CHAPTER XIII
A MESSAGE FROM MR. SHEI
The city, consuming the news of Mr. Shei's amazing coup along with itscoffee and toast the following morning, reacted to the sensation muchas a child might react to the sight of a fabled monster. The wholeaffair seemed monstrous, unbelievable--and yet the facts could not bereasoned away. Seven of the city's wealthiest men had been inoculatedwith a malady of such a mysterious nature that the most celebratedphysicians in New York City had admitted they were unable to diagnoseit.
An air of bafflement and suspense hung over the city. Mr. Shei's namewas on every tongue, and the blow he had struck was discussed bygroups that gathered on street corners, in cafes, and in publicsquares. Among the seven victims were several of the most importantcapitalists in the country, so the effect of Mr. Shei's astoundingmaneuver was an assault on the financial nerve center of the nation.
The name that, next to Mr. Shei's, was most often spoken in the streetcorner discussions, was that of The Gray Phantom. The spectacularnature of the coup, as well as the daring and resourcefulnessexhibited by its perpetrator, seemed ample proof that The Gray Phantomhad returned to his old ways under the _nom de guerre_ of Mr. Shei. Noone else, it was argued, could have engineered an achievement of suchmagnitude without bungling and falling into the clutches of thepolice. Already wagers were being placed on The Phantom's ability toevade capture until he should have consummated his plans.
At ten o'clock, just as newsboys were raucously crying the latestextras, a taxicab stopped before a dingy establishment in a squalidand disreputable section of the lower East Side. The Gray Phantomalighted, hurriedly tossed the driver a bill, then disappeared in abasement entrance. The door was opened by a surly-looking man wearinga soiled apron, and The Phantom took a seat at one of the tables inthe rear. He looked nervously at his watch. Lieutenant Culligore, whomhe had reached by telephone at police headquarters, had promised tomeet him at ten sharp, and he had suggested Lefty Joe's place as areasonably safe rendezvous.
The Phantom cast a slanting glance at the rough-looking customersscattered about the place, and just then the door opened and Culligorewalked in and took a seat beside him.
"Any luck?" inquired the lieutenant, though the question seemedsuperfluous in view of The Phantom's dejected appearance.
"None. That's why I wanted a talk with you. How is Fairspeckle?"
The lieutenant, a little bleary-eyed and with a trace of diffidence inhis manners, looked queerly at the questioner. "Why single outFairspeckle? He's in the same boat with the six others. Neither betternor worse, though the doctors say his age and poor health will weighagainst him."
"You still think that Fairspeckle is Mr. Shei?"
Culligore hesitated. A thin, inscrutable smile hovered above his lips.
"If he is, he gave himself a dose of his own medicine," was his finalcomment.
"And that's precisely what I think he did." The Phantom, speaking inlow tones, gave the table a resounding thwack. "Being one of thecity's richest men, he knew suspicion was apt to turn in hisdirection, unless he was inoculated along with the others. He iseasily one of the seven wealthiest men in town, and it would havelooked queer if he had been omitted. And so, to ward off suspicion, hehad a dose of the poison injected into his own veins, though I supposethe amount was carefully adjusted so it would produce thecharacteristic symptoms without causing death."
Culligore appeared to ponder. "Not bad reasoning," he remarked. "Thatwould be on a par with the trick he played on you yesterday.Fairspeckle seems to be a shrewd old fox, the kind that isn'toverlooking any bets. Maybe you're right. In that case, of course, thebinding and gagging of the Jap was a blind."
The Phantom nodded.
"Well, whoever Mr. Shei is, he certainly put one over last night," wasCulligore's rueful comment. "He seems to have a gang of highly trainedfollowers who do exactly as he tells them without batting an eyelid.Last night, between ten o'clock and two in the morning, he sent one ormore of his men to the homes of each of the seven victims. In two orthree instances the servants were bribed, I understand. Anyhow, Mr.Shei's men got in by some hook or crook. Four of the seven were caughtin bed and trussed up before they could say Jack Robinson. Two of theothers were tapped on the back of the head when they returned homefrom the theater, and one got his in a taxicab. Mr. Shei made a cleansweep."
"What do the doctors say?"
"Most of them are doing some fancy stalling to cover up what theydon't know. The high muckamucks of the profession are holding aconsultation this morning to decide what's to be done. One of them letslip the information that the symptoms look something like acombination of rabies and delirium tremens, but he believes thedisease is produced by one of the ancient poisons that were known tothe Asiatics. The fact that the doctors are keeping mum is a bad sign.It will be interesting to see how many of the patients will cough upMr. Shei's price for the antidote. If all of them come across, Mr.Shei will rake in a good many millions."
