Wolf indicated Graham as he spoke.
"That's your way of looking at it, eh?" quizzed Furzman. "Well, Wolf,
you've got to show me. The Parkerside Trust was no tougher than the Terminal
National - not as tough, for that matter."
"Maybe not," admitted Wolf, "but I got double-crossed. That makes it
different, don't it?"
"Double-crossed? How?"
"I don't know."
"You mean by one of your mob -"
"I don't know. All I can tell you is that some guy got wise - and the job
was stacked against me."
"You mean the police -"
"No!" Wolf snarled as he leaned forward in his chair. "The cops - bah - if
they'd been wise, we'd have knowed it. I'll tell you who queered the job - just
one guy - The Shadow!"
WOLF'S thrust struck home. Graham Wellerton, staring straight at King
Furzman, saw the big shot's lips twitch. The mere mention of The Shadow's name
was enough to cause any big criminal worriment.
"I'm tellin' you straight," insisted Wolf. "If the bank was wise - if the
cops was wise - there'd have been somethin' to show for it. But here's what
happened.
"Right inside the bank is an old stairway that goes down to the safe
deposits. They blocked it off, see, when the bank was made bigger. Nothin' but
a solid wall down there now.
"The mob goes in. They start to cover the tellers. Then right out from the
rail around that old stairway comes the shots. Pickin' the gang off like they
was flies.
"What happens? The customers duck for cover, the tellers an' the watchman
yanks out their guns. Half the mob was crippled - the rest started to scram.
The bank boys had the edge. They clipped the outfit."
"The newspapers said nothing about it," interposed Furzman, as Wolf
paused. "According to the accounts, the bank tellers resisted the attack."
"Sure," snorted Wolf. "That's what they did - after The Shadow started it.
None of them bank guys knew who began the mess. They grabbed the credit when the
cops got there."
"What became of The Shadow?" questioned Furzman.
"How do I know?" retorted Wolf. "He didn't show himself. He must have
walked out with some of the customers. He's a smart guy - The Shadow - I found
that out today."
"What do you think of this?" asked the big shot, turning to Graham
Wellerton.
"It sounds to me like an alibi," returned the gentleman of crime.
"Yeah?" snarled Wolf. "You think I'm lyin'? I'll fix you -"
"Someone may have caused the trouble," interrupted Graham calmly, "but it
couldn't have been The Shadow."
"Why not?" questioned Wolf.
"Because," Graham responded, looking squarely toward his questioner, "if
it had been The Shadow, you wouldn't have made a get-away without a couple of
