king him to watch
the garage, which, by the way, he did not do. The time was short and the
only particle of credit we deserve is for having moved at once and
quickly.

"The time was short for Kull to act if he was to take advantage of
favoring circumstances,--that is apparent now and it was before. It
required no great mental power to see that at a glance. Where Kull would
be found was thus easily determined. And, fortunately, we arrived in
time. On my first survey of the Peek place I found nothing but the
Torpedo, partially concealed behind some trees by the roadside and every
light extinguished. Kull could not be far away but I hesitated lest it
should prove that, having not yet entered the house, he should discover
that he was watched. The facts were, he was in the house when we reached
the place. He was waiting to be sure his victim slept. I flashed a light
upon him as he was in the act of striking his first blow and possibly
that was why he struck to one side of the temple and only a flesh wound
resulted. I seized his arms but he escaped me. I fear I might have been
obliged to shoot to frighten him, if nothing more, but for Phil's very
able and timely help."

"But what is _your_ idea as to the reason this fellow Coster left one
car in the road and hid another in the icehouse in place of it?" Mr.
Wagg inquired.

"One of two things--Coster left the car to look about the Peek place,
either knowing or suspecting Kull's ultimate plan of making away with
the old gentleman, and in his absence the machine was in some manner
started forward. Or, and I think more probably, Coster was drunk and
fell from the Torpedo as he saw another car approaching on that
unfrequented road where he did not expect to see, and had no wish to
see, any other traveler. And now, perhaps, we would better bid one
another goodnight," Mr. Rack concluded.

"Might as well make it good-morning," grinned Paul Jones, stepping to a
window, "it's nearly daylight."

The following day Coster made a complete confession to Mr. Rack. The
latter's idea of the entire plans of Kull were substantially correct.
About the abandonment of the Torpedo, Coster said he had been drinking a
great deal and, contrary to his usual experience, the more he drank the
more he feared for his own safety in the car he knew police and
detectives had made prolonged search to find. Seeing a large,
six-cylinder machine come rapidly over a hill toward him, and on that
lonely road wh