The Golden Circle (12 page)

"Maybe she's reluctant to track me down," the Phantom thought. "Well, so long, Mimi."

The girl was moving again. He could fell by the bob of the flashlight.

In silence the Phantom resumed his move back toward the house. He wouldn't pass closer than thirty feet to the girl.

There came an odd rumbling sound, a damp crumbling sound. Mimi screamed.

The Phantom halted. He remembered Mimi was tfood at pretending. She might be faking an accident to draw him out.

Lightning showed him she was not pretending. A piece of the cliff, weakened by the heavy rain, had broken away. There was no sign of Mimi along the edge at all.

He ran toward the broken place.

Mimi's flashlight was a tiny red dot on the beach lliree hundred feet below. The Phantom cupped his hands to his mouth to call into the driving rain. "Mimi, Mimi, where are you?"

A faint voice answered, "Here," then added, "Is that you, Walker? For pete's sake get away and leave me. I'll be...."

More loose earth went galloping downhill.

"Mimi, you still there?" "Yes, but this darn root I'm clutching to for dear life is getting looser by the minute."

More lightning came, showing the Phantom where I the dark girl was. She hung by both hands from al thick gnarled tree root which protruded out from the side of the broken cliff. Her black coat flapped around! her and the front of her was smeared with mud and | dead leaves.

The Phantom estimated she was twenty feet down.1 "Not bad," he told himself. "Could have been three! hundred."

The lightning had also showed him a way to reach I the dangling girl. There was a whole network of heavy tree roots exposed now. Roots from some of the trees J over in the woods, meaning they should be anchored! soundly enough

He let himself over the jagged edge, gripping a sturdy root

"No, no, go away," pleaded Mimi. "I can climb up by myself, eventually. You've got to get away."

"Relax. We'll both get away." He worked his way, mountain-climbing-style, down to a position just above! the girl.

"I didn't really want to find you. So I thought...."

"Quiet now." He slipped one arm around her, under I her arms. "Let go of that thing you're holding on to. I've got you." He lifted the girl up with one arm until she was beside him. "This root here, the one my hand's on. Grab hold."

"Okay. I've got it."

"Start climbing. It's strong enough to hold us both. IH be right behind."

"I thought I was helping you and I've only. . . ."

"Onward and upward," he urged.

The girl began pulling herself up, hand over hand, j She made it to safe ground, crawled a few feet more

and knelt there, breathing heavily through her open mouth. "Thanks, Walker."

the Phantom climbed over the edge and stood beside her.

| "I should never have trusted you," said a voice in
the
darkness.

Lightning came once again. There was the blonde Mara standing ten feet away. She pointed her pistol at the Phantom and fired.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Detective First Class VerPoorten inclined his head toward the steamy window of the little Chinese restaurant. "He's the third, and last," he said, rattling the sheaf of memos and notes in his big hands.

Lt. Colma shook another teaspoon of sugar into his tea. He squinted across Morse Lane. "Sweeney Todd's Jewelry & Handcrafts Boutique," he said. "Huh. Let's hope we get more out of him than we did from those other two."

'It could be this Sweeney Todd character is the guy who made the golden arrow pins. Our sources narrowed it down to only three guys."

"So, we'll talk to him." The robbery division lieutenant lifted up his tiny teacup. "Still nothing on Walker and that wolfhound of his?"

"Nope, but it's being looked into, I'm told."

"I take it the Long Island boys haven't cracked the Stevensport jewel heist yet."

"Not that I've heard," replied VerPoorten. "They promised they'd let us know as soon as anything breaks."

"I don't figure Walker. First, I thought he was a jewel thief and a murderer, then I decided maybe he wasn't," said the lieutenant. "Now it looks like he was along on that little caper out on
L
.I."

"Him and a gang of dames," said VerPoorten. "Could be they teamed up, had a merger."

"And he used his name," said Colma. "I'm Walker, he tells everybody at the party. He must have realized that as soon as the theft was noticed he'd be suspected.
Still,
he practically advertised himself."

"Maybe he's trying to tell you something."

"Huh," said Colma. "Maybe he is. But what?"

"Or it might be," suggested the big detective, Walker isn't his real name at all, so he doesn't care."

"Jim-dandy." The lieutenant clicked down his empty i up. "I can never get used to tea. Let's go see this Todd guy." ,

Glass chimes tinkled when the two of them entered thee shop.

Sweeney Todd himself, with an old-fashioned feather duster protruding from the hip pocket of his striped bellbottoms, was lighting a stick of incense. "Yes, gentlemen. Something in costume jewelry perhaps?"

Colma showed him his identification. "Colma, robbery division," he said. "You, Sweeney Todd?"

"Yes, I am," replied the bearded young man. "Is there some sort of trouble, lieutenant?"

VerPoorten shuffled through his wad of papers. "Take a look at this."

