen jewelry. He's breaking into the home of young chemist Rodney Mason. He's after synthetic jewels that young Rodney has been experimenting with. Rodney Mason has been trying to create synthetic sapphires, using a process of chemistry and heat. But the process has not yet been perfected. So far, Rodney has only succeeded in creating artificial sapphires that are flawed. Although they are a deep vivid blue, deep in the heart of each stone is the reddish trace of a ruby. And that makes them valueless. Or so he thinks.
By a strange coi