Page:Burton Stevenson--The marathon mystery.djvu/37



ODFREY turned aside to hide the smile of satisfaction he could not wholly suppress; he had been adroitly driving Simmonds toward that suggestion.

For Godfrey wanted to be alone a few minutes with Miss Croydon. He was acutely conscious that here was a mystery much more puzzling than appeared on the surface; much more picturesque than the ordinary run of mysteries. Miss Croydon had said that her errand to suite fourteen had been on a private matter which did not concern the police, but Godfrey was not so sure of that. Of course, he could not compel her to explain it, and yet he felt that two or three well-directed questions might give him the clew which he was seeking now in vain.

“Very well,” he agreed; “We’ll see her down to her cab. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to quiz the janitor and then search the house. Maybe the other fellow hasn’t had a chance to get away yet. I wonder what’s going on out there?” he added, as they returned together to the other room.

They could hear a commotion of some sort in the hall, the hum of many voices, the shuffling of many feet. …