Almost before he realized what he was doing, The Phantom was in a taxicab, shouting to the chauffeur to drive him to the Thelma Theater.

It seemed the logical starting point in his search; at least, he did not know where else to begin, and by visiting the scene of Miss Darrow's death, he might be able to pick up some clew to Helen's movements.

The doors were open, and he thought this somewhat strange in view of the fact that a poster on the outer wall announced that the performances of "His Soul's Master" had been discontinued, but the circ.u.mstance did not linger long in his mind. The box office and lobby being empty, he pa.s.sed unchallenged into the auditorium. For a few moments, while his eyes grew accustomed to the dusk, he stood just inside the door, trying to call back to mind each detail of the tragedy as it had been narrated in the newspapers, and presently there came to him a conviction that he was not alone, but that someone was watching him intently.

He could not account for the impression, for no sound reached his ears, and the interior was only a ma.s.s of gently undulating shadows in which he saw no indication of another's presence. The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive, and a mult.i.tude of faint scents lingered in the air, hinting that the theater had not been ventilated since the last performance. Glancing sharply into the gloom about him, The Phantom groped his way down the center aisle, then explored the pa.s.sageways at each side of the house, and finally looked into each of the boxes. His search availed him nothing, and at length he was forced to admit that his imagination had tricked him.

Walking to the rear of the house, he stood with his back against a pillar, and gazed toward the last row of seats to the left. It was there, according to the diagram he had seen in one of the papers, that Virginia Darrow had sat when seized with the strange fit of laughter.

Again he wondered what bearing the woman's death might have on Mr.

Shei's latest venture. The connection, if there was one, seemed so remote that he came to the conclusion that Mr. Shei must be at work on a very intricate and deep-laid scheme. Then it occurred to him that his speculations, founded on insufficient facts, were a waste of time.

They were not helping him to solve the mystery of Helen Hardwick's disappearance.

As was his habit when he wished to concentrate his mind on a problem, he took a cigarette from his case, then struck a match against the sole of his shoe. Absently he held the fluttering light to the tip of the cigarette, and inhaled. Suddenly he sprang aside, for a sound, all but too faint for his ears to detect, had warned him of danger, and in the same instant a sharp crack and a flash of fire leaped out of the darkness. Then an object whizzed past his head and with a thudding sound imbedded itself in the pillar against which he had been leaning.

In a moment he had extinguished his cigarette. He could see now that its glowing point, together with the match, had made him a target for the person who had fired the shot. The bullet had pa.s.sed so close to his head that, but for his quick and agile backward spring, it would undoubtedly have killed him. His narrow escape had an exhilarating effect, and he dashed toward the point where he had seen the flash of fire, determined to capture the would-be murderer. It was his impression that the shot had been fired only a dozen feet away, and he did not think the man could have escaped.

In the gloom he could not distinguish objects clearly, and he dashed headlong against a post. The contact sent a stinging sensation through his head, and in the same moment a figure glided silently past him and was swallowed by the shadows at the other side of the house. Again The Phantom rushed forward. A swiftly moving object, a shade darker than the surrounding dusk, was discernible down the aisle leading to the boxes at the right. The Phantom darted after it, but when he reached the point his quarry had disappeared. For an instant he stopped, uncertain which way to turn, and in the midst of his perplexity the varicolored lights along the walls were flashed on.

The Phantom whirled round. Near one of the exits in the rear of the house stood a tall, slenderly proportioned man. His long, glossy hair was rumpled, and even at a distance The Phantom could see that his features, so regularly molded as to give an impression of effeminacy, were intensely pale. He approached swiftly. The two men eyed each other intently before either spoke.

"You are Mr. Starr, I believe?" began The Phantom, recognizing the other from photographs he had seen in the newspapers.

Starr nodded. His right hand was clutching a revolver. Coming closer, The Phantom noticed that his nose was discolored and swollen, probably the result of the attack that had preceded the disappearance of Virginia Darrow's body.

"I owe you an apology for intruding like this," he went on, "but the formalities can wait. There was a shot fired here a few moments ago, and I believe it was meant for me."

"I was at work in my office upstairs when I heard something that sounded like a revolver shot," explained Starr. "I armed myself and came down to investigate." His voice, at other times perfectly modulated, was a little husky, and he seemed unduly conscious of his disfigured nose. He maintained a tight grip on his pistol while regarding The Phantom with a look of suspicion.

"We ought to search the house at once," suggested The Phantom. "The scoundrel can't have gone far."

Starr readily acquiesced, but from time to time while they went on with the search The Phantom felt the other's stealthy gaze searching his face, and each time he saw a look of dawning recognition in Starr's eyes. He thought nothing of it, for the capture of the man who had fired the shot seemed of far greater importance. Deep in his mind was a faint and remote hope that the fellow, if caught, might be persuaded to tell something of what had happened to Helen Hardwick.

They searched every conceivable s.p.a.ce in the auditorium, back of the stage, and finally in the storerooms and dressing rooms down below, but without avail. As they abandoned their quest The Phantom thought he saw signs of increasing nervousness on Starr's part.

"Strange how the scoundrel disappeared," he remarked when once more they stood in the back of the auditorium.