"Billions, rather, I should say." The Phantom smiled wearily. "Ifsuccessful, the experiment will be unique in that it will demonstratejust how much a billionaire considers his life to be worth. But thatisn't what I wanted to talk with you about. Culligore, I still thinkthat Fairspeckle knows where Miss Hardwick can be found."
"Well?" Culligore gazed noncommittally into space.
"I wonder if some sort of pressure couldn't be brought to bear on himto make him divulge what he knows. Last night he was in no conditionto be questioned, and to-day, I can hardly make a move without runningthe risk of being arrested."
"I should say you can't!" declared Culligore explosively. "It's asmuch as my job is worth to be seen here talking with you. The GrayPhantom is a marked man, if ever there was one. Fairspeckle and theJap swear you were in the apartment late last night, and Fairspecklebelieves--or pretends to believe, which amounts to the same thing--thatit was you who squirted the poison into his veins. Of course, hedoesn't pretend to know just how it happened, but he remembers seeingyou just as he was recovering his senses. You'd better take my adviceand lie low for a while. I'll see what I can do with Fairspeckle,though I haven't any high hopes. I'll have him watched, and it's justpossible that we can squeeze some information out of him. But lookhere. Aren't you starting this thing from the wrong end?"
The Phantom gave him a puzzled glance.
"When Miss Hardwick left the Thelma Theater day before yesterday,"pursued Culligore, "I could have sworn she was on her way to see you.She didn't say anything about her plans, but that was the idea I gotfrom her actions."
The Phantom shook his head. "If she started for my place, she nevergot there. I called up on the long distance this morning, and was toldthat nothing has been seen of her. Of course, something may havehappened to her on the way."
"Well, I wouldn't worry just yet. The young lady has a lot of spunk,and I'll bet a pair of pink socks she knows how to take care ofherself. It mightn't be a bad idea to get in touch with her father. Hemay have had some news from her since yesterday. I must be on my way.Mr. Shei is putting gray hairs on my head."
Culligore rose, and the two men shook hands. They parted after thelieutenant had once more admonished The Phantom against exposinghimself to arrest. For a moment or two after the detective had leftthe place, The Phantom looked dubiously at the door through which hehad departed.
"There's something queer about Culligore," he mumbled. "I wonder ifhe----"
He did not finish the thought, but with a shrug of the shoulders hestepped out and looked warily up and down the sidewalk. Culligore'swarning had not been needed to impress upon him that caution wasnecessary. He sniffed danger in the very air he breathed as he slunkacross the street, walked a block to the east, then ducked into adeserted doorway. A taxicab appeared, and he signaled the driver. Fora moment he hesitated as to his next move, then Culligore's partingadvice occurred to him and, after consulting the small notebook hecarried, he gave the chauffeur the address of the Hardwick residence.
The ca
b started. The Phantom glanced sharply through the windows. Afamiliar and yet intangible sensation had been with him constantly forthe past hour. Now and then, at long intervals, he had had a fleetingimpression that he was being watched. Now, as the cab chugged its waydown the avenue, a sixth sense told him he was being followed, yet hecould detect no sign of pursuit in the welter of traffic. He tried todismiss the impression, knowing that in his present state of highmental tension his senses were not to be trusted.
He alighted in front of a modest brownstone house, its rigid exteriorrelieved by sprawling vines and flowers in the window boxes. Thefemale servant who opened the door announced that Mr. Hardwick was athome, and The Phantom gently pushed past her. In the room he entered,a thin, stoop-shouldered man was pacing back and forth with handsclasped at his back. He stopped abruptly at sight of The Phantom andpeered blankly into the visitor's face.
"You know me?" inquired The Phantom.
"It's--it can't be--The Gray Phantom?" A startled look appeared in Mr.Hardwick's deeply furrowed face. He came a few steps nearer. "But you_are_ The Gray Phantom, I see. I recognize you from your photographs.Where is my daughter?"
The Phantom was a trifle taken aback by the sharply spoken question."Then you have received no word from her? I telephoned your houseshortly after my arrival in the city and was told she had been missingfor twenty-four hours. I was in hopes you might have heard from herthis morning. That's why I called."
"I have not seen my daughter since breakfast day before yesterday,"explained Mr. Hardwick in quavering tones. "In the afternoon Ireceived a brief message from her announcing she did not expect to behome for dinner and telling me not to worry. She is an impetuouschild, and it isn't the first time she has caused me anxiety. Hermessage made me very uneasy, for she had been acting strangely eversince--since----"
"Since the affair at the Thelma Theater," guessed The Phantom."Listen, Mr. Hardwick. I am as deeply concerned in what has happenedto her as you can possibly be. I intend to find her, no matter whereshe may be. Can you trust me?"
