silence that told the absence of a living being.
The Shadow had departed.
CHAPTER XVIII. THE MAN HIGHER UP
Two men were seated in a lavishly furnished hotel room. One was Pete Ballou, stocky and
shrewd-faced. The other was a man past middle age, a dark-visaged individual.
There was no smile on Ballou's face to-night. On the contrary, he looked worried. He regarded his
companion with apprehension. It was quite evident that Ballou stood in awe of the man whom he was
visiting.
The dark-faced man turned in his chair and his features were clearly reflected by the light of a lamp
beside the chair. The sallow face showed harsh and grim. Two blackish eyes glowed sharply beneath
heavy, coal-hued eyebrows. A sneering smile rested upon the cruel, puffy lips.
“Bah!” Ballou's host spat the exclamation. “You have been a fool, Ballou. Do you know that?”
Ballou nodded slowly. Then he spoke in an apologetic tone.
“I can't figure consequences the way you can,” he said. “You've got the brains behind this work.”
“I have the brains?” The speaker arose as he spoke and his squat, chunky form seemed menacing. “Of
course I have the brains. That is the difference between us. Rodriguez Zelva has brains. Pete Ballou has
no brains.”
“I'll admit I made a boner to-night,” said Ballou, ruefully. “Just the same, it looked like the only way out.
That's what you've always told me to do, Zelva. Act when I'm in a jam—leave the rest to you. That's
what I did tonight.”
“I expected you to act with sense!” retorted Zelva. “I did not want you to play the fool. You have made
it more difficult, now. It is bad, too, because you have come here.”
“I had to come here,” protested Ballou. “I couldn't give you details over the phone. I waited until after
two o'clock.”
“Listen, Ballou.” Zelva's tone was low but emphatic. “You have worked for me very long. You knew
well that I stay apart from those who work for me. That is why no one has ever been able to say that
Rodriguez Zelva is engaged in crime.
“You have been but one of a dozen who have served me. I picked you for this work. Why? Because you
were the one best suited to arrange affairs in New York. Pesano, Salati, Ellsdorff—I considered all of
them, as well as others. But they were not suited for New York as you are suited.
“I placed you here to watch Legira; to deal with him craftily. I told you to avoid those who might suspect.
Until to-night, you played the game well. But now—ah, you are one fool! One great fool! To make things
so that you would have to come here at this time—”
As Zelva broke off his sentence, Pete Ballou tried to ease the situation by a prompt remark.
“There's no danger in my coming here,” he said. “I haven't been here since this job started. This is really
the first time. What can Legira do? He's bottled up—”
“That makes no difference!” exclaimed Zelva. “I have my ways, Ballou. I keep to them. I use every
precaution.
“This room—I have chosen it because it is secluded. I live here alone— ah, yes—but those two doors
on either side of the hallway— Pesano and Ellsdorff are always there. They never recognize me when
they meet me. That is their only work—to watch.
“Look from this window”—Zelva strode across the room and Ballou followed him—“you see this little
