Free Mystery Of The Sea Horse by Lee Falk Page A

and come along."
"You're one of Chris Danton's men?"
"On the contrary," Anderson assured her. "We are, though, very anxious to get in touch with Mr. Danton. We're hoping you can help us on that score."
"I have no idea where—"
"Please, no more talk. That cop outside won't stay unconscious forever." He came into the room, prodding the girl in the side with his gun.
"Don't do that to her again," warned Uncle Dave.
Keeping the gun aimed at them, Anderson fingered a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket. "Sit yourself in that wooden chair, will you please?" he told Uncle Dave. "Quickly—quickly now."
Grudgingly, the old man complied. 'Within hours, the police will. . ."
"Yes, yes," murmured the smiling Anderson. He tugged the old man's hands behind him, looped the chain of the cuffs around one of the wooden ribs of the chair back, and locked Uncle Dave's hands together. "That should hold you for a few minutes."
"Damn you," said Diana.
"Unless you want to come as you are, Miss Palmer," said Anderson, his voice still calm and relaxed, "you really must get ready right now."
    She turned and walked into the hall. There
might be a way to get away out of one of her bedroom windows.
"And don't," Anderson said, "waste any more time trying to phone for help or climbing out a window. We've cut the phone wires and I have a mail out in your patio with a gun."
Two uniformed police began walking toward the Phantom.
He stopped on the pathway leading up to Uncle Dave's house. "What's wrong?"
"What's your business with Mr. Palmer, sir?" asked the chunkier of the two.
The Phantom's eyes narrowed. "I'm a house guest of his," he answered. "Now, what's happened? Is Diana Palmer all right?"
"Come on in," said the plainclothesman. "The old guy's been asking for you."
"Where's Diana?"
"That's what we're in the middle of trying to find out." He led the Phantom along to Dave Palmer's bedroom.
"You had a man guarding this house," said the Phantom.
"That's him lying on the couch in the living room," said the other man. "Somebody slugged him."
Diana's uncle was stretched out on top of his brightly covered bed. He pushed aside the bearded young doctor who was bending over him when he saw the Phantom approaching. "I should have been able to stop them," he said in a weak voice.
"They took Diana?"
"You ought to stay still, Mr. Palmer," suggested the young doctor as he backed away. "The shock of all this . . ."
    "Yes, came right into the house, one of them any-
way," went on Diana's uncle. "That was at about —I don't know what time it is now."
"We figure the girl was kidnapped about an hour ago," said the plainelothesman.
Sitting carefully on the edge of the bed, the Phantom asked, "Who was it? Somebody from Danton?"
Uncle Dave closed his eyes. "That's what's sort of funny," he said. "This fellow gave me the impression he was looking for Danton, too. He had the crazy notion Di could tell him where Danton was."
"That's why they took her?"
"That's what he said."
"What did the man look like?" asked the Phantom.
The policeman offered, "I can give you that."
Uncle Dave opened his eyes again. "I can do it, Sergeant. He was a very cool customer. I'd estimate he was a bit over forty, a little under six feet and with very light-blond hair. A very . . . kind of bland-looking guy. You'd pass him on the—"
"Was he wearing dark glasses and a blue sport shirt?" the Phantom said.
"Yes, he was. Do you know him?"
The plainclothesman came closer to the bed. "Yeah, do you have some idea about who grabbed your girlfriend, Walker?"
The Phantom stood up. He was certain Diana, for reasons he couldn't as yet understand^ had been kidnapped by the men he'd encountered at Laura Leverson's cottage. But this was one job of tracking he wasn't going to delegate to anyone else. "No, I'm afraid not, Sergeant."
"But you . . ." began the sergeant.
"I'll see you soon again, Uncle Dave."
"Wait now," said the policeman.
The Phantom kept on walking out of the room and down the hallway.
"Hey," said