CHAPTER XVI
CHECKMATED
A mass of jagged, elongated clouds hovered like scowling specters overAzurecrest. A raw wind sighed moodily among the birches and hemlocksas The Gray Phantom reached the apex of the hill. Stopping withinfifty yards of the high picket fence, he glanced toward the house thatonce had served him as a retreat and shelter against the activities ofthe police. The white trimmings of doors and windows gleamed faintlyin the dusk and here and there a light twinkled through the trees.
The Phantom turned away and walked a few paces toward the fence. Onthe trip from the city he had tried to exclude Helen from his mind,for each thought of her was maddening, and he needed a cool brain anda steady nerve if he were to accomplish his purpose. By sheer force ofwill he had tried to forget the hysterical laughter he had heard overthe wire and which had told him with grim eloquence what had happenedto her. To keep disturbing thoughts from his mind, he had outlinedseveral plans of procedure and prepared himself for the difficult andperilous task that awaited him.
After a brief search over the rugged ground, he stopped at the side ofa huge bowlder and cleared away an accumulation of dry twigs, deadbranches, and rotting weeds. After the obstruction had been removed,an opening barely large enough to permit him to crawl through appearedat the base of the rock. It slanted gently into the ground, thenwidened into a tunnel in which he was able to walk upright. During hissojourn at Azurecrest it had often occurred to him that an emergencyexit might some day prove desirable, and he had built the tunnel inconsequence. He had not happened to mention the existence of thepassage when he sold the place, and he did not think it likely thatthe new owner had discovered it. Though he had never had occasion touse it during his occupancy, it now gave him a distinct advantage inthat it enabled him to enter the house secretly and by an easy route.
Reaching the farther end of the tunnel, he fumbled along the walluntil he found a spring deftly hidden in a crevice. Evidently themechanism was still in good working order, for a door swung squeakilyon unoiled hinges. He passed inside, touched another spring, and thedoor swung shut. In another moment he had switched on an electriclight.
The room was narrow and almost square, and there were neither windowsnor visible doors. It was supplied with air through ingeniously hiddenventilators and The Phantom had fitted it up for brief occupancy.Occasionally it had suited his mood to retire to the hidden chamberand read one of his favorite books.
Throwing off the light overcoat he had been wearing, he then examinedhis automatic and the little pocket case in which he carried a numberof carefully selected tools that had stood him in good stead innumerous emergencies. Despite the advantages afforded him by thetunnel and the secret room, he would be surrounded by dangers at everystep. He had no doubt Mr. Shei's henchmen would kill him on sight, andhe could not afford to toss his life away recklessly while Helen wasin danger.
He glanced at his watch. It was only a little after ten, and soundsreaching him through the ventilator shaft warned him that theoccupants of the house were still about. As soon as the house hadquieted down a little, he would try the first plan on his programme.If that failed, he was holding two or three others in reserve.
For half an hour he waited, then a sliding panel opened at his touchon a spring, and he ascended a narrow spiral stairway that terminatedin what appeared to be a blank wall. His hand touched a lever, and ThePhantom passed through an aperture that instantly closed behind him.He was standing in a dark room in a seldom frequented part of thehouse. He advanced a few steps, then stood still, listening. Someonewas laughing, and in the darkness the sounds impressed him even moreforcibly than they had in the light of day. He walked on, tryingdesperately to exclude the agonizing accents from his ears. Hurriedlyhe opened a door, then as quickly drew it to again. Someone waspassing in the hall outside.
He waited till the footsteps moved away, then looked warily out. Atall figure, walking with a brisk, swinging gait, was turning into oneof the rooms farther down the corridor. As soon as the door had closedbehind him, The Phantom followed on tiptoe. Noticing that the hall wasdeserted, he bent his ear to the keyhole. Two voices, one of themspeaking with a distinct foreign accent, were talking in tonessignifying that they had reason to be well pleased with themselves.They were discussing the progress of Mr. Shei's adventure andcongratulating themselves on the prospect of becoming immensely richwithin a few days.
The Phantom, listening intently, was learning several facts ofinterest. The two speakers were addressing each other as Doctor Tagalaand Mr. Slade, and he gathered from divers remarks that the latter wasin charge of affairs at Azurecrest while Mr. Shei was watchingdevelopments in New York. Doctor Tagala seemed to be the scientist whohad discovered the poison that was the chief factor in Mr. Shei'sscheme.
Having absorbed a great deal of useful information, The Phantom raisedhis head from the keyhole. Then, he flexed his muscles and drew theautomatic from his pocket. Here was his opportunity for putting hisfirst plan to the test. It was cruder than the alternative ones, butit might also prove vastly more effective. His hand closed around theknob. With automatic in one hand he softly pushed the door open,entering so silently that for several moments neither of the two menin the room was aware of the intrusion.
He gazed for an instant at the singularly repulsive face of the manaddressed as Doctor Tagala, then gave his companion a fleeting glanceof inspection, noticing that Slade had the strong jaw andaggressiveness of manners that usually go with a domineeringpersonality. Only the eyes, shifty and unmagnetic, gave him asuspicion that there was a weak strain in the man's moral fiber.Smiling affably, with every nerve in his body atingle, he advanced tothe table.
"Good-evening, gentlemen," he said softly.
With a hoarse cry Slade sprang from his chair, but Doctor Tagala gavethe intruder only a cold, impersonal glance.
"Sit down, Slade," ordered The Phantom, "and both of you keep yourhands on the table." He made a significant gesture with the automatic.
