The Scorpia Menace (16 page)

"I am Colonel Crang, Chief of Security at Castle Toeplitz," he told Diana. "Welcome to Scorpia."

The girl ignored the Colonel's outstretched hand.

"It would be more meaningful if you told me why I've been brought here," she said curtly.

The Colonel gave a little bow.

"Ah, that is not for me to say, dear lady," he replied. "It is outside my sphere of authority. But you will know soon enough. And now, if you will accompany me. .

He dismissed the two soldiers, who saluted again and marched smartly across the baked rock parade ground toward the Castle gates. Diana and her escort followed at a more leisurely pace, the Colonel adjusting his Malacca swagger stick smartly beneath his arm.

Far above them, the sun reflected momentarily on something at one of the windows, radiating dazzling beams of light. Baron Sojin again raised the binoculars to his eyes with a satisfied smile. He focused the glasses impatiently. Then Diana's figure came into focus, tremendously magnified by the powerful instrument. The Baron smiled his thin smile.

"Even prettier than her pictures!" he exclaimed, involuntarily. He turned away from the window and went to a mirror at the far side of the great room and admired bis image.

"Hurry, Colonel," he said softly. "You know I don't like to be kept waiting under such circumstances."

The elevator whined smoothly upward as Colonel Crang examined Diana Palmer carefully. Now that he had met the famous athlete he could well understand the Baron's interest. He felt a momentary twinge of envy. It was a lonely, celibate life out here. But all he said, with a bland expression, was, "This is Center, Miss Palmer. The Headquarters of the Scorpia, about which you have expressed so much interest."

The Baron's instructions had waived protocol today, so there were no security checks; no magnetic keys in locks; no images on television screens. Colonel Crang ushered Diana Palmer in through the tropical greenery and slid the door aside for her. He walked with the girl toward the Baron's desk. Baron Sojin rose as they approached.

"Miss Diana Palmer," said Colonel Crang gravely. He introduced the girl with a gesture of one massive hand, as though the Baron might not have noticed her.

He turned to the girl.

"This is Baron Sojin, ruler of Scorpia."

"Thank you, Colonel Crang," said Sojin, fixing the Colonel with steady eyes.

"You may withdraw. I shall ring if I require your services."

"Thank you, sir," said Colonel Crang.

He saluted the Baron smartly, gave a half-bow and a

light smile to the girl and went out. Diana and the Baron remained warily facing one another until the door closed behind the Chief of Security.

"Well, Miss Palmer," said the Baron at last. "This is a great moment. Do, please, be seated."

The girl stepped forward and sank gratefully into the padded chair indicated by the Baron. She still carried her handbag, raincoat and scarf and the Baron graciously relieved her of them. Then he went to the other side of his great desk and sat down again. He slid open a drawer and look out a buff-colored dossier. He opened it on the blotter before him and was silent for a moment or two. Diana said nothing.

Baron Sojin's mirthless smile was a true indication of the man's nature, thought Diana as the minutes ticked by. His l ace was not unpleasant until one came to the mouth.

"You were curious about Scorpia, Miss Palmer," he said at last. "Well, now you have met its leader and you are at present in it's headquarters."

He turned and pointed to a large, carved table that had been set for a meal, beyond his desk.

"But I forget my manners. You must be hungry after your long flight."

Diana spoke to the Baron for the first time.

"I'm not hungry," she burst out. "Why on earth have I been brought here?"

The Baron raised Ms hand soothingly.

"All in good time, my dear lady. And you
are
hungry. Why allow your prejudice to overcome your good sense?"

Diana was silent. She allowed the Baron to usher her forward. She felt faint suddenly as she reached the table. Sojin took her arm, and put a glass of wine in her hand.

"Drink this," he said. "You will feel better."

He lifted the silver dish covers from which came the rich aroma of finely cooked food. His eyes expressed amusement at her unspoken question.

"No, my dear Miss Palmer, it is not poisoned. Come, you must eat."

"What is Scorpia?" asked Diana, as she started eating. She had realized the Baron was right. It would be ridiculous to allow prejudice to overcome common sense. She would need all her strength for the tasks before her. The Baron watched with satisfaction as she ate and drank.

"Scorpia?" he said.

He pointed to the large, illuminated map of the world which occupied one side of the enormous chamber.

"That is Scorpia, my dear."

His hand made a graceful motion in the air.

"You will see we operate everywhere in the world."

"I see," said Diana non-commitally, putting down her wine glass and lifting another dish cover.

"But what does Scorpia do exactly? I know what it was in the Eighteenth Century, and I traced it as far as the late nineteenth. What is it now?"

The Baron's face lit up.

"Ah, there you have touched on something close to my heart, Miss Palmer."

He got up and started to walk around the room, a commanding figure in his immaculately-tailored blue uniform.

