Out in the river a head appeared among the ripples that had followed the tremendous splash. The head seemed to float for a few moments, then the swimmer struck out for shore. He clambered from the river; in his hand he supported a box.
The hand of The Shadow had regained the stolen wealth. The box had been plucked from the death car the instant that it had made its fatal plunge.
But there had been no escape for Frenchy and Chefano. Trapped within the closed doors of the coupe, the crooks had been enveloped by a surge of water through the opened rear window. Their car had sunk into a hollowed depth beneath the cliff. Thirty feet below the stream's surface, two fiends of crime had found their proper doom.
* * *
On the following evening, Harry Vincent and Major Hubert Weston arrived at the home of Bruce Duncan. They brought with them Berchik, the messenger of the late Prince Samanov. They had come following instructions which Vincent had received by wireless early in the morning.
The loss of the Samanov fortune had come as a stunning blow to Bruce. His duty still remained — to recover the jewels and to divide them among the heirs of the unfortunate men who had been murdered.
"We have only one hope," maintained Harry Vincent. "I expect The Shadow to act immediately against Isaac Coffran. The old man is in the game. Through him we may locate the stolen wealth. He must be forced to give us information that will lead us to the two crooks who escaped."
"Isaac Coffran is gone," replied Bruce Duncan soberly. "We have no clue. Remember, Abdul and I have a score to settle with that man. Last night Abdul visited the old house with my consent. The place was empty. The door was unlocked. Everything of value had been removed. Isaac Coffran is too clever to have left a single trace that would tell where he has gone."
The men looked at one another gloomily. Each was thoughtful, but their silence indicated that none of them could propose a course of action.
The door opened. Abdul entered, for once the calm Hindu seemed excited. He was carrying a cube-shaped box; already his fingers were turning the key that projected from its lock. The lid came open as Bruce Duncan seized the casket.