Mr. Hardwick's dim eyes searched The Phantom's face for a long time.At first there was a look of doubt and suspicion in the old man'scountenance, but it faded gradually away.
"I believe I can," he declared. "I know what your past has been, and Iconfess I have disapproved strongly of the friendship between you andmy daughter. She is still impressionable and there are romanticnotions in her head, and you will forgive me if I say that you did notseem quite the proper person for her to associate with."
"I can understand that," murmured The Phantom. "Your attitude wasquite natural in view of the circumstances."
"And so," continued Mr. Hardwick, "when your letters came I did notfeel justified in giving them to her. I was not unappreciative of whatyou had done for her and me, but I feared she might form an unsuitableattachment. In short, I destroyed the letters after a glance at thehandwriting on the envelope."
The Phantom smiled faintly. "I know you acted for what you thoughtyour daughter's best interests. It is not for me to criticise yourconduct in the matter. I can readily see---- But wait." The Phantom'sbrow suddenly clouded. "How many letters did you intercept?"
"I think there were two. One came in the spring; the other late in thesummer. Yes, I am quite sure there were only two."
The Phantom's narrowing gaze swept the older man's face. His lipstightened into a grim line. "The letter I mailed in the spring was theone in which I told your daughter of my removal from Azurecrest to SeaGlimpse," he explained in tense tones. "I had promised to keep herinformed of my movements so that she could communicate with me if sheshould ever need me." He paused for a moment. "Have you any idea whereyour daughter might have gone? Didn't she say anything that suggestedwhat her plans were?"
"She talked rather incoherently at breakfast, but said nothing aboutintending to go away. When I received her message later in the day, itoccurred to me that she might have gone in search of you. You had beenmentioned several times in our talks together, and I thought that----"
"If her intention was to find me, she probably went to the wrongplace," gravely interrupted The Phantom. "Not knowing of my removal toSea Glimpse, she naturally would look for me at Azurecrest. I sold theplace through a broker and never even learned the name of the presentowner. But her going to Azurecrest doesn't explain her absence for thepast twenty-four hours. She would naturally return at once uponlearning that I was not there. The trip by train takes only two orthree hours. I fear something must have happened to her on the way.Well, we shall soon learn----"
He dashed across the room, snatched up the telephone from its stand ina corner, and, after being connected with the long-distance operator,gave his old number at Azurecrest. A wait followed. The Phantom stoodtense and rigid, while Mr. Hardwick dazedly drew his palm across hisforehead. He gazed expectantly at The Phantom while the latter spokebriefly into the transmitter. Finally, with a puzzled look in hisface, The Phantom hung up.
"The present owner of Azurecrest is a Mr. Slade," he announced. "Ijust had him on the wire. He tells me nothing has been seen of MissHardwick, or of any person resembling her."
Mr. Hardwick looked as if he did not quite know whether to feelrelieved or discouraged. The Phantom grasped his hand.
"Don't worry," he said in a tone of hopefulness which he was far fromfeeling. "We will find your daughter. I shall communicate with you assoon as I learn something."
He squeezed the older man's hand and walked out. Though he could notunderstand why, his interview with Hardwick and his brief talk withSlade had intensified his fears and misgivings. It seemed as thoughthe mystery of Helen's disappearance had become darker and deeper.Suddenly, as he stood irresolute on the doorstep, he heard someonecall his name. A limousine had silently drawn up at the curb, itssides of burnt sienna flashing brilliantly in the sunlight, and at thewindow, beckoning him with a smile and a nod, he saw a woman's face.He stepped forward, and the woman leaned slightly from the window.
"If you will step in," she whispered, "you may learn something ofinterest concerning the young person you are looking for."
The door opened invitingly. The words had exerted a magical effect onThe Phantom, and without a moment's hesitation he entered. As the carglided away, he noticed that the woman had a young, dark face, afigure almost serpentine in its slenderness, and that there was an airof gay insouciance about her smartly embroidered frock and rakishpicture hat that seemed to clash with the subtlety and craftinessexpressed by her pale-green eyes.
"You are very reckless, my dear Phantom," she murmured. "Please don'task to what happy circumstance you owe the invitation to ride with me.I abhor ceremonious speeches. I am Fay Dale, though that probablydon't interest you, and I have a message for you from Mr. Shei."
The bluntness of the statement made The Phantom catch his breath. Hewondered whether it was the vivacious eyes of Fay Dale that had beenfollowing him all morning and giving him the haunting impression ofbeing watched.
"As I said, you are very reckless," Miss Dale went on. "Twice withinthe last two days you have been warned to abandon the course you arepursuing, and you have paid no heed whatever. There's such a thing ascarrying audacity to a fault, you know. Doesn't the safety of acertain young lady mean anything to you at all?"
