"Hmm. I wonder who that could be," he said as he walked to the door. When he opened the door, he saw the cold face of John Vogel. "Oh! Good evening, Mr. Vogel."

"Well, Wilson. I heard you were trying to get hold of me earlier this evening."

"Yes," Wilson answered timidly. "Yes, that's right. I want to talk to you. Won't you come in?"

"Are you alone?"

"Why, yes."

"Good," Vogel said as he stepped into the room.

Wilson shut the down behind him. "Mr. Vogel, when you asked me to do some work for you, I . . . I didn't ask to know what you were gonna do with it. I needed the money for my wife and kids, and I - "

"You got paid, didn't ya?" Vogel asked.

"Yes, but . . . I mean . . . Well, all this stuff in the papers and on the news, Mr. Vogel, about the . . . Frankly, Mr. Vogel, I don't like it."

Vogel turned to face Wilson. "Oh?" he asked. "You don't. Having a little attack of conscience, Wilson?"

Wilson sighed. "Well, doin' a job is one thing, but sendin' a man away to prison on a false charge is somethin' else. So I intended to tell ya-"

"Tell me what?" Vogel interrupted.

"Well, that I tell you that I refuse to let it go on any further."

"Oh," Vogel said, reaching for something in his coat. "You refuse."

"Yes," Wilson replied. "After all, Mr. Vogel, if I tell what I know about . . . Well, what are ya gonna do about it?"

"Just this," Vogel said sharply, pulling out his gun. "Don't move, Wilson!"

Wilson was horrified. "What are you doing? Put that gun down! Don't be a fool, Vogel!"

"I'm not a fool, Wilson. Now, turn your back to me."

Wilson turned, so he wasn't facing Vogel, and gulped. "What are you gonna do?"

"I'm going to insist on a little accident," Vogel replied. "Walk to that window."

"You can't do this to me! You can't!"

Vogel shut him up by saying, very firmly, "Walk!"

"Okay," Wilson said as he was near the window.

"Now, open the window and climb up on the windowsill."

"Just a moment, Mr. Vogel," The Shadow said.

"The Shadow!" Vogel exclaimed. "I though Trevors took care of you!"

"You thought Trevors took care of me, did you, Vogel? Well, I admit he's a good wrestler, but his mind is not as strong as his body. He had me beaten for a moment, but my one chance to get you to lead me to Wilson."

"You mean, you followed me here?" Vogel asked.

"Yes," The Shadow said, matter-of-factly. "Yes, I followed you here. It wasn't very difficult to get away from Mr. Trevors. It seems I arrived just in time for my proof."

"In time?" Vogel asked, aiming his gun at Wilson. "No!" He fired three times. "There, Shadow," he shouted. "There's your proof, lying dead on the floor!" He began laughing histerically.

"You're crazy, Vogel," The Shadow said, calmly. "You're a fool. You'll get the chair for this!"

"I'm not as crazy as you think. Heh, heh. So, I'm a fool, am I, Shadow? No, you're the fool for coming here! You're the fool, they'll find locked up in this room with Wilson's dead body! They'll find you, I'll see that they do! And here's the gun you killed him with!" Vogel shouted, tossing the gun on the floor, laughing as he walked out and slammed the door. "Why don't you try the window, Shadow?" he shouted as he left. "It's only fifteen stories to fall . . . "

"Shadow!" Wilson said, lying in a pool of his own blood.

"Wilson!" The Shadow said back. "Wilson, tell me, quick!"

"Oh, I'm done for," Wilson said, weakly.

"Quick! Quick, Wilson, give me the proof! The proof, Wilson! The proof that you framed Senator Bromine!"

Wilson groaned. "Ah, Senator . . . Bromine. . . "

The Shadow was getting anxious. "Come on, Wilson, come on! Tell me, how did you frame Senator Bromine?"