"No stranger than what happened here night before last." Starr spoke with a touch of petulance in his voice and manner. "Mr. Shei and his henchmen seem to have a knack of walking through solid walls. What I object to most is his evident determination to make my theater the scene of his diabolical activities. By the way," and he fixed The Phantom with a look of mingled perplexity and suspicion, "haven't you and I met before?"

"Not in person, unless I am mistaken." The Phantom, alert against the slightest threatening move on the other's part, smiled faintly. "The newspapers have been kind enough to give me some publicity from time to time, and you may have seen my photograph. Suppose we let it go at that."

"As you wish, of course," murmured Starr, his lips twitching, "but we shall be able to talk to better advantage if we first complete the introductions. I was almost certain I recognized you at first glance.

You are The Gray Phantom. But don't get startled," he quickly added as The Phantom suddenly stiffened. "My interest in life is purely esthetic. I am trying, in my small and humble way, to uplift the drama from the sordid depths into which it has fallen through the stupidity and avarice of managers. The capture and punishment of criminals interest me not at all. To be perfectly frank with you, as between the police and a fascinating rogue like yourself, my sympathies are with the latter."

He made an expressive gesture, and The Phantom watched with interest the slight, quick and marvelously impressive motions of his hands.

Though this was his first meeting with the man himself, the gestures, as well as the characteristic backward toss of the head, seemed oddly familiar.

"I think you are mistaken about one thing," Starr went on, his nervousness returning. "Is there any reason why anyone should wish to put you out of the way?"

"None that I know of," replied The Phantom thoughtfully. "I suppose I have enemies, but it didn't occur to me that anyone was after my life until that shot was fired."

"And weren't you a bit precipitate in jumping at the conclusion that the bullet was intended for you? Suppose you give me the details."

The Phantom told him the meager facts of the firing of the shot.

"There you are!" exclaimed Starr when he had finished. "The fellow couldn't see your face. All he saw was the match, and he used that as a target, knowing you were holding it directly in front of your face while lighting the cigarette." He took a few quick, nervous steps back and forth. He clenched and unclenched his hands as if trying to quell a rising trepidation. Suddenly he paused directly in front of The Phantom. "That bullet was not intended for you, but for me," he declared emphatically.

"Are you sure?"

"Not sure, but I have the best of reasons for supposing that such is the fact. I have had several intimations of danger in the past few weeks, but it isn't necessary to go into details. Since night before last I have wondered what prompted Miss Darrow to send me the facetiously worded note hinting that Mr. Shei was in the house. If she were alive I am sure she could tell us several interesting things about---- But what's the good of supposing? Miss Darrow will never be able to tell what was in her mind when she wrote me that note. Only one thing is certain. She was killed because she had, in some unexplained manner, learned Mr. Shei's ident.i.ty."

The Phantom regarded him narrowly. "Some people seem to be of the opinion that I am Mr. Shei."

"Rot! The similarity between your tactics and those of Mr. Shei is only superficial. The essential difference ought to be plain even to a stupid headquarters detective. Besides, you never took life or---- But the idea is too absurd to waste breath on. Let us be practical. You have not yet explained why you are honoring the Thelma Theater with this visit."

The Phantom was about to reply when one of the doors in front was pushed open and the shadow of a masculine figure fell across the floor. After a glance into the face of the newcomer, The Phantom sensed danger and tried to retreat into a corner where the dim light held out a faint hope of brief security. But it was too late.

"Stay right where you are," commanded the man who had just entered.

"Didn't know The Gray Phantom was back in town. Step out here where I can look at you."

CHAPTER XI

AN EAVESDROPPER

The Phantom shrugged his shoulders and stepped forward, concealing his misgivings behind a smiling and carefree exterior. He knew Lieutenant Culligore from past encounters with the man, and he had learned to respect him for his shrewdness as well as his sense of fairness. Now he looked straight into the muddy and deceptively lazy eyes of the man from headquarters. Once The Phantom had a.s.sisted him in solving a singularly perplexing mystery, but he knew that Culligore was not the kind of man to let sentiment interfere with duty.

There were times when it was difficult for The Gray Phantom to realize that he was still an outlaw and that several prison sentences were hanging over his head. The poignant fact came back to him now as he gazed into the eyes of one of the keenest man hunters of the detective bureau.

"You sure have nerve," observed Culligore, a trace of reluctant admiration in his tones. "Don't you know there's a warrant out for your arrest?"

"Several of them, I believe," calmly replied The Phantom.

Lieutenant Culligore took a cigar from his vest pocket and lighted it with elaborate care. Then he turned to Starr.

"Mr. Shei's gang certainly handed you an awful wallop the other night," he observed, gazing frowningly at the disfigured organ.

"That's a peach of a nose you've got."

Starr flushed angrily, but controlled himself.

"I've got a few words to say to this gentleman privately," Culligore went on, inclining his head toward The Phantom. Starr, accepting his dismissal as gracefully as his indignation permitted, walked out.

Culligore's small eyes, twinkling humorously through a cloud of tobacco smoke, followed his progress till the door closed behind him, then he slowly turned toward The Phantom.

"Starr is my idea of a perfect gentleman," he musingly observed. "He can get mad clean through and still keep his coat on. Was the shot fired at you or at him?"

"Shot?" For a moment The Phantom stared bewilderedly. "How did you know?"