Now, Savette had begun to share Tremont's theory that The Shadow had been killed.
There were good reasons for so believing.
It seemed incredible that the man could possibly have escaped. The mobster who had fired the shot at which The Shadow toppled had gazed from the end of the dock to see no one.
That was Biff Towley's assurance.
Moreover, Glade Tremont's statement about the currents in the Sound were true ones.
Searchers had discovered the body of a dead gangster wedged beneath another dock a half mile away. No body had been found that might have been The Shadow's; but there was every cause to believe that his form, too, had found its way to some obscure spot.
Most convincing of all was the fact that The Shadow had not revealed himself. There was no chance — so Savette thought — that The Shadow could know of present plans. Checkmated, his only hope — if he lived — of saving Cliff Marsland's life was to communicate and come to terms.
Savette was confident on this point. Therefore, The Shadow must be dead.
Nevertheless, the wily physician had not changed his plan of holding Cliff as a hostage.
With his agent captive, The Shadow could not dare to strike. Savette, despite his smugness, was well versed in the lore of the underworld. He knew that The Shadow would never abandon an underling to destruction. For a short while, Savette had entertained the thought that perhaps operatives of The Shadow might carry on. That, he was soon convinced, was not only illogical, but also impossible. Actually, The Shadow was a lone wolf. His special agents were merely men who obeyed orders blindly, covering places where The Shadow could not be. These leaderless operatives could not even know of Cliff Marsland's plight.