“Who?” Moose Shargin’s question was eager.
“A gentleman who rode uptown with Westcott tonight,” answered Mallory in his cryptic tone. “He must have prevailed upon Westcott to remain in the city overnight, knowing that danger threatened.”
“What’s his name?” demanded Shargin. “I’ve got a settlement to make with that guy—”
“Useless,” declared Mallory. “You could never find him now, Moose.”
“What about Westcott?”
“Also useless. We can be sure that The Shadow has placed him in safety. The best thing now is to let him leave town.”
“I don’t get you,” Chief,” admitted Shargin. “You say we’ve got to knock off The Shadow. Yet you won’t go after him, and you intend to leave Westcott alone. What’s the idea?”
“FINESSE, Moose,” said Mallory, smiling, “finesse — which in English means subtle strategy. We must never lose sight of our main issue. If The Shadow has no bearing upon our principal task, we can ignore him.
“But I feel certain that he is about to interfere with our important plan. Therefore, we must give him immediate consideration.
“Westcott was to have been Number Three. Chance decreed that he should have been Number Two. We have found out all he knows — which is very little.