“I played it safe, Chief,” said Sneaks. “I tagged along to see that the job was done. When I got to Bodine’s, I found this guy had covered Clipper. I stepped in back of him an’ cracked him. That gave Clipper the chance to plug Bodine.”
“Then what happened?”
“I don’t know. I scrammed. I heard Clipper shoot. I run down the fire tower. I waited at the bottom. Then Clipper falls out the window!”
“What about the man you struck? Was he unconscious?”
“I knocked him cold. It was some other guy that heaved Clipper out. That’s why I’m worried, Chief. This other guy musta come in after I was gone, an’ I know who he was. The Shadow!”
SNEAKS blurted the fearsome name in a hoarse whisper. He listened intently, wondering what the response would be. But the voice of Double Z betrayed no emotion.
“How do you know he was The Shadow?”
“When I see Clipper flop in the alley, I slides up to him. He was pretty near gone, Chief, but he knew who I was when I spoke. He says: ‘The Shadow got me. The Shadow. Get him, Sneaks—’ Then he passes out.
“I didn’t wait no longer. I got away just a few minutes before the cops showed up.”
“What do you know about The Shadow?”