The Gray Phantom Part 21

"We shall see," was his calm response. "Mr. Shei appears to be a very shrewd man, but even he has his limitations. The infirmities of age are beginning to show a marked effect on his strategy. He is too old for this sort of thing."

"So," said the scientist in queer tones, "you think you know him?"

The Phantom nodded. "I had an encounter with him some years ago, and he proved to me then that he had extraordinary astuteness. As a matter of fact, he was a little too much for me. The other day I ran into him by accident, and we had quite a pleasant little chat."

Tagala lay motionless on the cot while his eyes, slowly recovering their customary brilliance, searched The Phantom's face.

"The police are laboring under the delusion that _you_ are Mr. Shei,"

he dryly observed.

"Oh, well, the police are not particularly bright at times." The Phantom shrugged. "Now, doctor, you and I are going to have a very serious talk. I was outmaneuvered last night, but this is my round. I shall convince you by a very simple method that it will be wise for you to place the antidote in my hands."

Despite his humiliation and physical discomfort, the doctor gave a contemptuous laugh.

"Fool!" he snorted. "Every move you make is fore-doomed to failure. We have provided against every possible emergency. Our plan is already a certain success. Only this afternoon Mr. Shei telephones me from New York that everything is going well. A group of the most celebrated physicians in America have held several consultations without practical results. They are utterly at a loss to diagnose the disease or to prescribe even a palliative. Poor idiots! It took me years to perfect the toxin, and they have only a few days in which to combat its effects. On the seventh day after the inoculation, the seven subjects will be doomed unless the antidote is administered in the meantime. After the seventh day it will be too late. Mr. Shei told me that two of the subjects are already in a mood to discuss terms.

Perhaps by to-morrow they will place half of their fortunes at Mr.

Shei's feet."

"You seem very confident of success," observed The Phantom.

"Our success is already a.s.sured. In a few days I shall be wealthier than I ever before dreamed of being. Some people scoff at money, but it is an excellent thing for all that. All my life, while pursuing my scientific investigations, I have had my eye on what you Americans call the main chance. I never dreamed that I should realize my hopes through an accidental discovery. Ever hear of the datura plant?"

The Phantom shook his head.

"It grows in great profusion in my native soil, the Malay States, but it can be transplanted or produced almost anywhere. It is an odd plant, from four to six feet high, with wide-spreading branches and black flowers that are shaped like trumpets. Children have been known to die after eating the seeds, which are very poisonous. A few years ago, after an extensive tour in Europe, I returned to my native land and was called upon to treat a child who had eaten a great quant.i.ty of the seeds. It was then I made the discovery that shall make me a wealthy man in a few days. It was a mere accident, but isn't our whole life a series of accidents?"

He smiled philosophically, for he had quite recovered from the effects of his recent humiliation.

"If you will permit me to explain a little further," he went on, "I think you will understand how invincible we are and how foolish it is for you to oppose us. The poisonous property of the datura plant is known as daturin. It is a very curious drug. Its active principle is a mixture of a kind of atropine and hyoscyamine, but the true nature of the component alkaloids has never been fully determined. It is one of the mysteries of nature. Among the symptoms of datura poisoning are hoa.r.s.eness, dryness of the mouth, dilation of the pupils, disturbed heart action, bad memory, and a curious vocal affection that produces involuntary laughter. No chemical antidote had been either known or suggested until I made my accidental discovery. It has suited my purpose to keep that discovery to myself."

There was an elated smirk on his face, and The Phantom turned away in disgust.

"I came to America," continued the doctor in oily tones, "and by mere chance made the acquaintance of our remarkable Mr. Shei. I shall not weary you by reciting all the details. I happened to mention my discovery to Mr. Shei, and his brilliant mind immediately conceived the idea of putting it to a highly profitable use. Like all great things, his plan was simplicity itself. His theory was based on the fact, so aptly stated by yourself last night, that the average run of mortals can be most effectively controlled through the factor of fear.

He suggested that if a deadly malady were communicated to a number of wealthy men, they could easily be persuaded to pay almost any price for a sure antidote, especially if the antidote were the exclusive property of an individual or an organization.

"That was the beginning of the idea. It required quite a little elaboration. The chief factors in the plan were the poison and the antidote. The antidote was in readiness, but the poison had to be so adjusted that it would produce death within a specified time unless the antidote were administered meanwhile. If the plan was to succeed, we must be in a position to tell the subjects that they would die within a certain number of days unless they paid our price for the antidote. You probably know, since you appear to be an educated man, that the ancient Chinese knew how to adjust poisons so as to produce death within a certain time. All my life I have been making special studies along that line, and my discoveries proved very valuable in connection with Mr. Shei's project. Yet, for a long time, I was unable to adjust the poison with sufficient accuracy. With Mr. Shei's a.s.sistance I fitted up a laboratory here and began making additional researches. It was necessary to have human subjects for the experiments, and Mr. Shei furnished me several. Two or three, who were inoculated in the early stages of the work, failed to react properly to the antidote, and one or two of them were unfortunate enough to die."

"You murdered them, in plain words," suggested The Phantom curtly.

