Starr's lip curled scornfully. "As I said, Slade has bungled the situation. He doesn't seem to understand what kind of persuasion to exert on a man like you. I think I can suggest an improvement. Miss Hardwick, as I think you know, received a dose of datura poison calculated to produce death within seven days. What is the matter?" he added quickly as The Phantom winced and touched his left shoulder. "Ah! You have been wounded!"
"Only a scratch," said The Phantom coolly, despite the sharp twinges that now and then shot through the injured shoulder. "What about Miss Hardwick?"
"As I said, the injection she received was calculated to kill within seven days. As you know, if you read the accounts of Virginia Darrow's death, the dose can be so adjusted as to produce death in a much shorter time--say fifteen minutes or half an hour. Doctor Tagala, who is a very fascinating gentleman, explained the method to me very carefully."
"I don't quite see----" began The Phantom, an uneasy flicker in his eyes; but Starr had already turned to his lieutenant.
"Slade," he crisply commanded, "in one of the drawers of the desk in the laboratory you will find several bottles of datura poison. Bring me one of those marked 'Series A.' Fetch a hypodermic syringe, too, and be quick about it."
Slade withdrew. A horrifying suspicion was entering The Phantom's mind. Starr's methods were subtler and far more frightful than his subordinate's.
"You look faint," observed Starr with a glance at The Phantom's face. A trace of sarcasm edged his words. "I'm afraid the wound is very painful. Too bad Doctor Tagala isn't here to treat it."
The Phantom was about to reply, but just then Slade returned and handed his superior a syringe and a small bottle containing a dark liquid. Starr studied the label for a moment.
"Correct," he murmured. "It's fortunate Doctor Tagala taught me how to use a syringe. In a few moments Miss Hardwick will have received a second dose of datura poison--one that will kill her inside half an hour unless Doctor Tagala should administer the restorative in the meantime."
A cry broke from The Phantom's lips. The severe pain in the shoulder, together with the terrifying realization that had just flashed through his mind, made him suddenly dizzy. He leaned weakly against the wall. In the same instant Starr, quick to seize the opportunity, wrenched the pistol from his hand.