There was a light inside the house — a light that could not be detected outside. It was a tiny circle from an electric torch. It moved along the floor amid the sparsely furnished rooms. It arrived at the front stairs, and the person who carried it moved silently upward. The light stopped. It entered the room at the head of the stairs.
The light swept quickly about the room. It stopped on a telephone table. The dust-covered telephone was outlined; then the light was focused on a drawer.
The drawer came open. A thin white hand appeared. Nimble fingers moved through the drawer. They brought out a small key.
The light now sought an old-fashioned desk in a corner of the room. The hand that held the key unlocked the desk. It opened a drawer, and the light of the torch revealed a large brown envelope, thickly padded.
The light was carefully placed on the desk. Two hands, working with incredible smoothness, peeled back the flap of the envelope. Upon one hand was a ring with a stone that glowed a deep red.
It was the hand of The Shadow — the hand which wore the mysterious fire opal, a talismanic gem that seemed to protect its bearer from all harm.
The hands paused as they were taking the papers from the envelope. The light went out. From somewhere in the hall outside the room, the man in the darkness had heard a sound. He was listening now— listening with ears that were wonderfully acute — ears that could detect the slightest rustle.
No further sound occurred. The light flashed again. The papers were drawn completely from the envelope. The hands replaced a wad of folded blank papers.
One hand produced a tiny tube and applied a gummy substance to the opened flap of the envelope.
Delicate fingers smoothed the flap back into place. The envelope, perfectly sealed, was replaced in the drawer.