Mystery Of The Sea Horse by Lee Falk Read Free Book Online

are."
"Hey, boss," called a guard from the other end of the hall. This was the man the Phantom had felled on his way out.
"What is it, Steranko?"
    "That guy in the funny costume who came bar-
reling out of here a while back," said Steranko moving toward his employer. "He socked me in the mouth and you know what it left on my face? I was just looking in the mirror and—"
"A skull sign, yes," answered Danton.
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
Danton stepped into the library and shut the door. "I'm absolutely certain they're both dead," he said as he crossed to the phone. "I don't want to let myself be hoodooed by a bunch of native superstitions, but it won't hurt to be absolutely sure in this case." He dialed a mainland number.
Laura, the red-haired girl, lived in a small rented cottage quite near the ocean. Her favorite room was the yellow-and-white kitchen. At the moment she was in there, indulging in her most recent hobby of pastry-making. She often fooled around in the kitchen like this late at night when she couldn't sleep.
She was sifting flour into a bowl with a pale- blue stripe around it when the phone began to ring, "in a minute," she said in the direction of the wall.
The tan wall phone went on ringing while she set down the sifter, and wiped her hands on the backside of her tight blue-denim slacks.
On the eleventh ring, she picked up the instrument and said, "This is an ungodly hour."
"Did I awaken you, little Laura?"
"We never sleep," she answered. "I'm getting flour all over everything, damn."
Danton said, "Get all the whimsy out of your system as soon as you can. I have something serious to discuss."
"Fire away," said the redhead.
    "Perhaps," said Danton, "I'm being overly cau
tious. Yet I feel that I've built my various successes out of a careful and cautious approach."
"You're about as cautious as Jean LaFitte," she said. "What's the trouble now, Chris?"
"You recall my weekend guest?"
"Miss Sweetness and Light, sure. How's she get- ling along?"
Danton said, "I'm afraid she's passed away."
"That's too bad."
"However, the thought occurs to me that, she may not have," said Danton. "It's a very remote possibility. Still. . ."
"You want me to check something out for you?"
"Yes, little Laura," said Danton. "You might watch her place of residence and determine whether she returns to the living."
"I understand," said Laura.
"She may be accompanied by a man, a tall rela- lively young man," continued Danton. "I'm anxious to learn of his fate, too."
"Yes," said the small girl. "Suppose I can't really see to—?"
"I suggest you go in the company of someone else," said Danton. "I'd be truly disappointed if you can't, should the necessity arise, settle this problem for me. However, if you absolutely can't . . . then you might recall to mind, at least, the fate of poor Carlos."
"That one again?"
"If it's the only way," said Danton. "In which event, please notify me. And you will then have to make arrangements . . . well, you do understand my meaning."
"Oh, sure," said Laura into the phone. "But let's put on a happy face and hope for the best. Bye."
She hung up, then made another call. The con- tent of this one, to any outsider, was even more
cryptic than the conversation with Chris Danton.
After thoroughly washing the flour from her hands and face, Laura went into her bedroom. Carefully, she slid the bed a foot to the left and knelt. By pressing a board in the hardwood floor in two places, she caused it to pop free. In the long trough below lay a rifle. And beneath that a small plastic bag full of white powder.
Laura took both these things with her when she left the cottage ten minutes later.
CHAPTER TEN
There was blackness all around him, a chill, engulfing blackness. Kicking with his powerful legs, (he Phantom shot upward through the water. He erupted up into heavy fog.
"Diana! Diana!" he called as he treaded water.
There was no answering cry.
He could only see a few feet in aiiy direction. Off to his right there was a faint orange