The Scorpia Menace (19 page)

"Are you looking for a masquerade party, Mister?" she said.

The Phantom laughed.

"No, Vanessa. For a missing link! You imitated Diana Palmer's voice on the phone. You pretended to be her when you dumped the plane into the sea after parachuting out. "Now, where is Diana?"

The girl drew herself up and looked coolly at the big man with the strange garb.

"If you're so brilliant and know so much, you should know that answer too," she said levelly.

She looked contemptuously at the dusty forms of Cringle and Koch on the floor. Koch had certainly lost his image. He had hit his head in falling and his shirt was now covered with blood, as well as cigarette ash. The girl raised her gaze from the two men on the floor to The Phantom.

"If I did know where she was, do you think I'd tell you. . ."

She started back as The Phantom's pistol made a deafening roar in the confines of the loft Through the blue smoke swirling in the air, the little rat-faced man screamed with pain. He looked stupidly at the scarlet patch on his shoulder as he went down. The pistol skidded from his nerveless hand and went skidding along the floor.

"I warned you, sonny," The Phantom said pleasantly.

He turned to the girl.

"You'd better look after him. And kick the gun over here."

The girl did as she was told. She helped the little man to a chair and plugged his wound with a handkerchief. Cringle and Koch had decided to stay on the floor. The Phantom picked up the pistol and broke it. He took out the slugs and put them in his pocket. He threw the gun into a corner.

"Perhaps I can find out where Diana is, without your help," he said levelly.

He crossed over to some filing cabinets in the corner and riffled through the documents.

"Like all efficient organizations, Scorpia keeps records," he said, as though to himself. He smiled suddenly.

"Ah, radio transcriptions."

He stared at the decoded signal pad. One phrase stood out: "BRING DIANA PALMER TO CENTER." He read it again and put it in the pouch on his belt. He crossed to a map in the corner. All the lines from various parts of the globe intersected at one point.

"So this is your Center," he said interestedly.

The girl Vanessa rose from attending to the little man's wound.

"We operate in every country in the world," she said contemptuously. "Do you think you can fight us?"

The Phantom admired her spirit even as Cringle said sullenly. "He isn't a man! He's the Ghost Who Walks . . ."

The girl turned round.

"What does that mean?" she said.

They were suddenly interrupted by an incoming radio transmission. Cringle quickly went over and tuned in properly, prompted by The Phantom's pistol muzzle.

"Center calling, Center calling," said a man's voice from the metal-grilled speaker.

The Phantom whispered a few sentences to Cringle and then turned to survey everyone in the room.

"Sit down," he told them. When they'd obeyed, he turned back to Cringle.

"Stay close to me," he said.

Center was still requesting acknowledgment. The Phantom picked up the microphone.

"Calling Center," he said. "Calling Center. Westchester here. Come in Center."

He watched Cringle switch to receive and waited tensely. The speaker was silent for a few seconds and then a voice boomed, "Are there any developments in the Palmer case?"

The Phantom pressed the switch on his microphone.

"Nothing to report," he said. "All quiet this end. How is Miss Palmer?"

The unknown operator at the other end was back in a few seconds.

"All right, I guess. They don't let me in on the top-secret information. What's your next move?"

The Phantom looked urgently at Cringle who moved quickly to his side and whispered something.

"Our instructions are to do nothing, but to keep the Palmer household under surveillance," The Phantom replied.

"That's good," the speaker crackled. There was a long silence broken only by the rustle of static. The Phantom thought he'd detected a slight quality of indecision in the voice from Center. His gun muzzle passed in a menacing arc across the three men and the girl in the room.

The man at the other end was speaking again.

"I don't recognize your voice," it said.

"I don't recognize yours, either," The Phantom said.

"Who are you," said the loudspeaker.

There was a note of urgency in the voice now.

The Phanton smiled as he switched over to send.

"This is The Ghost Who Walks!"

Baron Sojin's eyes widened with pleasure as he saw the effect his words had on Diana Palmer. The girl had gone to stand at the great window. She stood silent now, looking at the last of the sun reflected on the sea.

"You must look at things from my viewpoint, Diana," he said. "When you trumpeted Scorpia's name over television, we were naturally alarmed."

He crossed to the table where they had dined and lit a Russian cigarette from the silver candelabra.

"We, of Scorpia, dislike publicity. I decided you could be dangerous. Usually, when a person is dangerous to Scorpia, he, or she, quietly disappears. But then I saw your photograph . . ."

His voice dropped to a soft monotone and Diana could see his blood-red reflection in the window.

"Scorpia has always had a Queen," said Sojin simply. "I've chosen you, Diana."

The girl turned, her eyes widening, her figure stiff. Sojin held up his hand suddenly.

"Hear me out," he said. "Come over here and sit down."

The girl went to sit once more in the leather chair by this strange man's desk. Her eyes never left his face as he went on outlining the history of Scorpia and its place in the modern world.

