"Wait," Drake was on his feet, "Sylvia promised to return in the morning. Why...?"
A look of compassion spread across the gunman's face.
"Sylvia Fanton is no more," he said pityingly. "You had but a brief glimpse of an earthly woman who is the most perfect creation on earth. Now she has completed her mission and will return to her people."
"Then you did get the diamond?" Drake was sorry at once that he had spoken. The man's eyes turned icy.
"We have done what we came to do," he said shortly. "We appreciate the part you played in our success. More than that, I am not at liberty to discuss. Please do not follow me as I leave."
Then, carefully,
"Make no mistake, Mr. Drake. Our queen came very close to deserting her sacred trust. If you were to see her again, you would not enjoy the same close association. There is no place in her life for you, or you would be going with me instead of staying here at the point of a gun."
Drake moved forward hesitantly, and then stopped with the gesture of a man who knows he is beaten.
"Okay," he admitted. "You've got me on the spot. But remember this: George Lardner thinks more of that diamond than he does his life. He's going to leave a trail of blood in every country of the world, but he'll get it if you don't kill him first."
The gunman's face was a mask of hatred.