Crossword Genius

Followed in the dark (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

shadowed

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'followed' is the definition.
(shadowing is a kind of following)

'dark' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'dark' could be 'shadow' (shadow is a kind of dark) and 'shadow' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'ed' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'in the' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for shadowed that I've seen before include "Was stalker" , "Made gloomy" , "Followed secretly" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
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