“But I feel certain that he is about to interfere with our important plan. Therefore, we must give him immediate consideration.
“Westcott was to have been Number Three. Chance decreed that he should have been Number Two. We have found out all he knows — which is very little.
“His death is not necessary, although it would have been desirable, under the circumstances which I planned. So we must first consider our dealings with the man who is now Number Three.”
“Work quick,” suggested Moose.
“No,” said Mallory, shaking his head thoughtfully. “Not too quickly, Moose. For then The Shadow would meet us on the ground.”
“You think he knows—”
“He knows enough to watch Bob; and Bob is the man for the job. I am positive that there are certain facts that The Shadow does not know — facts pertaining to Theodore Galvin—”
“The double-crossing snake!” growled Moose.
“But,” continued Mallory, ignoring the interruption, “there are also facts which he may have discovered.
“For instance, he may know that Bob Maddox is not Bob Galvin!”
“Do you think he has found that out?” quizzed Moose.
“If he has not,” declared Mallory, “I intend to have him learn the fact.”
MOOSE SHARGIN stared as though he thought his chief had gone crazy. He was too surprised to speak. Mallory continued now, with no interruption from his subordinate.
“Let us sum up what The Shadow knows,” declared Mallory. “First, he knows that a man was killed in Theodore Galvin’s study.”
“You mean Barker.”
“Correct. Next, he knows that Richard Harkness was killed by Clink. Third, he knows that a plan was made to eliminate Thaddeus Westcott, shortly after Westcott had dined with Bob Maddox — presumably Bob Galvin — and myself.”
Mallory paused thoughtfully; then resumed his discourse.
“The Shadow may suspect other things,” he said. “But, uppermost of all, he must wonder why Bob Galvin is mixed up in shady business.
“After all, Maddox was a makeshift. He passes fairly well as a man from South Africa, but not too well.
“It is probable that The Shadow believes Bob to be an impostor. Therefore, he is wondering what has become of the real Bob Galvin.”
“I’ve got him safe,” grinned Shargin.
“Correct,” said Mallory, “and I want you to keep him safe! Because The Shadow is going to try to get him!”
Shargin’s mouth opened wide. A sudden understanding began to dawn upon him.
“Why attack The Shadow?” questioned Mallory. “You tried it tonight. You found out what happened. When you have a dangerous enemy, don’t go after him. Bring him to you. Trap him! That’s what I intend to do with The Shadow!”
“Will he fall for it?”
“Will he fall?” smiled Mallory. “Why ask me that question, Moose? He went into trouble tonight, didn’t he? He will go into it again. But this time we will be prepared. That will be your job, Moose.”
“I’ll take care of it,” said the gang leader grimly.
“I expect you to do so,” said Mallory. “The Shadow’s attack will serve a double purpose. Not only will it bring him into our trap. It will also leave us free to deal with Number Three while The Shadow is otherwise engaged.”
“I get you, Chief. You’ll have Bob do his job while The Shadow is trying to pull young Galvin out of the stew.”
“Exactly! Therefore, our plan is to play a waiting game for the present. Do nothing until you hear from me. My instructions to the others will be the same.
“The Shadow — knowing that something important is at stake — will have to act on his own initiative. Until now, he has watched our moves. It is our turn to watch his.”
“I get you, Chief.”
MOOSE SHARGIN arose. He knew the interview was ended. In Hiram Mallory, he recognized a superior mind. This kindly faced old gentleman, known to his social friends as a retired business man, was a supercrook who kept his name free from all criminal enterprises.
Moose cast a last look about the room, with its elegant furnishings. The handsome, well-stocked bookcases; the expensive curtains and paintings that adorned the wall; the tall, decorated screen in the corner — all these were signs of the luxury that went with wealth acquired by legitimate methods.
There was nothing in this room that revealed the true nature of Hiram Mallory.
The panel opened in the wall. Moose Shargin entered. He went through the passage, back to the old house that stood adjacent to Hiram Mallory’s home.
Moose knew only part of his chief’s schemes and connections. Similarly, Shargin’s own underling — Garry Elvers — would be waiting for him, unknowing of his own chief’s dealings.
Hiram Mallory continued to smile after Moose Shargin had left. He picked up a French telephone and called a number. The voice of Bob Maddox answered.
“Await instructions,” said Mallory quietly. “There are new developments which require a delay. No action whatever. Be ready.”
After he had concluded his telephone call, Mallory spoke softly, his voice scarcely audible.
“Each knows but part,” he said. “Shargin wonders how the others get away with their killings. Maddox wonders why Shargin stays in line. Briggs wonders about everything.
“Theodore Galvin knew too much. I trusted him too far. Reynold Barker knew too little — otherwise he would not have been so foolish. Until now, no menace has arisen except within our own forces.
“Now we must meet The Shadow!”
He drew an envelope from his pocket. It was a letter that had come to South Africa, addressed to Robert Galvin. Mallory had received it from Bob, after they had left Thaddeus Westcott.
“This,” declared Mallory, softly, “must go to young Galvin. He must be forced to answer it.
“We have weeks to work — there will be no question about Hodgson or the girl. But we cannot afford troublesome inquiries from South Africa.
“This letter must go to Robert Galvin — and when it goes” — Mallory’s smile became benign — “it will be the bait for The Shadow!”
The kindly-faced old man sat speculative, holding the letter in his hands, beaming and chuckling in a pleased manner. Moose Shargin was right. When Hiram Mallory seemed jovial, he was most dangerous.
The master of crime was plotting. He knew the menace of The Shadow, and he was ready to meet it!
CHAPTER XV
WHEN Moose Shargin again joined Garry Elvers in the house adjacent to the residence of Hiram Mallory, the gang leader merely uttered a grunt that caused his bodyguard to follow him.
The two men left the house and entered their coupe. They drove along the street, turned a corner and doubled back to Broadway.
At the same time, a man stepped from the obscurity of a house front across the narrow street. Although he made no apparent effort to conceal himself, he was virtually invisible in the darkness.
He walked rapidly toward Broadway. There he hailed a passing cab and told the driver to travel leisurely up the bright thoroughfare.
This man was wearing a black cloak and a dark, broad-brimmed hat. He seemed to have perfectly anticipated the direction which the coupe would take, for it shot out from a side street before the cab had reached the corner.
The taxi moved behind the coupe as it rolled up Broadway. The smaller car turned eastward a few blocks later. The taxi followed, the driver responding to a quiet order from the man in back.
The coupe reached a garage and entered. The taxi passenger discharged his vehicle half a block farther on.
When Moose Shargin and his bodyguard came from the garage and walked to an apartment hotel not far distant, they were followed by a long, shadowy shape that flitted mysteriously along the sidewalk.