"You are going—"
"Yes."
"You will return?"
"Yes."
Slowly, The Shadow drew the black glove from his left hand, to reveal the long, white fingers. Martha stared in amazement at the resplendent gem which she saw. Its marvelous changing hues were reflected clearly, even in the dim light.
"This girasol," said the spectral voice, "is the symbol of The Shadow. Few have ever known its significance. You are one.
"He who wears this stone — like which there is no other — is The Shadow. No matter what his guise may be, he is The Shadow. Tell none what I have told you!"
"I understand," said Martha breathlessly. "I shall remember. No one else shall know." As the girl stared at the gem, she lost all sense of material forms about her. The effect of the glowing jewel was hypnotic.
The figure of The Shadow seemed to melt into darkness. The white hand disappeared.
Only the changing girasol, with its hues of ultramarine and crimson, sparkled before her eyes.
The impression was fading. The glorious gem was melting away. Martha reached forward to clutch it. Her hands closed on space as the colors no longer remained.
The girl looked about her. She was alone in the room. Her eyes had retained the impression of the wavering colors, and she had fancied that The Shadow had remained.
Now all was like a dream. Only the paper in her hand stood as proof of The Shadow's presence. Had she imagined the singular conversation which had taken place?
It was possible that such was the case; yet Martha could not dismiss the semblance of reality. She was sure that The Shadow had been in this very room. She believed that he would aid her. She felt positive that he would return; that soon, again, she would see the mystic gem that was his token. Care and worry seemed very far away. For the first time since the tragedy that had swept so swiftly into her life, Martha Delmar found her mind at ease.
She was tired now; too tired to puzzle over anything until the morning. A comfortable weariness came over the girl as she made her way to bed. Five minutes later, she was sound asleep. The Shadow had spoken. The Shadow was gone. His presence had brought new hope to Martha Delmar.
Chapter XIV — The Shadow Learns
Although the County National Bank had ended its career as an institution, there was still a great deal of necessary work going on at the main office. In fact, on this particular night, workers had been on hand until almost twelve o'clock.
Now, only the watchman remained, patrolling his rounds in his usual slow and methodical fashion. There was little chance that anyone would attempt to enter this defunct banking house, and the sluggishness of the watchman indicated his tendency toward mere routine.
High above the floor was a balcony that extended around the outer edge of the main room. Here were situated the clerks' working quarters. A row of adding machines bore testimony to the size of the staff that had once worked there. A heavy, grated door barred the top of the stairway at the balcony. Hardly had the heavy tread of the watchman died away before a tiny light appeared upon the balcony. The light shone near a corner, and it indicated that some one had entered one of the balcony windows that opened upon a narrow alleyway at the side of the bank.
The entire balcony was grated; and the top of the grating ran along a series of crossbeams. The light climbed upward along the grating. It went out as an invisible figure squeezed itself between two beams. Then the unseen prowler descended the grating until he hung suspended above the floor of the banking room.
There was a dull plop as the invisible form dropped lightly from the balcony. The light reappeared for an instant; then vanished.
The Shadow was in the County National Bank!
The only token of the mysterious one's presence was the occasional flicker of the light, which appeared unexpectedly in various places. The keenest listener could not have trailed the progress of The Shadow. His light showed in the little office where Hubert Salisbury had talked with Wellington. It beamed upon the huge vault, and The Shadow's black-gloved hand appeared before it. The entire floor was subjected to a thorough inspection.
The watchman, going on his rounds, heard nothing that attracted his attention. When he approached, the light went out, and all was still within the large room.
At last, the light appeared downstairs. There, it showed on the floor — on the exact spot where Wellington had been found dead. The light swept along the walls.
When it again reappeared, it was upstairs once more, in Salisbury's little office. There, beneath a tiny circle of light, a hand — no longer gloved — appeared and began to write.
Hubert Salisbury — story correct.
Wellington suspected truth — but did not know.
Bank entered by careful plotters. Vault shows signs of expert work in opening it.
Drawer in Salisbury's desk has been opened by a special key.
Revolver removed evidently as a precaution for the future.
Only possible egress through room below. Man entered; listened to conversation between S. and W. Murder committed. Gun left.
The paper disappeared. The light went out. A slight swish told that The Shadow was leaving the office. Again his torch illuminated the downstairs room. There, it began a thorough examination of the floor. As clearly as if Wellington's body had been lying there, The Shadow pictured the scene when the investigator had died. His flashlight moved along the dusty floor, looking for hidden clues. It reached the side of the room, where the grating of the safe-deposit compartment made a corner with the wall itself. There, it gleamed upon a smooth, solid panel.
This was the spot that The Shadow sought. All other portions of the wall were alike; but here, a broad panel was bisected by the last vertical bar of the grating.
The Shadow's light was on the floor and along the wall. The hand, now gloved, tapped the panel. It sought everywhere for some secret contrivance. It found nothing but smooth surface.
The light went out. The Shadow was pondering, in the midst of Stygian gloom. His intuitive mind had declared that there must be some entrance here.
Wellington had hinted that fact, Salisbury had said, but the police ridiculed the idea.
Searchers had examined the room. They had not even suspected anything amiss.
The Shadow knew that something lay on the other side of that wall. He was considering one fact. Was it possible that the only way of forcing this barrier lay from the other side?
A plausible possibility. With no means of operating from this room, no one could discover the opening. But that also meant a disadvantage. It meant that should any one enter here and close the way behind him, he would have no means of exit.
A low, eerie laugh sounded in the darkness. The Shadow's light showed on the smooth panel; then turned and shone upon the upright pickets of the metal barrier. These were divided by a horizontal bar at the center.
The black hand gripped each lower post in turn, starting with the wall and moving away.
After a short space, it started backward along the upper tier.
These upright bars were square in shape. One, set at a slight angle, twisted a trifle under the powerful grasp. Hidden eyes observed that the lower portion of the post — below the horizontal rail — did not respond to the twist. The bar was in two sections!
Carefully, The Shadow's hand tried the lower portion of the post. It would not twist, nor would it move up or down. Then the hand went back to the upper portion, and turned it so that it was exactly squared with the lower.
The hand gripped the lower post and pressed upward. There was a response. The lower portion went up. The bottom part of the upper post was hollow. Slightly larger — not enough to be noticeable to the eye — it allowed reception of the lower post!