The following is a narrative of how the 21st Phantom brings Rachamond, the 19th Phantom's murderer, and his entire family to justice. (The text below has been adapted by from the comic book story 'Return of the Ghost' by Janne Lundstrom & Jaime Vallve [Indian Express Egmont #2].)
For past reference, read chronicle entries for the year 1924.
As Entered By: The 20th Century Phantom (the 21st Phantom)
In The Year: 1984
'A few days back I received a letter that contained Diana's Good Mark necklace and the name and address of a person in Comore Grande. Diana was in that same island to attend a seminar in the French Hospital.
'"Guran! I have to go to Comore Grande immediately... Devil will stay here", I informed my trusted friend.
'I reached the outskirts of Morristown late at night and at daybreak, I boarded the jet plane to Comore Grande. Reaching there, I met with the person who had sent me the letter.
'"Abdulla Mosaka... you sent me this", I said refering to Diana's necklace. "Why?"
'"The girl who is under your protection is a prisoner in Rachamond's house, O' ghost who walks!"
'"Rachamond!!" I exclaimed recalling that just some days back I had read to Diana from the Phantom Chronicles about how a master thief named Rachamond had murdered my grandfather. Guran said that the 19th Phantom's death was a result of his own recklessness in trying to uphold the myth of the Phantom's immortality. He could have prevented his death if he had acted more sensibly.
'Years after that incident, the Rachamonds, a family made up of an old man Pierre, his son Guy, his daughter-in-law and his grandson Claude, were now big land-owners and among the elite of this island. Diana, curious as she was, had tried to find out if the family was related to the 19th Phantom's murderer and in the process, got herself caught and locked up in a room in the Rachamonds' villa.
'At nightfall, Abdulla and I made our way to the place where Diana was imprisoned. I dispatched the sole guard there.
'"Wait here for the girl, Abdulla! Then I want the two of you to go to the nearest police station!" I whispered.
'I climbed up a wall of the villa to the window of Diana's room. "Diana, why do they keep you locked up like this?!" I asked Diana who was overjoyed to see me. She had been locked up in that room for four days.
'"They're thieves and suspect I will expose them! The whole family is involved... and I believe that old man Rachamond is the same man who shot your grandfather!"
'Filled with fury, I bent the iron bars and crawled through the window. Diana embraced me and told me about a secret door and the art collection of the family of thieves.
'"Climb down to Abdulla", I said, helping Diana down. "I'll stay here and give them a fright!"
'Just at that moment, Jean, the handyman I had knocked out cold, came to and entered the building. The Rachamonds must have recognized my Skull Mark on Jean's jaws, for a few moments later, Guy stormed into the room where Diana had been kept. But he little suspected I'd be there and not long after, I had him walking toward their secret room with his hands up. Jean and Guy's wife were already here.
'The old man, who was in his bedroom, must have heard my voice because slowly with a gun in his hand, he made his way to the room I was in. He opened the door and came face to face with me.
'"So we meet again, Pierre Rachamond!!" I spoke up, undaunted by the pistol pointed at me.
'Pierre was overwhelmed with terror and disbelief. Fear struck his feeble and withering heart. "I can't... not a second time... he got me in the end... I...", the old man tried to speak as he fell on the ground. And so died Rachamond, the master thief... ever since he killed the masked man in Morristown, he had feared this man's ghost would come back to haunt him... now his heart stopped at the sight of the man he had murdered in cold blood all those years ago.
'At that same moment, Diana entered the room with the local police, who found the room filled with stolen artworks that had been missing for a long time.
'I spoke to an inspector, "I take it, this is enough evidence to charge the entire family! Just one favour, inspector. Don't make this public until I've caught Claude Rachamond red-handed in Morristown!". Claude, the youngest of the Rachamonds, was in Morristown to steal Prince Said Ibrahim's jewel.
'Twelve hours after I boarded a plane to Morristown, President Luaga hosted a banquet in his residence in honour of Prince Said. The prince left the banquet at midnight and returned to his room at the Imperial Hotel, where Claude Rachamond had also checked in, under a false name.
'In the darkness of the night, Rachamond prepared for his mission. Wearing a black skin-tight costume, he worked his way up the outside of the hotel building toward the prince's room. I had been keeping watch but could not detect the black-clad thief from a distance.
