Wheels Bryant! Where was he? To Carpenter, the big shot was almost as great a mystery as The Shadow. Carpenter had watched all who had gone up those stairs. Not one could have been Wheels Bryant. Yet with the three kings in Bagshawe’s office, the ace must be there, too!
Some one was walking down the steps. Hooks Borglund! Carpenter dived out of sight behind the newspaper as the hard-faced crook moved to a table close beside him. Peering toward the stairs, Carpenter saw the disguised Shifter Reeves coming down them.
The dope king passed close to the spot where Borglund was sitting.
“Tomorrow night?” It was Shifter’s voice that Carpenter heard.
“O.K.,” came the reply of Hooks Borglund. “Nine o’clock, eight four eight.”
Shifter Reeves was gone. Hooks Borglund was watching the dance floor. Herbert Carpenter folded his newspaper and walked away. He paused at the foot of the stairs. Cautiously, he went up.
The crime meeting had ended. No one who might have been Wheels Bryant had either come or gone.
Carpenter remembered the mysterious ways of the big shot. He had always been in Bagshawe’s office before the meetings. He had always remained there afterward. Always in the dark — save for that slow-moving cigar light, and the flicker of matches that did not reveal a face.
The roulette wheel was still in operation when Carpenter passed the barrier of the gambling den, using the card that bore the name of Howard Seabrook. Watching from a group of players, Carpenter saw Big Tom Bagshawe come out of the little office. An attendant spoke to the gambling king. Big Tom walked away, forgetting to lock the door.
In a swift, easy manner, Carpenter gained the door of the office. He entered. The room was dark. He softly closed the door and turned on the light.