Mystery Of The Sea Horse

by Lee Falk

  "About time," said Diana. "After she tried to gun us down."

  "I don't think her heart was in that attempt, or she might not have missed."

  Diana glanced over at him. "You keep taking her part, I notice."

  "If Laura hadn't helped out, we might be in the bottom of that cavern lagoon along with the Sea Horse." '

  "You would have done something."

  "Even so, she made things a lot easier."

  Diana said, watching the hot yellow countryside outside, "What's going to happen to Laura now?"

  "Well," he answered, "she's agreed to cooperate with Marcus and Busino and the Mexican authorities, to help them close down as much of Danton's narcotics network as they can. That should help her cause. I'm sure they'll put in a good word, which should help her draw a lighter sentence."

  "Did you put in a good word, too?"

  He grinned. 'Yes, I did. I told Agent Terry how she'd come to my assistance aboard the Sea Horse."

  I see.

  "I didn't bother to add she was a pretty good cook, too," he said.

  After a silent moment, Diana said, "I guess I'm sounding sort of jealous. Sorry." She shook her head. "And Chris Danton really was Rolf Langweil?"

  "Yes," answered the Phantom. "There'd been

  some attempt to alter the fingerprints, but you can't do that as easily as you can change a face. The prints they were able to get off the body match those in the Interpol files on Langweil."

  "He was actually—how old?"

  ^Almost sixty."

  "And how did Anderson get into the cavern in the first place?"

  "He says he was able to swim in under the camouflaged gate Danton had hiding that cavern. He even got the alarm system turned off and came right up to the yacht unnoticed. Then he placed his plastic bombs, climbed the chain, and waited for his diversion to start."

  "He took a lot of chances."

  "Yes," agreed the Phantom. "Anderson, or whatever his name is, would like to give the impression he's a cool and calculating professional. But Danton was probably right in calling him a madman."

  "He said he had some personal reason for wanting Danton dead."

  "He was out to avenge his father whom Danton killed while he was a prisoner."

  "It's a harsh kind of justice, the kind he tried."

  After a moment, the Phantom said, "I would have preferred to see Danton go to trial."

  "Probably it was too late for that," said Diana thoughtfully. "All the things he'd done, all the identities he'd had. Everything finally caught up with him." She touched her fingers to the win- dowsill. "What about that man who ran the All- American Cantina? Did Chris have him killed, too?"

  "He intended to, but the man got wind of it and went into hiding," said the Phantom. "His partner wasn't so lucky."

  The dark-haired girl said, "I came out to the West for a nice quiet vacation and I've had—well, anything but."

  "My thought exactly," said the Phantom. "Which is why we're driving to the Eyrie."

  Diana's face brightened. "So that's it," she said. "I forgot all about your private hideway. It is in this part of the country, isn't it?"

  "A few hours drive and we'll be there," he said. "Then you can start in on a vacation made up of nothing but peace and quiet."

  Diana smiled. "Well, I'm glad we're going there," she said. "But I have a hunch our tranquility isn't going to last long." "We'll see," he said. The car shot along the bright road.