Scottie had done the picture and pronounced it first class. They had gathered, the four of them, in a small, secret room for a look at it. Naturally, Tom had the first good look.
“That man,” Tom pointed a pencil, “the one in the center, is the Silent Terror.”
“The Terror! Terror! Silent Terror!” they echoed.
“Not a doubt about it,” Tom was emphatic. “It’s a halfside view. Look at that ear! There’s only one of its kind in the world. See for yourself.”
After placing a flat box containing a wax reproduction of an ear on the table, he held a magnifying glass before the picture.
One look was enough to convince them. “It is! It is!” They were agreed.
“But what—” Jimmie could not go on. Instead he sat staring in astonishment.
“What is he doing in such company?” John asked. He had recognized in one of the others the notorious Sharpe.
“The others,” said Tom, “are Stumps Sharpe and Tungsten Tom. There can be but one answer to that question. These professional crooks read about the Silent Terror and decided that he had something they wanted, silent death for those who opposed them. So they hunted him up and struck some sort of a bargain with him.”
“And we saw them at it!” Jimmie exclaimed, recalling the night he and John had watched this terrifying trio in the old mansion.