Death to the murderer was his only course!
The urge to observe what The Shadow was about to do restrained the detective momentarily, but he overcame the temporary hesitation. Drawing his automatic, Cardona straightened up and sprang into the room.
The sound of his approach made his presence known to the man in the black cloak. So promptly did The Shadow act that his motions seemed simultaneous with those of the detective.
Cardona’s arm, usually sure and firm, trembled slightly with excitement as his finger touched the trigger of the automatic. Then came a revolver shot; but not from the detective’s gun. From beneath his cloak, the man in black had whipped out an automatic.
Flinging himself full length on the floor to escape Cardona’s aim, The Shadow had fired from an angle.
The bullet struck the detective’s revolver just above the handle, grazing Cardona’s fingers. The damaged gun fell from the detective’s numbed hand.
As The Shadow started to rise, Cardona threw himself at the man in black. Angered, the detective forgot that he was at the mercy of his antagonist.
One shot from the automatic would have ended the detective’s plunge. But The Shadow did not fire.
Instead, he bent forward as Cardona fell upon him. As the detective’s bleeding hand grasped the black cloak, The Shadow lifted his shoulders and precipitated Cardona head foremost on the floor.
Cardona threw out an arm to protect himself and was partially successful, although he was half stunned by the force of his fall. As he tried to recover himself, he had a dazed view of a swiftly-moving form in black. The Shadow hurried from the room toward the stairs.