The Hydra Monster (4 page)

"You're talking about ancient history, aren't you?" cut in Lt. Gores.

"A few days ago, I might have thought so," answered the Phantom. "I was certain Hydra had been wiped out by my . . . had been completely destroyed nearly a hundred years ago."

"Maybe they didn't get all its heads," suggested Gores, chuckling. He leaned back in his swivel chair, locked his hands behind his head. "Well, Mr. Walker, I appreciate the opportunity you've given me of broadening my intellectual horizons. But I really don't see what this has to do with our case."

"I admit," said the Phantom, "this may be simply a coincidence. The dying man may have had a hundred other reasons for saying 'Hydra' as he died . . ."

"Or he may have been trying to say something else altogether," added Gores.

"Yes, I've taken that possibility into consideration," said the Phantom. "But if there's any possibility the Hydra is in operation again, I want to find out about it."

"Well," said the lieutenant, "You go right ahead, Walker. And if you find any mystical secret societies lurking around town, you be sure to let me know."

The Phantom asked, "Could I talk to the officer who was first on the scene?"

After a few seconds Gores replied, "Sure, why not? ItH add a little spice to his day. Sergeant, why don't you go along with Mr. Walker and see if you can round up . . . Nolan, wasn't it? . . . yeah let him talk to Nolan."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," said the Phantom.

"Oh, any time, Mr. Walker."

As Pronzini went out with the Phantom, encyclopedia volume under his arm, he said, "I'd like lo hear some more about Hydra."

Lt. Gores shook his head as the door of his office shut. "Secret society," he muttered, chuckling again. He eyed the barbells beside his desk, then shook his head and swung his feet up to rest on the blotter.

CHAPTER FOUR

The house was near the top of one of San Francisco's seven hills. A narrow Victorian structure whose front window faced the Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. The Phantom, in his mask and tight- fitting costume again, was standing at the window as night began to settle on the city. The lights of the bridge glowed a pale gold in the waning light.

"You haven't said what you think of the place."

The masked man continued to stare at the new night. "What's that, Diana?"

"This house," said Diana. "I think I was very lucky that an old, college friend was taking off on

a two week vacation the very day I arrived here, looking for some place to stay."

He turned to face the girl. "It's a very nice old house," he told her, smiling. "She didn't object to Devil?"

"They have two kids," said Diana. "She didn't think Devil could be any more destructive than they are. Of course, I had to tell them he was a police dog." She nodded at the grey wolf stretched out in front of the empty fireplace.

The Phantom laughed. "You're sure you don't want to go back home? I don't know how long I'll have to be here in San Francisco."

"No, I'm quite content," said Diana. "What have you found out so far?"

"Well, I've found out the police think I'm a crank," he said. "At least I'm pretty sure Lt. Gores does. There's a Sgt. Pronzini who's a little more open-minded about the Hydra."

"You really believe this . . . this ancient gang is back in business?"

"It's too soon to tell," answered the masked man. "So far I have only a few facts and a large hunch. The hunch tells me Hydra is very much in business."

"You didn't learn anything new from the police?"

"Only that the dying man, pretty definitely, did say 'Hydra'. I talked to the officer who got there immediately after the killing. He didn't have anything new to contribute, though. I'm going out shortly to find the cab driver who might have witnessed the shooting."

Diana asked, "The Phantom has fought the

Hydra before?"

"Yes," he said, "on several occasions over the centuries. You've been to
S
KULL
C
AVE
in the
D
EEP
W
OODS,
Diana. You know about the Phantom chronicles?"

"Every Phantom since the first has recorded his exploits in those books," said the girl. "So it was there you first heard about Hydra?"

He nodded, saying, "The Phantom of his day fought the Hydra when it first emerged three hundred years ago. And it was a later Phantom who destroyed the last remnants of the group in the middle of the last century. So, you see, if the Hydra is back in existence . . . well, it's my duty to wipe it out."

"I understand," said Diana. "And you're going out again tonight?"

"Yes, I have to," he said. "IH be taking Devil with me."

The big grey wolf rose to its feet and trotted over to his master's side.

Mac saw the man in the trenchcoat and the dog. They were standing on the corner in a swirl of fog. The man hailed him. The young, black cab driver hesitated, then slowed and pulled up at the curb. "Hey, is that dog housebroken?"

The Phantom didn't get into the cab. Instead he walked around the front of the car, stopping beside the driver's open window. "You're MacQuarrie, aren't you?"

Mac touched at a sore, scraped spot on his

cheek. "Look, I'm in business," he said out into the night. "My business is driving this cab. You want to go someplace, get in."

"I want to talk to you."

"Nope, no sir." Mac reached up to shift the car back into
DRIVE.

The Phantom caught his arm. "You found Est- ling near here the other night," he said. "I want to know if . . ."

"You don't want to know nothing," said Mac. "Because I got nothing to tell. I found a stiff, he was already dead. He didn't say a single word. Not one word to me. Now come on and let loose of me, man."