"Everything!" exclaimed The Phantom impulsively. "You said you hadsomething to tell me about her."
"I have, but you mustn't be impatient. I have something very importantto tell you. You have seen fit to meddle in an affair that doesn'tconcern you in the least. You have been warned that your conduct isendangering the life of the young lady, but evidently you have nottaken the warnings seriously. I can assure you that Mr. Shei nevermakes idle threats. It is his wish that you leave New York at once."
A taunting laugh was on The Phantom's lips, but he held it back."Why?" he demanded.
"Because Mr. Shei doesn't care to have you interfere with him. He isnow engaged in the most important enterprise of his life, and he wouldrather not be opposed by su
ch a formidable enemy as yourself. I shallbe perfectly frank with you, even at the risk of inflating yourvanity. You are the only man of whom Mr. Shei stands in fear. He has aprofound respect for your genius. He laughs at the police and snapshis fingers at public opinion, but he knows The Gray Phantom is adangerous adversary. At this particular time he can brook noopposition. That's why he requests you to leave New York immediately."
"I am flattered," murmured The Phantom, gazing reflectively out of thecar window. "What I cannot understand is how Mr. Shei learned of myplans."
Miss Dale gave an amused laugh. "One of Mr. Shei's agents saw you inTimes Square the morning you arrived. You have been watched eversince. Mr. Shei has sources of information that would amaze you if Iwere to tell you about them. And he is just as resourceful in otherways. Don't you think you had better swallow your pride and complywith his wishes?"
"Suppose I were to refuse?" The Phantom temporized, trying hard torestrain his impatience.
Miss Dale looked straight into his eyes. There was a hint of crueltyin her tightly compressed lips.
"There are ways of breaking even such a stubborn will as yours," shecoldly declared. "The young lady is absolutely in Mr. Shei's power.That gives him a means of persuasion that ought to impress even you.Nothing in the world can save her if you disobey his wishes."
Her tones carried an emphasis that caused The Phantom to give her asharp glance. There was a curl to her lips and a gleam in her eyesthat impressed him even more strongly than her words. His mind workedquickly.
"If Mr. Shei will return Miss Hardwick safely to her home, I willleave New York on the next train," he promised.
She laughed frigidly. "You must think Mr. Shei is a fool. He wouldlose his hold over you the moment he released Miss Hardwick, and whatguarantee would he have that you would carry out your promise?"
"My word of honor."
"It would be enough under ordinary circumstances, but not in thiscase. Evidently you do not realize the gravity of Miss Hardwick'sposition, or you would not quarrel with Mr. Shei's terms." Sheshrugged her slight shoulders. "Well, you shall soon be convinced thatMr. Shei is not to be trifled with. From Miss Hardwick's own lips youshall learn what a desperate predicament she is in. After that, mydear Phantom, I think you will be more amenable to reason."
There was a question on The Phantom's tongue, but just then the cardrew up in front of an apartment house facing Central Park, and MissDale conducted him through an ornate entrance, then up three flightsin the elevator, and a little gasp of admiration escaped The Phantomas they passed into an exquisitely furnished apartment. Save for theprevalence of the feminine touch, exemplified in gorgeous butmeaningless trifles and gewgaws, it met the emphatic approval of ThePhantom's discriminating eye.
Miss Dale excused herself and entered an adjoining room, and he wasleft alone for a few minutes. He strained his ears and listened. Fromfaint sounds coming through the closed door he imagined she was at thetelephone. The cold gleam in her eyes as he had helped her from thecar was still haunting him, and he wondered what she had meant whenshe promised that from Helen's own lips should he learn the nature ofher predicament.
The frigid, insinuating smile was still on her lips when she returnedto the room in which she had left him.
"Your curiosity shall be gratified in a few moments," she announced,seating herself and regarding him with a cold, impersonal gaze. Therewas an air of quiet self-reliance and efficiency about her thatenabled him to understand how she could be a valuable assistant to Mr.Shei. Neither spoke, and presently the silence was interrupted by theringing of the telephone in the other room.
"Answer, please," she said lightly, the faintest trace of malignantsatisfaction in her tones. "I think Miss Hardwick is on the wire."
Puzzled and tormented by vague suspicions, The Phantom passed to thetelephone. The woman followed a short distance behind.
"Hello," he said tensely.
He started violently as he recognized the answering voice. He wouldhave known it among a million voices despite the hysterical catch andthe staccato accents that tended to disguise it. It spoke a fewjumbled and disconnected phrases, then broke into a stream of loud andwild laughing in which he detected the same note of maniacal glee thathad characterized the ghastly laughter of W. Rufus Fairspeckle.