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back and thoroughly examine that flat in John Street.ā€

ā€œAnd, I suppose, in view of the evidence supplied by Macpherson, set up a search for Ambrose?ā€ suggested Hetherwick.

ā€œTo be sure! Weā€™ll get out a ā€˜tracked by the policeā€™ notice, describing him to the best of our power,ā€ replied Matherfield. ā€œBut Iā€™ll tell youā ā€”in my opinion itā€™ll be a stiff job getting hold of him. If you want my opinion, as a private individual, heā€™s probably got that secret invention of Hannafordā€™s and gone off across the Atlantic with itā ā€”to turn it into money.ā€

ā€œThatā€™s very likely,ā€ assented Hetherwick. ā€œBut what about Baseverie?ā€

ā€œIā€™m not so much concerned about him now,ā€ said Matherfield. ā€œAmbrose seems to be the man I wantā ā€”first, anyway. But I shall do what I can to get hold of Baseverie. If these Penteney and Blenkinsop people had only come to us instead of laying plans of their own, some good would have been done. I shouldnā€™t have let the man got away!ā€

ā€œMy belief,ā€ observed Hetherwick, ā€œis that Baseverie and Ambrose are partners in this affair. Andā ā€”how do we know that they didnā€™t meet at Dover, and that they havenā€™t gone off together?ā€

Still wondering about this, Hetherwick next morning went round to Lincolnā€™s Inn Fields and asked to see one of the partners. He was shown into the room in which he and Matherfield had had their interview on the previous day. But he found Major Penteney alone. Blenkinsop, remarked the junior partner, had business in the Courts that morning.

ā€œI called,ā€ explained Hetherwick, ā€œto ask if you had any more information about Baseverieā€™s disappearance at Dover.ā€

Penteney made a wry face.

ā€œMore vexed than ever about that!ā€ he answered. ā€œMost inexcusably stupid conduct on the part of our manā ā€”man weā€™ve always found so reliable previously. He came back yesterday afternoon, crestfallen, told us all about it, and got a jolly good wigging. Heā€™d done well at first. Tracked his man from Riversreade Court to Dorking, and thence to Redhill, and thence to Dover, after one or two changes. Baseverie put up at some hotelā ā€”I forget whichā ā€”near the harbour; our man, certain that Baseverie was quite unconscious that he was being followed, put up there, too. Nothing happened. He saw Baseverie at dinner that night, saw him in the smoking-room after; in fact, he had a game of billiards with him, and saw him retire to bed; their rooms were adjacent. He felt sure of seeing him at breakfast, but when he went down he found that the bird had flownā ā€”flown, said the night porter, before six oā€™clock; he didnā€™t know where. Nor could our man trace him at station or pier, or anywhere.ā€

ā€œCareless sort of watching,ā€ said Hetherwick.

ā€œWorse than careless!ā€ agreed Penteney. ā€œAs I said, he caught it hot. But nowā ā€”ā€

The telephone bell on Blenkinsopā€™s desk rang. With a word of excuse Penteney turned to it. A moment later a smothered ejaculation of surprise came from him, followed by a sharp interrogation on his part. Suddenly he turned on Hetherwick.

ā€œGood heavens!ā€ he exclaimed. ā€œWhatā€™s all this? This is Lady Riversreade speaking. She says her sister, who came yesterday, and Miss Featherstone have been kidnapped! Kidnappedā ā€”this morning!ā€

Hetherwick leapt to his feet with a sharp exclamationā ā€”half amazed, half incredulous. But already his thoughts were with Rhona; he saw the dangers of the situation for her as Penteney could not see them.

ā€œImpossible!ā€ he said. ā€œKidnapped! in broad daylight? Andā ā€”from there?ā€

But Penteney was still busy at the telephone, giving and receiving rapid answers.

ā€œYes, yes!ā€ he was saying. ā€œTo be sure!ā ā€”policeā ā€”yes! Iā€™m coming straight there nowā ā€”carā ā€”tell the police to get busy.ā€

He turned sharply to Hetherwick as he laid down the instrument.

ā€œFear thereā€™s no impossibility about it!ā€ he said. ā€œLady Riversreade says they were carried off as they crossed from the Court to the Homeā ā€”sheā€™s heard something of a big car with strange men in it. Iā€™m going down there at onceā ā€”thereā€™s more in this affair than one sees at first.ā€

ā€œIā€™ll come with you,ā€ said Hetherwick. ā€œWhere can we get a carā ā€”a fast one?ā€

ā€œGarage close by, in Kingsway,ā€ answered Penteney, hurriedly seizing on one of several greatcoats that hung in a recess. ā€œHere!ā ā€”get into one of theseā ā€”youā€™re about my height, and the airā€™s still nippy, motoring. Now come onā ā€”weā€™ll be there in under the hour. You know,ā€ he continued, as they left the office and hastened towards Kingsway, ā€œI think I see through something of this already, Hetherwick. These fellows probably believed they were kidnapping Lady Riversreade!ā ā€”and got her sister in mistake for her. Ransom, you know! The blackmailing dodge failedā ā€”now theyā€™re trying this. A desperate and daredevil lot, evidently!ā€

Hetherwick nodded a silent assent. He was wondering whether or not to tell Penteney that the Miss Featherstone of whom he had just spoken was in reality the granddaughter of the man whose mysterious murder appeared to be the starting-point of the more recent, equally mysterious events. That fact, it seemed to him, would have to come out sooner or laterā ā€”and there might be possible complications, perhaps unpleasantness, when Lady Riversreade discovered that Rhona had gone to her as a spy. Might it not be well to take Penteney into his confidence and explain matters? But, on reflection, he decided to wait until they knew the exact situation at Riversreade Court; so far, in spite of Lady Riversreadeā€™s news he felt it difficult to believe that two women, one of them, to his knowledge, a girl of character and resource, and the other a woman of the world, used to travelling and to adventure, could be carried off in broad daylight in immediate prospect of two large housesā ā€”the thing seemed impossible.

XIX The London Road

Some fifty minutes later, the big, powerful car, which Penteney had commissioned in Kingsway, dashed up to Riversreade Court. Hetherwick found that there had been no exaggeration in Lady Riversreadeā€™s telephone message. She herself came hurrying out to meet them; there were men standing about the terrace outside and others visible in the park; a couple of uniformed policemen followed Lady

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