The middle-aged waiter was merely a man playing a part. His limp, his stoop shoulders, and his stupid face were a disguise. For the laugh which had startled gangland’s most formidable murderers was the laugh of The Shadow!
CHAPTER XVII
ENTER THE SHADOW
NICK SAVOLI did not plead when he urged the gangsters of Chicago to work together in a common cause. The big shot talked quietly but firmly, and he presented his arguments in a convincing tone. The presence of his powerful henchmen added weight to his discourse.
“Mike Larrigan is working with me from now on,” announced Savoli, “and this is the chance for the rest of you to fall in line. There’s enough in it for all of us, if we stick together.
“We’ll save the pineapples for the wise guys that think they are too big for us. We’ll put the double-crossers on the spot. There will be plenty of work for good torpedoes, but they will have to work with us.”
When Savoli had finished his discussion, Mike Borrango took the floor.
Addressing the gang leaders in turn, he laid out the territories that had been arranged. This required certain concessions on the part of Savoli lieutenants, yet no leader was required to give up too much.
Borrango, suave and efficient, pointed out the advantages that would accrue to all concerned. He invited comment, and he received it.
The crowning event of the evening was Mike Larrigan’s oath of allegiance. The big Irishman announced his full intention of sticking with Nick Savoli. But he made it quite plain to all present that a certain personal grievance was to be satisfied.