CHAPTER NINE

I will never forget the moment when I heard that ghostly whistle in the center of my mind. It marked the moment that I stepped from the normal world in which I had lived into the Shadow's realm of the mind. At that instant I knew on a personal level what Lamont must have dealt with everyday - hearing music in a world of the deaf.

Margot and Lamont quickly excused themselves from Commissioner Weston and stepped outside. Margot was bursting with questions, but Lamont held up a long pale finger to silence her. Then, he turned abruptly and began to jog down the street. Margot quickly removed her heels and followed, lamenting the loss of yet another pair of hose to the adventures of the Shadow.

She followed Cranston as he took several sudden turns until they finally arrived at a bleak three story building some blocks away from Bram's store. The structure stood alone on a large lot, set apart from other delapidated buildings on the block.

As she gasped to catch her breath, Margot asked Lamont:

"Have you found the killer?"

Lamont turned thoughtfully toward her, his dark eyes penetrating.

"Exactly the question I was just considering, Margot. Is it?" He looked toward the building again, lost in thought.

"Well, is this the source of that unnatural whistling that we heard?"

Cranston replied:

"It is now, Margot. The whistler was actually in the room with us when we heard it at first. He moved outside the moment he realized that we had somehow detected his presence. We have followed him here to this building."

"But I didn't see him at all!" Margot responded, shocked.

"Yes," Lamont replied, "Neither did I at first. It seems that our prey on this chase has remarkable ability to camouflage himself."

"Do you mean he can be invisible like the Shadow?"

"No," Cranston said. "Remember that the Shadow is not invisible, just not noticed by weaker minds. By clouding their concentration, the Shadow is effectively below their level of consciousness. The whistler appears to have recently acquired a portion of this ability."

"A portion?" Margot asked.

"Yes. He seems to be able to seem inconspicuous or assume disguises, but not completely disguise himself. As we chased him, he appeared to be several different people. His mind, however, could not be disguised."

Margot was about to ask another question when Lamont simply vanished before her eyes. She had never seen him do it right in front of her, and the effect was quite shocking.

He is coming, Margot, She heard him whisper in her mind. Try to engage him as if you do not know who he is. I want to examine him while he is unaware of my presence.

At that moment, the front of the building opened, and the whistler walked down the steps toward Margot.

"I'm lost. Can you help me?"

Margot tried to maintain her composure.

Standing before her was an eight year old boy.