by Lee Falk
The gaunt woman's nostrils flared. "The way we run things, buddy boy . . . the highly successful way, I might add, is this. You have to prove you're worth anything to us before we start dickering about figures."
"I never like to work on spec."
Mara spoke to him for the first time this morning. "You needn't worry, Walker. You won't be wasting your time with us."
Beth turned away from him. With her narrow back to the bright water she said, "The next enterprise of the golden arrow circle will, as most of you already know, take place tomorrow afternoon. This morning we want to go over the final details." Hunching slightly, she began to draw on the damp sand with the sharp end of her stick. 'This is the Steiner mansion in Stevensport. . . ." She paused to glare at the Phantom. "Stevensport is some twenty miles from here."
"Yes, I know. I've already been briefed on the
minor details," he told her. "You can stick to the important ones."
The pointed end of the stick jabbed deep into the drawing Beth had made in the sand. "Here, at the back side of the house and overlooking the Sound, is Mrs. Steiner's bedroom. We are certain she keeps most of her $800,000 worth of jewels in a locked cabinet in this bedroom. The cabinet should present no problems for you, Mara. It's not wired, not connected to any alarm system."
Mara said, "I'm still not quite comfortable about the diversion. There will be over a hundred people at the Steiners' charity cocktail party tomorrow afternoon. ..."
"Which is why it's a perfect time to strike."
"Yes, but they're also going to have six private cops in plainclothes."
"We've worked the fainting business before," said Beth. "If Mimi puts her usual verve into it most of the people there will be distracted long enough for you to slip inside the house and...."
"What's that you've drawn there?" asked the Phantom.
"What?"
He squatted down next to the rough sketch. "Right here. An outdoor swimming pool, isn't it? I'd guess that at this time of year it won't be covered but there won't be any guests using it."
"That's probably so," answered Beth curtly. "Now
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"This would attract more attention," suggested the Phantom. He poked a gloved finger into the sand.
Mara smiled. "I see. You mean if Mimi accidentally fell, fully clothed, into the pool it would make for a pretty big diversion."
"Exactly," said the Phantom.
Mimi shivered and hugged herself. "You have some great ideas, Walker."
Stroking her sharp chin with the other end of the Mick, Beth said, "That's not bad, buddy boy. Except it leaves Mimi sopping wet in the middle of a crowd of a hundred people or so."
"Leaves her needing the attention of a good doctor," he said. "Suppose as soon as she's fished out of the pool a Dr. Walker pushes through the guests, drapes a blanket around her and says he'll take her to his office and treat her?"
"It would give you a good way to get away," admitted Mara. "How about me, though, I'm going to bo up in the old lady's boudoir with the loot."
"No," said the Phantom. "You're going to be Mrs. Walker, anxious to help. Together we rush Mimi, and the jewels, out of there."
Mara bit her lower lip. "I don't know if I can work that fast. Especially if I have to get rid of a guard Inside the house."
"How get rid?" asked the Phantom.
"Relax, Walker. I told you I don't make a practice of murder. I know karate and a few other tricks. And I'm very good at taking people by surprise," said Mara, "Even so, I'm going to need at least five minutes inside there."
The Phantom grinned at Mimi. "You'll have to stay in the pool for five minutes then. You panic, get hysterical, at first you're so confused you actually fight off your rescuers. Can you do that?"
"Sure, I know a few tricks myself."
Beth was doodling in the sand. "Your ideas aren't bad, Walker. With the rest of us to back you up, the other five girls as originally planned, it should work."
"Of course it'll work," said the Phantom.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Under an enormous red and white canopy a string quartet was playing. Sedate music drifted across the two acre front lawn of the Steiner mansion. Another striped canopy sheltered a long white table with a large crystal punch bowl at its center.
As she ladled the orange tinted punch into his cup, Mara said to the Phantom, in a whisper, "We made it this far without a hitch." She poured herself some punch, then tapped the cup with one scarlet fingernail. "Plastic. I guess they don't want to risk the real crystal on a charity affair. Cheers." She clicked her plastic cup against his.
"Cheers," returned die Phantom. He wore casual tweed and wraparound dark glasses as he watched the crowd at this fund-raising affair. He spotted Mimi and three of the other golden arrow girls. He also noticed two beefy men who might be plainclothes guards.
The Phantom had decided to go through with this job exactly as planned, making sure no one was injured. Then when they all, including Beth, felt sure of him, he would arrange to have the police round up the entire gang. He wanted to learn a little more about their operation first, about the men, other than
Sweeney Todd, who worked for the band of thieves. So far, he'd gathered no new names in that area.
The Phantom felt some regrets. A few of the girls he found himself almost liking. The blonde Mara, for Instance, who was holding his arm and pretending to ho the affectionate wife of the substantial physician lie was supposed to be. Mara was an attractive girl— Intelligent. He had to remind himself that she had stood by while Beth killed the jeweler on the New York bound night train.
