ow us at once with
him, so there was very little delay before I was once more driving my
car at full speed towards the scene of the tragedy.

By this time my nerve had returned. One reason may have been that I had
taken advantage of the slight delay, occasioned by the sergeant giving
instructions to his subordinate, to brace myself with a stiff
whisky-and-soda from the small supply I carried on the car for
emergencies. Now, too, I had the companionship of another able-bodied
man on the car with me. I felt that, even if the mysterious murderer
were to make his appearance, I should have a better chance of tackling
him.

We were not long in reaching our destination. In fact a very few minutes
elapsed before we came to the spot where the motor-car stood, with the
rigid figure of its owner still in the position I had left him. I pulled
up beside the derelict.

"Hallo, Forrest!" I shouted.

There was no answer. The detective had disappeared.

CHAPTER IX

EXPLAINS A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE

I SPRANG to the ground by the side of the death-car. It was standing by
the side of the road, just as I had left it, its silent owner sitting
rigidly erect, still grasping the lever, and looking fixedly into the
darkness.

"Forrest! Forrest!" I shouted again.

All was silent as the grave.

It was very strange. He had promised to await my return. I looked at my
watch. Altogether half an hour had not elapsed since my departure. Yet
many things might happen in half an hour with such a spirit of death
abroad as I knew to be hovering around. I shivered.

The police sergeant was as much bewildered at Forrest's disappearance as
myself. On our way, I had explained more fully the circumstances under
which we had discovered the crime which had been committed. He knew my
companion by name and reputation, and he was quite at a loss to explain
his absence.

I scanned the road so far as it was revealed by our lights, half
expecting yet dreading to see his prostrate form. But there was nothing
visible. Each taking a lamp from my car, the sergeant and I set out to
search the hedges and ditches on each side of the road. We did so
conscientiously for a hundred yards up and down the road, and on each
side, but found nothing.

When we got back to the car, the sergeant said to me--

"Perhaps Mr. Forrest has found a clue, and thought he would waste no
time in following it up."

The suggestion seemed feasible enough, but just at that