'When I did take notice, Claude was already in the room of the prince with the jewel in his hand. Prince Said lay unconscious on the floor. As I entered through the window, Claude turned around in surprise.
'"You... the Phantom!!!"
'"I believe your grandfather has been talking about me, Claude Rachamond!"
'"This is impossible! Grandfather said he'd killed you!"
'"That's correct!"
'"Grandfather must have invented the whole story... but... wait! You should be about 90 years old... like him! Th-Then you are the ghost who walks!!" saying this Claude felt faint and weak. Confused, lost in his thoughts and fears, he dropped his pistol and the jewel.
'As I bent down to pick up the precious jewel, the prince came to... and automatically reached out for Rachamond's pistol that he aimed at me and... shot!!!
'I took the bullet in my shoulder. Seizing the opportunity, Claude made a run for it after picking up his gun and the jewel. I followed him out the window as the prince's bodyguards came charging into the room. Like Prince Said, they too thought that I was an accomplice and began shooting at me.
'I dived into the swimming pool as Claude made his way down the walls. He got a big lead but I chased him.
'"Got to catch him soon... my strength is waning... my shoulder is on... fire!!!" I spoke to myself as I ran after Claude, dodging his bullets.
'The chase did not seem to end until Claude headed into a dead-end. I finally came face to face with him again. Both of us were tired but equally adamant.
'"You're no ghost... can't be a ghost... that is impossible!!"
'"Don't you believe your grandfather? He killed the Phantom 60 years ago, or so he claims!!"
'"Don't come any closer... or I'll shoot!"
'"No point in shooting -- I'll get you whatever you do!! You may as well give up!"
'"E-Even if you are a ghost, I'll have the satisfation of emptying the entire magazine into your body!!"
'If I had drawn my pistols then, I would have had a chance to disarm him... but I did not. I had to win the battle that my grandfather lost... as the Phantom!
'And so with those thoughts in my mind, I sprang toward Claude, shouting, "The ghost who walks cannot die!!!"
'"Bang!"
'Claude shot straight at me.
'I was hit again! It was madness! Madness!! I could have shot him but the legend... the Phantom legend had to be continued... so again, collecting all my strength, I charged at Claude.
'Recklessness, Guran, called it... and my grandfather died because of his recklessnes... but this was not recklessness... this was suicide!
'"Bang!"
'I was shot again!
'"Diana... Diana... may I survive this! If only for your sake!" I said in my thoughts. "If I don't shoot now, then I'm dead... but I don't want to die... I don't want to!!" my thoughts resonated strongly in my mind, while I kept coming at Claude.
'And finally I came up close to the thief and with all the strength that was left in my wounded body, I swung my fists at him. The next moment, Claude lay on the ground unconscious, almost like dead. I had won the fight... the Phantom had won the fight... the ghost who never dies.
'Not much later, the bodyguards reached the place. With a lot of effort, I took off as fast as I could. The bodyguards did not bother chasing me as they had Claude along with the prince's jewel.
'Fifteen minutes later, I was in President Luaga's bedroom.
'"Excuse me but I... had nowhere else... to go... I need a... a..."
'"A doctor!" a surprised President said, looking at my condition. "Not hard to guess!!!"
'I fell unconscious. Two days later, I came to.
'"Where am I?!" I asked as I looked upon the President who stood beside me with a doctor.
'"In my guest room", answered President Luaga.
'The doctor added, "I picked three bullets out of your body! Not an easy task... especially since the President had forbade me to remove your uniform! I'm afraid I had to cut it in various places!"
'"N-No matter, doctor -- I have a spare!" I replied and attempted a smile.
'"So, you're joking! That's a good sign! To tell the truth, you really should have been dead!"
'"Yes, I realize that! But what happened to Claude Rachamond?"
'The President replied to my question, "We've handed him over to the authorities of the Comores. The entire Rachamond family faces severe punishment!
'"And you'll remain in bed for a while!" President Luaga continued, gesturing someone in. "We've arranged for a capable nurse who will take care of your needs."
'"Diana!!!" I exclaimed as my lovely wife walked into the room.
'"Oh Darling! I've been so worried", she said as we held each other in a warm embrace.
'"We'd better go, doctor! That kind of medicine will work better if we leave the patient undisturbed", the President said as he and the doctor stepped out of the room.
'Dear reader, take my word for it: that kind of medicine does work.'