Wilson muttered random words, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Wilson!" The Shadow repeated as Wilson's head fell back, hitting the floor with a thump.

There was a knock on the door. "Victor? Victor? Are you all right?" It was Natalie's voice.

"I'm fine," The Shadow yelled back. "Unlock the door. The key's on the outside."

"Victor," Natalie said, running in. "I heard a shot and saw Vogel running out and couldn't wait. What happened?"

"If only I hadn't been so stupid," The Shadow said. "Waited so long. Wanted to find their secret before I spoke. And now . . . it's too late. Wilson is unconscious, dying. Vogel outwitted me, after all."

"Mr. Vogel," Wilson said, startling The Shadow and Natalie. "Shot me. In cold blood. Shot me, and ran for it."

"Wilson. Wilson, listen to me," The Shadow said. "Listen and think. Think. Tell me. How did you frame Senator Bromine? Tell me that, Wilson, and I'll see that Vogel pays for doing this to you."

"Senator Bromine, now I remember," Wilson said. "I'll show you. Help me into the next room, I'll show you."

The Shadow leaned down, and dropped his invisible shield. He grabbed one side of Wilson, and Natalie grabbed the other side. They gently lifted him up and escorted him into the next room.

As The Shadow opened the door, Natalie said, "Why look. It's a recording studio."

"Yeah, that's right," Wilson said. "It's my hobby. I'm an impersonator by profession."

"An impersonator?" The Shadow asked.

"Yeah. Set me in that chair by the control panel. I've impersonated Senator Bromine's voice dozens of times." Wilson coughed. "Quick! Hand me the microphone."

Natalie put the microphone in front of him.

"Turn on that switch," Wilson said. Natalie did so.

"Press that button to start the tape." When he was sure that the tape was on, he began speaking. "This is Tony Wilson speaking. I've just been shot by John Vogel. . . . "

The judge called the court to order.

The defense attorney began speaking. "Your Honor, I move that the case against my client, Senator Bromine, be dismissed."

"On what grounds?" the judge asked.

"Of the evidence contained on this cassette tape, found in the apartment of the late Tony Wilson, the radio and state impersonator, who was found shot in his apartment last night. I ask the court's permission to play it at this time."

"Permission granted," the judge said.

The defense attorney turned to the bailiff. "You may start the tape now."

"Yes, sir," he said, pressing the play button.

Tony Wilson's voice filled the courtroom. "This is Tony Wilson speaking. I've just been shot by John Vogel. He hired me to impersonate the voice of Senator Bromine. It's my voice on the soundtrack of the tape shown at Senator Bromine's trial. I'll show how I did it. Listen."

Wilson stopped speaking, and the voice changed to that of Senator Bromine. "Course. Of course, Renaldi, I told you you'll get the contract, for a consideration. But you didn't send me my present of half a million dollars for swinging it your way."

"Senator Bromine" stopped talking, and Wilson's voice returned. "That's . . . that's how it was done. . . . That's how I did it. Bromine's innocent. He never uttered those words. I did it. I . . ."

Wilson's voice stopped, and a thud was heard as his body fell out of the chair.

The courtroom began to murmur, and the judge banged his gavel. "Amazing, incredible."

"Your Honor!" the defense attorney said. "There is one more voice on the tape. At the end! Listen."

Then, a strangly familiar, deep voice resonated through the room. "The voice you have heard was that of Tony Wilson. Murdered by John Vogel. He was the man who sought to frame Senator Bromine. But Vogel failed, as in the end, all crime must fail and all criminals, pay the penalty of death."

The tape ended and the volume in the court went up. The judge called the court to order. "Who's voice was that?" he asked.

"That, Your Honor," the defense attorney said, "is the voice of the man whom Senator Bromine owes his vindication. The voice of The Shadow! He has returned!"

"It's great. I can't wait for my next adventure!" Victor replied.

"It'll come soon enough," Lamont said. "Because you only have a couple more days until you start school."