"As you so correctly observe, Miss Palmer, the Scorpia is an ancient pirate band whose history extends back over four hundred years. Now we are more modern. As you surmised, the Scorpia did not die out in the late nineteenth century. It lived on, like the Mafia and other secret societies that the world knows little about in the twentieth century. But Scorpia is a hundred times more powerful than any of these."

His face was an exultant mask of greed as he spoke, and Diana momentarily recoiled. Then the Baron resumed his pacing.

"A pirate band," he chuckled. "We dispensed with sea piracy long, long ago."

He turned back to Diana.

"If you have finished your meal, Miss Palmer, come and sit near the desk here where you can study the map as I talk. My explanations will then be clearer to you."

Diana got up and walked to the chair indicated by the Baron, her lithe steps drawing approving glances from the ruler of Scorpia. The Baron approached the great map with its glowing symbols. He surveyed it proudly.

"No, we no longer bother with sea piracy," he mused, half to himself. He turned back to the tall, dark-haired girl in the chair beside him.

"As I told you, our operations today are world-wide. I hey embrace smuggling, counterfeiting, gambling, protection rackets, bank and jewel robbery."

The Baron spread his hands apart, pride in his voice, as I hough he were describing the world-wide operations of a linking concern. Diana could hardly believe her ears.

"Of course, our operations also embrace other, less desirable activities, but we won't examine those too closely at this stage."

Diana tossed her head.

"I should hope not!" she said.

"That's right," said the Baron, as though his guest had agreed with him.

"Wherever an illegal dollar is to be made, Scorpia makes It." \
₄

Diana involuntarily stiffened in her chair.

"Scorpia then is nothing more than a world-wide crime ring?" she said.

"That's one way to put it," said the Baron smugly.

"Of course, we're unknown to most of the people who work for us. And we're also largely unknown to the outside world."

He went to sit opposite Diana at his desk and looked at her approvingly.

"We're the hidden power behind criminal groups in a dozen nations," he said. "And we've got such extensive power that we almost control some countries."

Diana forced herself to remain cool and outwardly unconcerned.

"How did Scorpia become so powerful?" she asked.

There was genuine curiosity in her voice.

The Baron was silent for a long minute. His speech had a strange timbre, as he replied.

"Time, Miss Palmer. Purely time. Centimes of time."

He got up again and went to stand by the map, as though his physical presence enabled him to exert personal power over the Scorpia agents in all parts of the globe.

"I am the tenth generation of my family to rule Scorpia, Miss Palmer," he said simply.

He looked musingly at the girl.

"Do you realize, Miss Palmer, that we hadn't been men

tioned in print for over fifty years until you decided to write a thesis about us?"

A tiny spot of red showed on the cheek Diana had turned toward the ruler of Scorpia.

"I knew nothing about your modern activities," she said. "I thought Scorpia was a band of ancient pirates."

"You were doing research," the Baron interrupted smoothly. "Research which could have led you to the fact that Scorpia is not extinct."

He looked up at the great glowing map on the wall behind him.

"Your research was attracting considerable publicity because—unfortunately, for you—you are a celebrity."

His voice had dropped until it was now no more than a whisper. The effect was most sinister. Diana realized that she was in the presence of a very dangerous man.

"Is that why you brought me here?" said Diana with a sudden intake of breath.

"One reason," replied the Baron. "We dislike people investigating Scorpia. We stop them. Sometimes violently."

He paused imperceptibly.

"There was another reason, Miss Palmer."

"Yes," said Diana, shifting in her chair.

"What was that, Baron?"

Baron Sojin smiled his dead smile. He bowed toward her slightly as he spoke.

"I admired your picture. That is why you are here."

17

MISSING LINK

Sunlight shimmered on the surface of the Palmer swimming pool, the brilliant reflection making The Phantom contract his eyes slightly despite the dark glasses he wore. It reminded him vividly of the pools of his jungle home in bangalla and of Guran, Hero and Devil. He and David Palmer sat on a bench alongside the pool. Ever since The Phantom's revelation of his thoughts to David on his return from the airfield, Diana's uncle had recovered something of hi:, old manner. His pipe was belching smoke and flame again as he listened to his companion's reasoned arguments.

"That's all very well, Kit," he said in answer to a specific point. "But we've no real proof that Scorpia still exists or plotted to kidnap Diana."

"Perfectly true, Dave," said The Phantom, resting his strong chin on his hands.

"Neither the police nor the F.B.I, have any record of Scorpia."

He raised his eyes from the pool and looked squarely at his companion.

"It was a well-planned operation. If Scorpia took Diana, their plot was perfect. The plane accident at sea was ingenious."

He shook his head and continued to look at the sparkle of the sun on the water. His demeanor was so rigid and strange that David Palmer looked at him in surprise.

"Their plan was perfect," repeated The Phantom softly to himself.