The Phantom’s brows went up. The possibility suggested by the doctor had not occurred to him. The next moment he grinned at the sheer preposterousness of the idea. “But few men are obliging enough to welcome their murderers with open arms.”
“Not if they come as murderers.” The doctor gave him a keen, searching look. “But suppose they come in the guise of friends? That’s only a random suggestion, but you will admit the possibility exists.” He shrugged his shoulders, as if to dismiss the subject. “Jerome has repaired the damage you wrought in the tunnel last night, covering up all traces of your little adventure, so there is no danger of the police tracing you here.”
“Thoughtful,” murmured the Phantom a little absently.
“Which reminds me,” added the anthropologist, “that you are again a hunted man. The police have seen their mistake and the prisoner was released this morning. He bears a superficial resemblance to you, but comparison of his finger prints with those of the Gray Phantom proved conclusively he was not the man they wanted, and he seems to have given a satisfactory account of himself in every way.”
“What else?” asked the Phantom, deeply interested.
Doctor Bimble laughed merrily. “Every newspaper in town is poking fun at the stupid police—and well they might. The prisoner proved to be a reporter employed by the Sphere, whose only offense is an inclination to forget that these are dry times. A reporter, of all persons! It’s delicious!”
“A reporter—on the Sphere!” echoed the Phantom, sensing a possible significance in the combination. “Not, by any chance, the one who reported the Gage murder?”
“The same. That’s what lends an extra touch of humor to the silly blunder. Imagine a journalist, confronted with a scarcity of news, going out and committing a murder in order to have something to write about!”
The Phantom joined in the doctor’s laughter, but his face sobered quickly. “Is this unfortunate journalist wearing a beard?”
“No; but I understand your photograph in the rogues’ gallery shows you smooth shaven, so the absence of a beard really enhances the resemblance to the pictures published.”