Slade stared and looked as if not quite certain that his eyes were tobe trusted.
"How the devil did you get in?" he exclaimed explosively. He triedhard to get a grip on himself, but the twitching of the lines aroundhis mouth showed that he was ill at ease. "But then," he added,steadying his voice with an effort, "I suppose anything is possiblefor The Gray Phantom."
"Ah, so you are The Gray Phantom." Doctor Tagala seemed mildlyimpressed. "I have heard a great deal of you, and I have felt somecuriosity in regard to you. I must confess to a great disappointment,however. I did not think a man of your genius would descend to suchcrude methods. Of you I had expected subtlety and finesse. Bah!"
Slade was rapidly regaining his self-control, but he kept his handsobediently on the table. From time to time he cast an uneasy glanceinto the muzzle of The Phantom's pistol.
"I can't imagine how you got in," he admitted. "How you got past thepicket fence, the dogs, and the watchmen is too much for me. But, nowthat you are here, what do you intend to do? I suppose it hassomething to do with Miss Hardwick?"
"Precisely, Slade."
The other sneered. "Don't you realize that there's nothing you can do?What you heard over the telephone wire should have warned you to keephands off. Miss Hardwick's life is absolutely in our power."
"For the present, yes; but I think the situation will soon bereversed."
"How?"
The Phantom's lids contracted and his eyes held a steely glitter as helooked down at the man in the chair. Then he cast a quick glance overhis shoulder. At any moment someone was apt to enter and deprive himof his advantage.
"I intend to fight the devil with fire," he announced. "In otherwords, I am going to fight your Mr. Shei with his own weapons. Mr.Shei works through fear. He hopes to induce his seven victims tosurrender half of their fortunes to him by putting the fear of deathinto them. Now, it's a poor rule that doesn't work both ways."
"Suppose you come to the point," suggested Slade sneeringly.
"Very we
ll. I understand that you, Slade, are in charge here duringMr. Shei's absence. I want you to do two things at once. One of themis to release Miss Hardwick immediately; the other, to have theantidote administered to her."
Slade's eyes left the automatic and gave The Phantom an insolentglance. "A bit dictatorial, aren't you? Has it occurred to you that Imight refuse?"
"Certainly." The Phantom smiled, but his eyes were hard as steel. "Mr.Shei has probably considered the possibility that his seven victimsmay refuse to accept his terms, but he feels fairly sure that in theend they will submit. His whole scheme is based on the idea that a manwill do almost anything to escape death. So will you, Slade;especially when I convince you that you will never leave this roomalive unless you do as I say."
Slade shifted uneasily in his chair. A tinge of gray was slowlycreeping into his face.
"Make no mistake, Slade," The Phantom went on. "It's true there are nobloodstains on my hands, but this time I am gambling for higher stakesthan ever before in my life. I could kill you without the slightestscruple."
His eyes, as he looked down at the other man, were keen as rapiers. Hespoke each word with an emphasis that spelled terrible earnestness.Slade winced and writhed beneath his lowering gaze.
"What--what do you want me to do?" he stammered.
The Phantom felt a thrill as he saw that the other was yielding. Hehad judged him correctly at first glance. Slade, despite his swaggersand blustering, was at heart a coward.
"In the first place, you are to instruct Doctor Tagala to administerthe antidote to Miss Hardwick immediately. I will give you exactlysixty seconds. If you have not obeyed by that time, you will be a deadman."
To emphasize the threat, The Phantom took out his watch. Slade turneda quavering glance on the scientist. He opened his lips to speak, butDoctor Tagala anticipated him.
"I dislike to interrupt such a dramatic scene," he declared indrawling tones edged with a faint trace of sarcasm, "but it hasproceeded far enough. You see, my dear Gray Phantom, that even if Mr.Slade should give me such absurd instructions as you request, I wouldrefuse to comply with them. Furthermore, in order to save you needlesswaste of energy, let me inform you that the antidote is concealed in aplace where I alone know where to find it. We are protected againstevery conceivable emergency."
The Phantom felt a presentiment of defeat, but his face, tense andthreatening, showed not the slightest sign of it. With a quickmovement he turned the pistol from Slade and pointed the muzzlestraight at Doctor Tagala's head.
"All right, doctor," he said crisply, "in that case let me warn youthat I could kill you with just as little scruple as I could Slade."
But the scientist only folded his arms and smiled. A look of patientamusement crossed his swarthy and evil face.
"That is an excellent example of what you Americans call bluff," hedrawled. "You can't frighten me, for I know you have not the slightestintention to kill me. If you take my life, the antidote will never befound, and then the charming young lady will die. Mr. Shei anticipatedjust such a situation as this when he made me the sole custodian ofthe antidote."
A trace of disappointment passed over The Phantom's face; a sense ofbafflement took hold of him as he realized that, thanks to Mr. Shei'singenious precautions, his first plan had failed disastrously. Stillpointing the pistol, he backed slowly toward the door.
"Mr. Shei wins this time," he frankly acknowledged, "but he will losein the end. The Gray Phantom was never beaten yet. I wish yougood-night, gentlemen."
With that he was out of the door and running swiftly down the hall.With a cry of rage Slade sprang from the chair and started in pursuit,blowing a pocket whistle as he ran. Men appeared from every direction,and Slade shouted orders that the house and grounds be thoroughlysearched at once. The men scattered, and in a few moments the searchwas on.
But The Gray Phantom, safe in his hidden chamber, was already at workon the details of his next move.