"The Shadow!" Rajah Brahman's exclamation was a low, quick cry. "Do you think it was The Shadow?"
"I suspect it," said the chief. "The people in that room were a scared lot, and Jacques felt it as badly as any of them. He said that the laugh came from the other world. I wouldn't be surprised if he believed it.
"I have heard that The Shadow laughs like that. I have heard that The Shadow is a man who disappears mysteriously. There are gangsters who are afraid to turn, because they dread The Shadow!"
"The Shadow goes after gunmen," declared Rajah Brahman. "He wouldn't spend his time trying to grab spooks."
"Not ordinarily," replied the chief, "but don't forget that The Shadow plays for big game. If he knew that Jacques was just one member of our ring—"
The voice ended with its fateful suggestion. The remark awoke a responsive chord in Rajah Brahman. The man on the throne was no longer confident.
"I'm glad you told me this, chief," he said. "I see your point, now. We are playing our cards mighty close, but we have our fingers on one of the biggest rackets in the country. We've got to be on the watch.
"If The Shadow is In back of this, he may try to tumble me — like he tumbled Jacques."
"Exactly."
"Well, my eyes are open. I'm taking preferred customers only. A stranger doesn't have a chance up here. You know that, chief."