And there was Mimi. She was near the turquoise colored pool already, nibbling on a tiny sandwich, smiling at two handsome young men with tennis court tuns. A faint smile touched the Phantom's face. May- he he was getting sentimental. He liked Mimi, wished lie didn't have to turn her in with the rest of them. But he had made up his mind, made it up as long ngo as that rain swept night when he first saw the golden arrow pin. He was going to bring the entire gang to justice.
"You've been spending much too much time at the hospital, dear," Mara said. "You're standing here like you've asleep on your feet."
"I was thinking, excuse me." The Phantom led Mara in the direction of the large white Steiner mansion. "I believe the gentleman standing at the foot of the marble staircase and pretending to eat that cracker is a security cop."
"There won't be any trouble about getting onto the first floor," said Mara. "The guests can use that because of the powder rooms there. The upper floor's the tough one." They were at the foot of the stairs now. She pivoted, kissing him on the cheek. "Wait right here, love."
As the blonde headed upward, the Phantom stationed himself beside the wide man he suspected of being a private policeman.
The man had the dip cracker up near his face but he wasn't eating it. His head swung, lighthouse fashion, from side to side, slowly surveying the hundred or so people spread out on the sunny lawn.
Down next to the pool, Mimi was laughing at something one of the handsome young men had said. The sound of her laugh did not reach this far. She stepped back from her two admirers, still laughing. The next step she took was into air.
Her scream did carry. And before it was completed, ] she was falling. Her arms spun, her hands clutched out at nothing. The wide skirt of her cocktail dress flared out for an instant like a small parachute.
She hit the pale pool water with a great splash. She thrashed, cried out for help.
The two handsome young men looked at her, at each other, at Mimi again. One of them reached down to tug at one of his shoes.
The beefy man near the Phantom started running across the green lawn toward the pool.
Guests who had been inside the mansion were hurrying out into the sunlight to see what was wrong. The tile walls of the big pool echoed Mimi's screams.
With a glance at the house, the Phantom started walking in the direction of the pool. Mara s
till needed another four minutes at least.
One of the tanned young men had his coat off. He hesitated a second before diving off the side of the pool.
Mimi suddenly sank below the surface of the water.
"She's drowning, she's drowning," gasped a plump matron, biting at her knuckles.
Three and a half minutes to go. In the pool, the young man did a surface dive, knifed down toward the bottom of the water. There were marine designs on the tile squares down there. The water was perfectly clear and, even with all the thrashing going on, you could see Mimi struggling with her rescuer.
The two of them exploded to the surface. "Take it easy, damn it," said the young man.
Mimi screamed in fright, hitting at him with both fists in turn. He let go for an instant. The girl floundered, splashed out of his reach.
Only two and a half minutes left to kill.
The Phantom shrugged out of the tweed sport jacket Beth had provided him with. He'd be ready when Mimi was brought out of the water.
Finally, five and a half minutes after she'd fallen in, the girl was lifted out of the pool.
"Here, let me through," said the Phantom. "I'm a doctor." He was a dozen yards from the bedraggled pair.
A few feet from where her rescuer laid Mimi down, a portly gray-haired man said, "I'll take charge of this."
"Of course, Dr. Scortia," said the other handsome tun young man. "She'll be okay, won't she?"
"We must try mouth to mouth resuscitation," ordered the portly doctor. He went down on his knees, with some difficulty, beside the sprawled Mimi.
"Wait a moment," said the Phantom, who'd worked his way up to the group. "I'm this young woman's physician. It looks to me as though she's had another of her attacks."
"Nonsense," countered the old doctor. "I've been practicing medicine in Stevensport for forty years and I've seen a good many of them fished out of the drink. Now, please stand aside."
"I'm afraid I can't allow it," said the Phantom. "You may aggravate the poor girl's condition. If you'll just allow me to get her to my car I'll...."
"Nonsense, nonsense," repeated Dr. Scortia. "She needs to be resuscitated before...."
"Where am I?" asked Mimi, sitting up. "Oh, hello, Dr. Walker. Did I have another one of my spells? I was standing beside the pool when I got all giddy."
"Lie back down," said Dr. Scortia. "You shouldn't be "
The Phantom stepped around the kneeling doctor to take Mimi's hand. He helped her to her feet. "We'll get you to my office immediately, my dear. Everything will be fine."
"Dear, whatever has happened?" It was Mara. She held one slender hand to her mouth. In the other hand, she held a large black purse, a purse almost as ample as an attach^ case.
"We'll have to get this poor girl out of here." With his arm around Mimi, the Phantom led her off in the direction of the guest parking area.
"Wait a moment," said Dr. Scortia, trotting in their wake. "I don't like to interfere in your practice, Dr. . . . Walker, was it? Still, I don't feel this girl should be moved yet."