"Harsh word, my dear Gray Phantom. As a whole, the experiments were highly successful. I discovered how to adjust the poison so as to produce death within a specified time. We were now ready to go ahead with the plan. Mr. Shei selected the victims, and I showed a number of his most trusted men how the poison was to be injected. Each of these, with an a.s.sistant, was a.s.signed to one of the seven victims chosen by Mr. Shei, and the whole number of inoculations were successfully accomplished the other night. In a few days----"

"What about Miss Darrow?" inquired The Phantom brusquely. "What did you gain by murdering her?"

"Really, I wish you would drop that unpleasant word from your vocabulary. Miss Darrow had been unfortunate enough to learn certain facts which were detrimental to Mr. Shei. She had been watched constantly, and she was followed to the Thelma that night. Her actions were peculiar, and Mr. Shei's agents suspected she was on the point of making embarra.s.sing revelations. I was in New York at the time and happened to be within reach, so the agents communicated with me. I arrived just in time to prevent unpleasant consequences. In another moment she might have made some very damaging disclosures. In fact, she had already sent a peculiarly worded note to that remarkable person whose name eludes me."

"Vincent Starr?" suggested The Phantom.

"Precisely. Mr. Starr is one of your highly temperamental geniuses.

Just how much Miss Darrow had learned will never be known, but I thought it advisable to act promptly. The amount of poison I injected into her veins was carefully calculated to produce death within a few minutes."

The Phantom mastered his sense of loathing. What he was learning might prove highly useful later on.

"Wouldn't a knife thrust have been quicker and safer?" he suggested.

"Even in the few minutes between the inoculation of the poison and Miss Darrow's death she might have blurted out all she knew."

"There was slight danger of that. The poison always blunts one's mental faculties, especially when given in such a large dose. It was very unlikely that Miss Darrow would speak coherently in the brief interval while the poison acted. A quick thrust with a knife would perhaps have been safer, but we needed the moral effect."

"The--_what_?"

The satisfied gleam in the doctor's eyes testified that he was quite at ease once more, despite the cords that incapacitated him for action.

"Yes, the moral effect was valuable. You see, the seven victims selected by Mr. Shei had to be impressed with the deadliness of the poison. Unless they were thoroughly convinced that the poison would kill, they might not have been amenable to reason. Miss Darrow's death, coming just a day or two before the seven were inoculated, was a valuable object lesson."

An oily smile creased the scientist's swarthy features. Once more, despite his uncomfortable position, he seemed hugely content.

"No doubt," admitted The Phantom ironically. "Mr. Shei doesn't seem to have overlooked anything. What I can't understand is why you, a man of scientific attainments, should consent to do the bidding of such a blackguard."

"Wealth is a very excellent thing," said Tagala musingly. "It is even more desirable than fame. Mr. Shei has put me in the way of acquiring a great fortune, so why should I not serve him?"

"And what are you going to do with the money after you have acquired it by such vile methods, granting that your scheme succeeds?"

"Enjoy life, my friend." The doctor's repulsive features were wreathed in smiles. "I have a great capacity for appreciating the beautiful things in life. Nature works by contrasts. She treated me very shabbily as far as physical characteristics are concerned, but by way of compensation she gave me a taste for the only things that really matter. I intend to surround myself with luxuries that an Indian maharajah might envy. I intend to feast my eyes on the costliest and the best the world can produce. Now perhaps you understand?"

The Phantom nodded. Inwardly he tingled and glowed, but his face showed nothing but boredom and disgust. The insight he had just obtained into Tagala's character would have an important bearing on his plan.

"And now that we understand each other," the doctor continued, "let us terminate this rather dreary farce. This little room is pleasant enough, but I never sleep well in strange places, and these cords are not inducive to repose."

"You will be free to go wherever you please as soon as we have settled the little matter I mentioned a moment ago."

"Ah! Then you persist in your foolish determination. Your experience last night should have convinced you of the futility of your efforts, but I see you are as stubborn as ever."

"More so," The Phantom a.s.sured him. "I have discovered a new weapon since last night. Before you leave this room, you will have told me where the antidote is hidden."

Tagala grinned insolently. He tilted his head back against the pillow and complacently regarded The Phantom.

"You are very amusing," he murmured. "I thought that----"

He stopped and looked toward a corner of the ceiling. The Phantom followed his glance, and his figure tensed perceptibly. From somewhere above their heads came strains of soft, lilting laughter, edged now and then with a hysterical vibration. A pallor began to spread over The Phantom's face.

"There, my dear Gray Phantom," said the doctor elatedly, "is your answer."

The Phantom clenched his fingers spasmodically. His face was hard and his eyes held a strange gleam.

"You are mistaken, doctor." He clipped off the words with sinister precision. "Until a moment ago I had silly scruples about employing my latest weapon. After hearing that," and he inclined his head toward the corner of the ceiling, "I have concluded that any methods are fair when dealing with scoundrels of your type."

"That is obviously true," a.s.sented Tagala cheerfully. "The only difficulty is that any methods you employ are certain to prove ineffective. Please don't make any more threats against my life. I should laugh, and that would be impolite."

The Phantom came a step nearer the cot. "No," he said grimly, "I have no intention of doing anything so futile. I have the best reason in the world for not wanting you to die just yet. Also, I have discovered a much more effective way of dealing with you."