"Unless my chief companion sees me tonight, Orlinov will be told to strike. I must leave this house. I must be alive. I must keep a definite appointment. When I receive the phone call for the meeting I shall set the time."
The Shadow offered no response. He stood unmoving, waiting as the minutes went by.
Tremont wondered for a while then realized that The Shadow was testing the truth of his statement. The Shadow was waiting for that call!
Let him wait, thought Tremont. The minutes no longer seemed anxious. When the phone bell would sound, the tension would be ended. The Shadow would be forced to agree. The bell tinkled. With a quiet glance at The Shadow, Tremont reached forward and lifted the receiver. He recognized the voice of Doctor Savette.
"Yes, this is Glade," said the lawyer. "He is here… The man I expected… All will be well… Yes, he has listened to my terms… I shall see you before midnight… At your home… Be careful and ready. You know the plan."
Tremont hung up the telephone and looked at The Shadow. He was positive that his enemy did not know who had called.
Tremont had weighed the situation carefully. He knew that he was covered; that Orlinov had been watched. But Savette, he felt sure, was too well secluded to be suspected of complicity by The Shadow.
"You have heard," declared Tremont boldly. "Now let me hear your answer."
A soft, shuddering laugh came from the man in black. More terrifying than his presence alone, the mockery of The Shadow broke Glade Tremont's nerve. The lawyer sensed that he had overplayed his hand.
"I know your ways," came a whispered, sinister voice. "I have dealt with crooks like you before." Instinctively, Tremont quailed as The Shadow spoke. He saw his plans fading away.