The hands produced an envelope. They tore open the end. From the packet came the papers which Rutledge Mann had placed in the mail chute of the office marked "B. Jonas." In a twinkling, the papers were spread. Eyes from the dark were examining the data which The Shadow had received from his trusted agent.
Silence reigned while The Shadow, hidden in darkness, perused the compilations. At last, only two papers remained. One was Mann's own statement; the other was the list that accompanied it. A long white forefinger rested upon a paragraph in Mann's statement. The words to which it pointed read as follows:
I feel that in all this accumulated data must be the key to the mysterious deaths which have occurred. More than that, I feel sure that other crimes are planned, and clues to them are here. Because of this, I have paid particular attention to the name of Sherwood Mayo, and have prepared a list of men who might be classed as his enemies. Two of Mayo's friends have been killed. Like Denby Chadwick, he, too, should he watched.
A pencil appeared, and across this single paragraph the white hand wrote the word "Correct." Then the paper was laid aside. The moving finger considered each name in the list of Mayo's antagonists. Each name bore a brief account beneath it.
The pencil was busy. It crossed out name by name until only two remained. The finger checked the first:
Sidney Delmuth. Advertising man and promoter. Has been connected with various businesses competitive with enterprises backed by Sherwood Mayo. Once brought suit against Mayo, but matter was settled out of court. Mayo has threatened lawsuits against Delmuth on several occasions, but has never gone through with them. Delmuth has reputation for shrewd dealings.
The hand moved to the next name:
Paul Hawthorne. Real-estate man of doubtful wealth. Reputed to be on the verge of bankruptcy; also to have a considerable amount of money. Most of his enterprises have failed. Rumor that he makes his money and lets others lose. Has been sued by many individuals. Only opposition to Mayo is matter of summer resort in Massachusetts, which Hawthorne promoted in opposition to Mayo. Hawthorne not only located resort near Mayo's Massachusetts estate, but managed to buy acres which Mayo had intended to purchase. Hawthorne managed this through Mayo's neglect to exercise option on ground. In compiling his list, Mann had marked Delmuth as being one of the most likely persons to be opposed to Sherwood Mayo. He had mentioned Hawthorne as mere possibility.
The Shadow, in taking advantage of Mann's suggestion, had apparently agreed with the opinion on Delmuth, but not with the one given on Hawthorne. For these two names had been selected; all others ignored.
Now, as though inspired by an afterthought of the master brain, the hands drew forth another paper. This was a report sent by Harry Vincent, which Rutledge Mann had seen fit to forward. The report was detailed to the extreme. It described the house in which Grant Chadwick had been murdered. It gave the exact location of the building, and a diagram marked the position of the deserted shacks near the railroad. These old houses were only a few hundred yards from Grant Chadwick's home.