FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151  
152   153   154   >>  
in the direction to New York. Polly, angry and frightened, ran after him, screaming at the top of her voice. Voles was in such a desperate hurry that he did not pay heed to his steering, and nearly ran over a motor-cyclist coming in hot haste to East Orange. The rider, a young man, pulled up and used language. He heard Polly, panting and shrieking, running toward him. "Good gracious, Miss Barnard, what's the matter?" he cried, for Polly was pretty enough to hold many an eye. "Is that you, Mr. Petch? Thank goodness! There's been murder done in Gateway House. That villain is carrying off the young lady he has killed. He has escaped from the police. They're in there now. Oh, catch him!" Mr. Petch, who had dismounted, began to hop back New York-ward, while the engine emulated a machine-gun. "It's a big car--goes fast--I'll do my best--" Polly heard him say, and he, too, was gone. She met Carshaw and the chief half-way up the drive. To them, in gasps, she told her story. "Cool hand, Voles!" said Steingall. "The whole thing was bungled!" cried Carshaw in a white heat. "If Clancy had been here this couldn't have happened." Steingall took the implied taunt coolly. "It would have been better had I followed my original plan and not helped you," he said. "You or our East Orange friend might have been killed, it is true, but Voles could not have carried the girl off so easily." Carshaw promptly regretted his bitter comment. "I'm sorry," he said, "but you cannot realize what all this means to me, Steingall." "I think I can. Cheer up; your car is easily recognizable. We have a cyclist known to this young lady in close pursuit. Even if he fails to catch up with Voles, he will at least give us some definite direction for a search. At present there is nothing for us to do but lodge these people in the local prison, telephone the ferries and main towns, and go back to New York. The police here will let us know what happens to the cyclist; he may even call at the Bureau. I can act best in New York." "Do you mean now to arrest those in the house?" "Yes, sure. That is, I'll get the New Jersey police to hold them." "On what charge?" "Conspiracy. At last we have clear evidence against them. Miss Polly here has actually seen Voles carrying off Miss Bartlett, who had previously been rendered insensible. If I am not mistaken in my man, Fowle will turn State's evidence when he chews on the proposition for a few
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151  
152   153   154   >>  



Top keywords:
Steingall
 

police

 

cyclist

 
Carshaw
 

evidence

 

carrying

 

killed

 

direction

 

easily

 

Orange


friend

 
promptly
 

bitter

 
regretted
 
comment
 

realize

 

carried

 

recognizable

 

pursuit

 

Conspiracy


Jersey

 

charge

 

Bartlett

 

previously

 

proposition

 
insensible
 

rendered

 

mistaken

 

prison

 

telephone


ferries

 

people

 
search
 

definite

 

present

 

arrest

 

Bureau

 

pretty

 

matter

 

Barnard


gracious
 
shrieking
 

running

 

villain

 

escaped

 
Gateway
 

goodness

 
murder
 
panting
 

language