
Richard Reardon, heavy and conspicuous, had been mistaken for Goldy Tancred. Well-directed bullets
had marked Reardon's form. Roland Furness, also in the danger zone, had been put on the spot as well.
It was possible that he had been taken for Bowser Riggins.
Newspaper columns were filled with hectic details which included garbled statements of the witnesses.
Members of the Association of Electrical Engineers, when interviewed, had given varied stories. Such
statements received no more than passing mention.
One man said that the shots had preceded the light; another told the opposite. One declared that he had
seen the light move away; another that it had been extinguished before it moved. One more declared that
the killer had used an acetylene lantern instead of an electric flashlight.
But the sum and substance of all the reports was that Goldy Tancred had been slated for the spot. A big
shot, liked by politicians, but unpopular among certain gang leaders, had escaped the doom that was
intended for him.
Goldy, himself, knew nothing. He was staying close to his palatial apartment high up in the Hotel
Marathon. His famous astrakhan coat no longer would be seen at Brindle's restaurant. Goldy Tancred -
so reporters affirmed - would prefer to send out for sandwiches in the future.
DETECTIVE Joe Cardona read the morning newspapers with a real relish. His presence at the Olympia
Hotel was universally commended. He had used good sense in watching Goldy Tancred. It was not his
fault that the killers had blundered.
Commissioner Ralph Weston, overlord of New York police, had voiced his approval of Cardona's
tactics. He supported the detective's finding, and he had promptly deputed Cardona to handle the case.
Among the newspapermen who were active on the story was Clyde Burke, a reporter for the New York
Classic. A veteran news gatherer, Clyde believed that Cardona was right. Secretly, however, he
wondered what the outcome of this affair might be. For Clyde knew, from experience, that there was
someone who could deal with gangland's slayers even when the most ardent police measures failed.
Clyde Burke was thinking of The Shadow. For Clyde Burke, himself, was a secret agent of The
Shadow!
In a room at the Metrolite Hotel, another young man was pondering upon the same matters that
concerned Clyde Burke. A resident guest of the hotel, Harry Vincent was scanning the day's headlines.
Like Clyde Burke, Harry believed that Joe Cardona had the correct information. Nevertheless, Harry
was wondering what would follow. He, too, was an agent of The Shadow.
In an office of the huge Badger Building, a chubby-faced man also studied the morning newspapers. With
careful shears, he clipped the columns that carried the story of the double slaying at the Olympia Hotel.
By profession, this placid individual was an investment broker. His name was Rutledge Mann, and his
many acquaintances knew him merely as a specialist on financial advice.
But Mann, who held no opinion regarding Cardona's theory, was also wondering about the future. Like
Clyde Burke and Harry Vincent, Rutledge Mann served The Shadow. Where the others were active and
frequently in the field, Mann acted as a contact agent. He supplied information and data that might be
required. These clippings, that he was gathering today, were being prepared for delivery to The
Shadow.
His compilation completed, Rutledge Mann put all his clippings in an envelope. He left his office, took a
taxi to Twenty-third Street, and entered a dingy building. On an upstairs floor, he stopped at the door of