As Savoli cried out, the man in black seemed to sink to the floor. One long arm shot to the wall, and the black-gloved hand pressed the switch.
The room was in darkness. Automatics exploded as the Homicide Twins shot at the spot where The Shadow had been.
Then came a loud, sinister laugh, from the center of the room. The two gunmen dashed in that direction. They were sure that The Shadow was retreating before them, toward the opposite corner, where he would be trapped. They fired as they went, and Savoli leaped to the switch. The room was flooded with light.
There stood Genara and Anelmo, facing a corner where no one was visible. Steve Cronin was still leaning against the screen. Mike Borrango was in his chair.
The Shadow was gone. In the darkness, his voice had been deceiving. Anelmo and Genara had followed the laugh, but they had been led in the wrong direction. Even now came a distant peal of mirth, from the outside dining room.
The Sicilian killers dashed in pursuit, but to no avail. The Shadow had gained a sufficient margin to escape them.
CHAPTER XVIII
MONK THURMAN RETURNS
THE next morning found Nick Savoli and Mike Borrango in close conference in the big shot’s officelike den. The enforcer had been busy making the first arrangements that would merge the gangs of Chicago; until now he had not had the opportunity to talk with his chief regarding The Shadow. But now, with a temporary lull at hand, the commander of mobsters opened the discussion with his aid.
There was only one course; that was to get The Shadow. The mysterious man in black had been the first person who had ever dared to defy Nick Savoli face to face. That in itself was sufficient cause for a death warrant.