he looked on as a personal enemy.

Since then, nothing had happened to put him on the track of Fantomas.
No crime had been committed in circumstances which could leave him to
think that this elusive murderer was involved in it.

Our detective had begun to ask himself if, not having been fortunate
enough to arrest this king of assassins, he had not at any rate
succeeded in unmasking him, in compelling him to fly for his life, in
putting him out of power to do harm.

* * * * *

Rapidly the superintendent put Juve in possession of the incidents
which had led him to telephone to Headquarters.

"You have done well," said Juve. "Have you the portfolio of this dead
man?"

"Here it is, my friend."

Juve opened it.

"If you will allow it, Monsieur, I am going to make a complete list of
the contents. This list I shall leave with you. I shall take a copy:
that I shall deposit at the office of the Chief of Staff, obtaining a
receipt for it. This will relieve both you and myself of all further
responsibility on this head."

For some moments Juve and the superintendent occupied themselves in
going over the papers of the dead man. Suddenly the detective got up,
and, holding a paper in his hand, began walking up and down the room.

"You have read that?" he asked, turning to the superintendent.

"What is it? No."

"Read it!"

The superintendent read:

"_Inventory of the documents which were submitted to me by the Second
Bureau of the Staff Headquarters, for which I have signed a receipt,
and I have undertaken to return and deliver them up to the Second
Bureau of the Staff Headquarters, Monday, November 7th, when given a
receipt to that effect._"

"Well, what of it?"

"Well," replied Juve. "Compare the documents given on this list with
those we have found in this portfolio ... they tally."...

"Of course. That only proves, I imagine, that this officer died at the
very moment when he was on the way to his office to return the papers
entrusted to him. What do you see surprising in that?"

Juve shook his head. "I see, Monsieur, that what I feared is true:
yes, this is certainly the list of documents contained in this
portfolio, but."...

"But, one is missing!"

The two men checked the papers of Captain Brocq. Juve was right. There
was a document missing--Number Six.

"Whew!" murmured the superintendent. "How are we to know whether this
document has been dropped in the taxi, or has