The Phantom's coat was draped over Mimi's wet shoulders. Through the tweed, she nudged him in the side. "Oh, I'm feeling well enough to walk. Please don't worry," she said to the following physician,
The three of them were clear of the party crowd. They cut across clean white gravel to the gray Mercedes 220S they were using on this job.
Dr. Scortia hesitated on the edge of the parking area. "Very well, the responsibility is yours, Walker."
"There's nothing to fear," said the Phantom.
"Give me one of your cards. I'd like to call you tomorrow to see how everything turned out," said the old physician. "You don't practioe medicine around here, I know. Where...,"
"I know how to get in touch with you. I'll call you first thing in the morning." The Phantom helped the dripping Mimi into the back seat.
"Not before eleven. I've got a tonsillectomy."
The Phantom smiled at him, slid in behind the wheel. 'Thanks for your concern."
In a low voice Mara, seated beside the Phantom, said, "Let's get going, dear. I left one of their damn private cops knocked out in the bedroom closet."
The Phantom turned the key and the car came alive, lie guided it out of its space and out of the parking urea. As they headed along the curving drive, away from the mansion, he asked, "You got the jewels?"
"Naturally," said Mara, laughing.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Mimi sat down quietly in the deck chair. "You and Mara must have had a lot to talk about." The dark girl held a glass of tomato juice in both hands. "Out here on the terrace, I hear, most of the morning."
The Phantom grinned at her. "It's like any new job, Mimi. I have a lot of background material to get filled in on."
This was two days since the successful raid on the Steiner house. The Stevensport police had decided a man, calling himself Dr. Walker, along with two attractive girls, may have been connected with the robbery in some way. A Dr. Scortia had given a detailed description of all three. The Suffolk County medical association had no record of this particular Dr. Walker. The police announced they had several good leads and expected an arrest shortly.
This morning, while having a leisurely breakfast on the back terrace of the golden arrow house on the Sound, the Phantom had been able to have a long informative discussion with the blonde Mara. He now knew the names of the key fences and informers who worked with the girl gang. Soon, today or tomorrow at the latest, he would communicate with the authorities. The case would then be closed, the Phantom would be able to return to Bangalla and his home In the Skull Cave in the heart of the Deep Woods.
"I haven't had much time to talk to you lately," complained the pretty Mimi. She poked a finger into the tomato juice to flip out a fleck of foreign matter. "I'm going to have to start getting up earlier. I always miss breakfast. You'd rather be with Mara, I suppose."
"Do I have to choose between the pair of you?" he said. "After all, you're equal partners in our operation, nren't you?"
"Some people are more equal than others, as what's- his-name put it." The girl swung her bare legs up on the deck chair foot rest, stretching out with the half glass of tomato juice resting on her flat stomach. "See, well, I'm really sort of a newcomer, compared to Mara iand Beth. I mean, they more or less invented the golden arrow."
"You're on the board of directors, though." Out on the Sound a flock of sailboats, sparkling white in the noon sun, were passing. "You've risen from the ranks."
"That's funny, you know. Here, with my sort of flighty and impulsive approach to life, I'm a success," said Mimi. 'The only thing I've tried where I have really scored is this ... being a crook."
"What did you plan to be?"
She laughed. "Not a jewel thief obviously. You don't plan on anything like that, or major in it in school," she said. 'I wonder where all those boats are going. Probably nowhere, just out and back. No, I came to New York three years ago to be, like every second girl you meet, an actress. Nobody was having any. Finally, through Sweeney Todd, I got recruited into this outfit. There are a lot worse things I could have become, I suppose."
The Phantom said, "Would you like another crack at the theater?"
"I'm really not sure." She sat up, sipping at the juice"I used to think I'd work at this, this golden arrow business with the sisters, until I had lots of money saved. Then I'd quit and try acting one more time Now, who knows? I sometimes think I'd simply like to go away someplace where it's very, very quiet and peaceful. What about you?"
The Phantom stood. "I have to take care of some things in my room. I'll see you again this afternoon."
"I'm not certain you will, Walker. We're having another big gathering of all the sisters two nights from tonight. I have a lot of little nicknack jobs to take care of before then," she said.
In his room up near the attic of the big rambling old house the Phantom took a stamped envelope and a sheet of paper out of his bureau. Rapidly, listening for sounds
from the hall, he wrote a letter. He addressed it to Lt. Colma of the New York Police Department. Even though Long Island wasn't within the lieutenant's jurisdiction, the Phantom had decided it was Colma he'd alert. It seemed fitting, since they'd both encountered the golden arrow for the first time together on the train. The stocky cop could take care of the rest of the details.
The Phantom wrote Lt. Colma that he would find the entire golden arrow gang, and probably a good deal of their loot, in this Victorian house on the Sound. He also listed the names he'd learned from Mara this morning. When he finished he signed the letter Walker, folded it and sealed it.