The Phantom asked, "What happened to your face?"

"I fell down on the sidewalk."

"Somebody got to you. Somebody told you to keep quiet about Hydra."

"I never heard that name before," insisted Mac. "Go away from me, man."

"Who worked you over?"

Beside the Phantom, Devil snarled.

The Phantom tinned to see a young man in dark glasses moving through the night mist toward him. "Having a little round table discussion, are we?" he said, smiling evenly. "I'd like to join in."

Mac licked his lips. "We weren't talking about nothing. This guy's drunk or something, doesn't know where he wants to go."

The young man had one hand, his right, inside his coat. "Is that so?" he asked the Phantom.

Mini's funny, because I had the impression you two were chatting about something that is none of| your damned business."

"I'm keeping my mouth shut," said Mac. "You guys got no need to follow me around, man."

"Me?
You must have me mixed up with some
one
else," smiled the young man. "I've never laid eyes on you before."

The Phantom reached out, took hold of the man's shoulder. "You're more than welcome to join us. I'm sure you can tell me all about Hydra."

The hand snapped out of the coat holding a .38 revolver. "No, no," he said. "That's really not a safe topic for anybody to talk about. I'm really sorry you . . ."

Devil gave no warning growl. He leaped straight at the gunman, sinking his sharp teeth into the man's wrist.

"Damn it!" The gun fell.

The Phantom caught the weapon in midair, pocketed it. He grabbed the gunman's arm, twisted it around behind. "Okay, now get inside the cab and we'll have our chat."

"I don't . . ."

From out of the fog two shots came sizzling. They struck the young man in the chest and he slumped out of the Phantom's grip.

The Phantom jerked the cab door open. "Get him to a hospital quick." He picked the wounded man up and eased him into the back seat. "I'll go after the other one."

"Hey, isn't this thing ever going to end?" Mac roared away from the curb.

The Phantom, Devil at his heels, ran after the other gunman. "They'd rather kill their own than risk having them talk," he said to himself. "That sounds like Hydra all right."

Up ahead, in the fog, a car door slammed. Then a motor came to life with a growl.

Sprinting, the Phantom got around the corner in time to see a dark sedan go barrelling away.

He stood watching the tail lights blur and vanish in the mist. "Let's hope the one we sent to the hospital pulls through," he said. "Right; now he's my only link to the Hydra."

CHAPTER FIVE

The fog pressed against the glass walls of the sidewalk booth, enclosing the Phantom in grey- ness. He dialed the Harbor Emergency Hospital number. Devil was standing in front of the booth, like a sentry.

When the hospital desk answered, the Phantom said, "I'm inquiring about a man who was brought in earlier this evening. A taxi driver delivered him to you, I believe. Gunshot wounds, a young man."

There was a noticeable inhalation of breath on the other end of the line. "Oh, yes," said the girl. "And your name is . . ?"

"I'm a friend of the family."

I see," said the girl. "Well, can you hold on for just a moment, sir, and I'll . . . I'll let you talk to Dr. Wollter."

I n thirty seconds a phone was picked up, and an Instant after that, much more cautiously, a second plione. The Phantom frowned.

"Dr. Wollter," said a deep, young voice. "Who am I speaking to, please?"

The Phantom glanced out at his waiting wolf. "Mr. Devlin," he said. "I'm interested in finding out about the young man who was shot."

"You're a friend of the family, you say?"

"My family has known his crowd for ages," replied the Phantom. "How is he do . . . ?"

"Perhaps you can tell me his name, Mr. Devlin?"

"I'm not sure what name he's using at the moment."

There was a silence.

Out on the Bay, somewhere, a fog horn mournfully bellowed.

"Mr. Devlin, all I can tell you is that this . . . this is a very unusual case," said the young doctor. "I really can't discuss it further over the phone, but if you can come to the hospital, I'd be glad to see you. Where are you now, by the way?"

"Yes, perhaps, I will come over there," said the Phantom, ignoring his question. "Goodbye."

Scratching his chin, he stepped out onto the misty street. "Something's not quite right," he mused. "And I wonder who was listening in. We'd better take a look at the hospital, Devil. Let's go."

There were two police cars, empty and double parked in front of the small, side street hospital.
The Phan
tom, Devil at his side, stood across the way and watched. "Maybe it's not unusual to see police at an emergency hospital," he said to himself. "And yet . . ."

He and the large, grey wolf walked on through the fog. When the Phantom was beyond the hospital building, he cut across the street. There was an alley running alongside the place. Stepping into it, he told Devil, "Wait here."

In another minute the powerful Phantom was up the fire escape and standing next to a corridor window. He eased the window open, climbed into the hall. There was a strong smell of rubbing alcohol and disinfectant all around.

He moved silently along the second floor corridor. At the head of the stairs leading down, he stopped, watching and listening. He could see the reception desk from here. A distraught blond nurse was trying to answer the phones and also pay attention to the circle of people nearby.