Sweeney Todd dropped the match he was holding to reach out for the drawing. "Not a very good sketch, is it?" he remarked after briefly glancing at it and handing it back.

"We have reason to believe," VerPoorten told him, "you designed a series of pins very similar to this."

Chuckling briefly, Sweeney Todd shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. I don't do anything that crude." He gestured at some of the items on display.

Lt. Colma had been watching him for the past

minute or two. He frowned, asking, "You were at the charity ball the other night, weren't you?"

"Charity ball? I don't think I under. . . ."

"The masquerade ball at the Westbeth auditorium," said Colma. "That charity thing. You were dress as Satan. I remember noticing you in the crowd."

Sweeney Todd chuckled. "Wrong again, lieutenant You ought to have your computers tuned. All the info you have on me is cockeyed." Turning away, ho started dusting some of the display stands.

"Take another look at this pin," Colma said to the young man's back.

Turning to face the two policemen, Sweeney Todd said, "I know my own work. And I know I. . .

"I think," Colma said to VerPoorten, "I'd like to talk to this guy down at headquarters for a while."

"Will you come along with us, please," the big detective said.

Sweeney Todd was holding the rough sketch. "There's no need for that," he said, studying the drawing. "Matter of fact, I think I can give you a tip on this after all."

"You did make some like it?" asked VerPoorten.

"No, no, but I think I know who did," said the young man. "Wait a sec and I'll get you the address out of my files." He started for the curtained doorway.

"I'll come along," offered VerPoorten as he started after him.

Sweeney Todd broke into a run. He sprang behind the curtain. "Go easy," warned Colma.

VerPoorten threw himself against the wall to the left of the doorway. With one hand, he ripped the thick protecting curtain down from the flimsy rod.

Sweeney Todd had a .45 automatic in his hand. He fired it twice, then clattered out the back door of his little office.

VerPoorten tugged out his police special and went through the office after him.

The stocky lieutenant was already going out the front door of the store. The glass chimes tinkled wildly.

Colma jogged toward the alley which sliced between the shop and the building next to it. When he reached the alleys mouth, he saw the big VerPoorten running toward him. "Spot him?"

"Nope."

There were no less than five wooden doors in the brick wall of the alley building. "Any one of those," said Colma, thrusting his .38 back into his belt hol- sler. "He could have ducked through any one of those doors."

"Want to check them all out?"

"Yeah, but I'll bet Sweeney Todd is long gone."

Which proved to be the case.

CHAPTER TWENTY

"It's too bad she missed," said Beth.

"Depends on your point of view," replied the Phantom. It was morning and he had been returned to the cell under the headquarters of the golden arrow gang.

"Mara is not the best shot in our organization," continued the gaunt woman, "but I should think she'd be able to hit a big target like you at such close range."

The Phantom did not answer. Mara had indeed missed him last night on the rain cliifside. He assumed the blonde girl had missed intentionally.

"At least she had enough sense to keep you covered until the rest of us could get to you," said Beth. She was standing, in a military at-ease position, on the rough floor of his prison.

"She's a loyal girl."

"Perhaps. She always had been, until you came along and turned her head. Intruding yourself into our circle."

"You've got it backward," pointed out the Phantom. "It was the pair of you who intruded on me, that night on the train."

Beth asked, "Just who are you anyway?"

"You know that, I'm Walker."

"I mean beyond that, buddy boy. What motivates you, what's your angle?" 'the Phantom grinned at her. "Let's say I'm opposed to cold-blooded murder."

After a snorting laugh, Beth said, "You must be some kind of cop. But I'm damned if I can figure which kind. Are you working for Lt. Colma.

"No," he replied. "Matter of fact, Colma thinks I'm working for you."

"I don't really understand you, or your actions," she said. "If you aren't a cop, why do you go around sticking your nose in things like our little operation?"

"For the same reason you're a thief," the Phantom said. "I do what I believe I have to do."

Beth shook her head. "Now we're getting too philosophical, buddy boy," she said. "So I'll get back to business. I came to inform you I'm finally going to get get my way about you. You'll be kept here today, and this evening... you'll be executed."

"You have an all girl firing squad?"

"It won't be as quick and painless as that, buddy boy. No, you'll...."

"Beth, what are you talking about?" Mara, her face it pale white, pushed into the cell. "What are you telling him?"

"The truth. Only the truth, dear Mara."

"There's been no such decision made," said Mara, looking from the gaunt woman to the Phantom.

'It's been made by me! We've pampered this traitor long enough, more than long enough."

Mara said, "You're only one of the ruling six, Beth. No one has elected you queen. The entire inner circle will decide Walker's fate."

Beth's lips pressed tight together -until all color left them. "No, I won't stand for any more delays. This man must die!" She jabbed a bony hand inside her jacket.

"Beth, what are you? ..."