Sojin tapped his cigarette against a crystal ash tray and leaned back behind the desk.

"The Kings of Scorpia in the past have often taken their Queens from Royal houses," he said. "They were my ancestors. Today, I am King of Scorpia."

Diana's eyes flashed.

"But today, Scorpia is only a gang of criminals," she said, witheringly.

Sojin smiled slowly.

"You expect me to marry you?" Diana continued. "To be Queen of the earth's human residue!"

"That's not a nice way to put it," the Baron said in the same, soft voice.

"It's the truth!" the girl replied.

"Very well then—Queen of criminals," the Baron conceded. "World-wide Scorpia."

"My answer to that is—no!" said Diana with great emphasis. "Send me home."

"My answer in turn must be no," Sojin retorted, a reluctant smile of admiration on his face. "But I respect your courage."

He went over toward the door and turned.

"That's why I chose you," he said with his dead smile. "I am young. I am patient. I can wait. There is no hurry."

Then his face softened as he looked at Diana's dejected form, slumped in the chair.

"You should consider it an honor to marry the hereditary King of Scorpia."

"It is a pleasure I must decline," Diana said in a muffled voice.

Sojin opened the door and prepared to step through into the adjoining room.

"Just remember, the world thinks you're dead," he added in a level tone. "You will never leave here, Diana."

The closing of the door sounded like a knell to the girl as it cut off the sight of the unyielding figure of the Baron. She put her head in her hands.

"What an impossible, hopeless nightmare," she told herself.

Sojin dropped swiftly downward in the elevator. The guards saluted as he walked across to the radio room. The Lieutenant in charge of Communications snapped him a smart salute as he walked in.

"Did you get hold of Westchester?" Sojin asked.

The Lieutenant nodded, a frown on his face.

"Yes, sir," he said. "The operator says that the person who answered must be drank. All he would say was that he was The Ghost Who Walks!"

Sojin stiffened. He thrust his jaw out in a way the Lieutenant knew well as his vivid blue eyes transfixed the officer.

"Which one of our men was it?" he snapped.

"We don't know, sir," said the Lieutenant. "The voice was unfamiliar."

Sojin stood for a moment in quiet reflection.

"Perhaps it's some sort of current American slang," he said. "I'll ask Miss Palmer. Stand by for further orders!"

He clattered out of the radio room and rushed back to his apartment.

He found the girl closely examining the great illuminated map on the wall. She turned as he came toward her.

"I forgot to tell you, there's a self-contained suite for you up these stairs," Sojin said. "It can be locked from the inside, so you're quite safe."

"Thank you," Diana replied stiffly. "I am rather tired."

"Before you go," Sojin answered. "There's a little problem I'd like your help on. What does 'The Ghost Who Walks' mean?"

He was staggered at the girl's reaction.

Diana's face lit up in a dazzling smile.

"He found me!" she said.

"What are you talking about?" said Sojin curtly.

Diana threw her head back triumphantly.

"He saw through all your schemes! He knows I'm alive!"

Sojin crossed to his desk and sat down. His knuckles showed white on the desk before him.

"Diana, I don't know what you're talking about," he said, in a voice he was struggling to keep under control. "Would you please explain?"

"Certainly, Baron," the girl said in a cool, amused voice. She went to sit opposite the ruler of Scorpia.

"You've told me all about the history of Scorpia. Have you ever heard of The Phantom?"

"What's that got to do with The Ghost Who Walks?" said Sojin. His face was a mask of puzzlement

"They're one and the same person," Diana said. "That's all the information I'm going to give you. Figure the rest out for yourself."

The Baron's feet clattered on the staircase. He reached a gallery where all the Archives of Scorpia were stored. He took several volumes from the shelves. When he returned in half an hour, the puzzled look was still on his face.

"I've looked up The Phantom," he said. "It's just an old legend, a myth."

"He may be a myth to you but he's very real to me, and he knows I'm alive," Diana retorted.

The Baron took a step forward. He put the leather-bound volume he carried down on the desk.

"Who is the Ghost Who Walks?" he said.

"I'll tell you nothing!" Diana snapped. "Ask that worldwide organization of yours. And now, if you'll excuse me, I'll say good-night."

"Good-night, Diana," said Sojin, absently. "I hope you'll find your apartment comfortable."

He waited until the girl had disappeared up the stairs and then he picked up the phone on his desk.

"Get me the radio room," he ordered.

"Carson here, sir," said the Lieutenant in charge of Communications.

"Carson, I want a radio tie-in to this telephone," said the Baron.

"I want to speak to Otto Koch in person. There's a lot of nonsense going on and I want to get to the bottom of it."

"Yes, sir," Carson gulped. "Shall I call Colonel Crang?" "If I wanted Colonel Crang, I would have asked for him," said Sojin patiently.