from no one but The Shadow.
Convinced in his own mind, Cardona had picked his course. Unknown to any but himself, he was blindly
following the dictates of the mysterious man of the night.
With The Shadow out to thwart the plans of killers, Cardona knew that it was best to follow the
command.
CHAPTER XX. DESMOND SCHEMES
WHEN Joe Cardona had looked at the columns in the evening newspaper, his interest in the paragraph
that spoke of foreign negotiations had been merely a passing one. Such vague references were of no
account, in Cardona's mind.
Yet that passage in the report had found a keenly interested reader elsewhere. Seated in his comfortable
office, Frank Desmond, pretended employment manager, was reading it over and over again.
Those associated with John Hendrix have been noncommittal when questioned regarding the financier's
foreign enterprises. Rumors that Hendrix was planning large negotiations with South American interests
have been virtually denied.
Rodriguez Zelva, influential financier from Uruguay, issued a statement that he was not concerned in
monetary transactions with Hendrix and had no definite knowledge of impending financial affairs in South
America.
Desmond laid the newspaper aside. He had read full accounts of the murders in the morning journals and
had gone through the evening edition out of curiosity. This minor angle of the case—one that had not
appeared in the morning newspapers—had startled Desmond.
As Desmond pondered, the telephone rang. The pudgy man answered it. He heard the voice of Alvarez
Legira, speaking in low, careful words.
“All is arranged,” said the consul. “I am leaving at nine o'clock to-night. The Cordova is off the Long
Island coast. Have you communicated with Lopez?”
“Yes,” returned Desmond, briskly. “Called him this morning. Told him he would hear from me later.”
“Tell him to wait until after nine o'clock,” ordered Legira. “Then he may arrange to escape or to call the
police. You understand?”
“Yes.”
Desmond hung up the telephone and became thoughtful. He picked up the newspaper and again read the
paragraphs that had interested him. A shrewd, evil look flickered over the pudgy face.
Frank Desmond was thinking of that box which he had helped Legira transport from the Baltham Trust
Company to the secluded house on Long Island. Legira had admitted that the box contained money.
Whatever the amount might be, it was sufficient for Legira to pass over an additional thousand dollars for
services which Desmond might willingly have performed without extra payment.
DESPITE his innocuous appearance, Frank Desmond was a schemer of parts. Now, he was reviewing
the past events of his career with Alvarez Legira and his thoughts were directed particularly to the
episodes of last night.
Three men had been murdered. They were dead, at the hands of a person unknown. One of the
murdered men was John Hendrix, wealthy and influential financier. Already connection had been made
between Hendrix and affairs in South America. Desmond smiled maliciously. He fancied that Alvarez
Legira might be very closely connected with the dead financier.
