"Hurry and finish dressing1, Tom," he called, as he hung up the receiver.
"What's the matter?" I asked, from my room, still struggling with my tie.
"Warrington was severely2 injured in a motor-car accident late last night, or rather early this morning, near Tuxedo3."
"Near Tuxedo?" I repeated incredulously. "How could he have got up there? It was midnight when we left him in New York."
"I know it. Apparently4 he must have wanted to see Miss Winslow. She is up there, you know. I suppose that in order to be there this morning, early, he decided5 to start after he left us. I thought he seemed anxious to get away. Besides, you remember he took that letter yesterday afternoon, and I totally forgot to ask him for it last night. I'll wager6 it was on account of that slanderous7 letter that he wanted to go, that he wanted to explain it to her as soon as he could."
There had been no details in the hasty message over the wire, except that Warrington was now at the home of a Doctor Mead8, a local physician in a little town across the border of New York and New Jersey9. The more I thought about it, the more I felt that it was extremely unlikely that it could have been an accident, after all. Might it not have been the result of an attack or a trap laid by some strong-arm man who had set out to get him and had almost succeeded in accomplishing his purpose of "getting him right," to use the vernacular10 of the class?
We made the trip by railroad, passing the town where the report had come to us before of the finding of the body of Rena Taylor. There was, of course, no one at the station to meet us, and, after wasting some time in learning the direction, we at last walked to Dr. Mead's cottage, a quaint11 home, facing the state road that led from Suffern up to the Park, and northward12.
Dr. Mead, who had telephoned, admitted us himself. We found Warrington swathed in bandages, and only half conscious. He had been under the influence of some drug, but, before that, the doctor told us, he had been unconscious and had only one or two intervals13 in which he was sufficiently14 lucid15 to talk.
"How did it happen?" asked Garrick, almost as soon as we had entered the doctor's little office.
"I had had a bad case up the road," replied the doctor slowly, "and it had kept me out late. I was driving my car along at a cautious pace homeward, some time near two o'clock, when I came to a point in the road where there are hills on one side and the river on the other. As I neared the curve, a rather sharp curve, too, I remember the lights on my own car were shining on the white fence that edged the river side of the road. I was keeping carefully on my own side, which was toward the hill.
"As I was about to turn, I heard the loud purring of an engine coming in my direction, and a moment later I saw a car with glaring headlights, driven at a furious pace, coming right at me. It slowed up a little, and I hugged the hill as close as I could, for I know some of these reckless young drivers up that way, and this curve was in the direction where the temptation is for one going north to get on the wrong side of the road—that is, my side—in order to take advantage of the natural slope of the macadam in turning the curve at high speed. Still, this fellow didn't prove so bad, after all. He gave me a wide berth16.
"Just then there came a blinding flash right out of the darkness. Back of his car a huge, dark object had loomed17 up almost like a ghost. It was another car, back of the first one, without a single light, travelling apparently by the light shed by the forward car. It had overtaken the first and had cut in between us with not half a foot to spare on either side. It was the veriest piece of sheer luck I ever saw that we did not all go down together.
"With the flash I heard what sounded like a bullet zip out of the darkness. The driver of the forward car stiffened18 out for a moment. Then he pitched forward, helpless, over the steering19 wheel. His car dashed ahead, straight into the fence instead of taking the curve, and threw the unconscious driver. Then the car wrecked21 itself."
"And the car in the rear?" inquired Garrick eagerly.
"Dashed ahead between us safely around the curve—and was gone. I caught just one glimpse of its driver—a man all huddled22 up, his collar up over his neck and chin, his cap pulled forward over his eyes, goggles23 covering the rest of his face, and shrouded24 in what seemed to be a black coat, absolutely as unrecognizable as if he had been a phantom25 bandit, or death itself. He was steering with one hand, and in the other he held what must have been a revolver."
"And then?" prompted Garrick.
"I had stopped with my heart in my mouth at the narrowness of my own escape from the rushing black death. Pursuit was impossible. My car was capable of no such burst of speed as his. And then, too, there was a groaning26 man down in the ravine below. I got out, clambered over the fence, and down in the shrubbery into the pitch darkness.
"Fortunately, the man had been catapulted out before his car turned over. I found him, and with all the strength I could muster27 and as gently as I was able carried him up to the road. When I held him under the light of my lamps, I saw at once that there was not a moment to lose. I fixed28 him in the rear of my car as comfortably as I could and then began a race to get him home here where I have almost a private hospital of my own, as quickly as possible."
Cards in his pocket had identified Warrington and Dr. Mead remembered having heard the name. The prompt attention of the doctor had undoubtedly29 saved the young man's life.
Over and over again, Dr. Mead said, in his delirium30 Warrington had repeated the name, "Violet—Violet!" It was as Garrick had surmised32, his desire to stand well in her eyes that had prompted the midnight journey. Yet who the assailant might be, neither Dr. Mead nor the broken raving33 of Warrington seemed to afford even the slightest clew. That he was a desperate character, without doubt in desperate straits over something, required no great acumen34 to deduce.
Toward morning in a fleeting35 moment of lucidity36, Warrington had mentioned Garrick's name in such a way that Dr. Mead had looked it up in the telephone directory and then at the earliest moment had called up.
"Exactly the right thing," reassured37 Garrick. "Can't you think of anything else that would identify the driver of that other car?"
"Only that he was a wonderful driver, that fellow," pursued the doctor, admiration38 getting the better of his horror now that the thing was over. "I couldn't describe the car, except that it was a big one and seemed to be of a foreign make. He was crowding Warrington as much as he dared with safety to himself—and not a light on his own car, too, remember."
Garrick's face was puckered39 in thought.
"And the most remarkable40 thing of all about it," added the doctor, rising and going over to a white enameled41 cabinet in the corner of his office, "was that wound from the pistol."
The doctor paused to emphasize the point he was about to make. "Apparently it put Warrington out," he resumed. "And yet, after all, I find that it is only a very superficial flesh wound of the shoulder. Warrington's condition is really due to the contusions he received owing to his being thrown from the car. His car wasn't going very fast at the time, for it had slowed down for me. In one way that was fortunate—although one might say it was the cause of everything, since his slowing down gave the car behind a chance to creep up on him the few feet necessary.
"Really I am sure that even the shock of such a wound wasn't enough to make an experienced driver like Warrington lose control of the machine. It is a fairly wide curve, after all, and—well, my contention42 is proved by the fact that I examined the wreck20 of the car this morning and found that he had had time to shut off the gas and cut out the engine. He had time to think of and do that before he lost absolute control of the car."
Dr. Mead had been standing43 by the cabinet as he talked. Now he opened it and took from it the bullet which he had probed out of the wound. He looked at it a minute himself, then handed it to Garrick. I bent44 over also and examined it as it lay in Guy's hand.
At first I thought it was an ordinary bullet. But the more I examined it the more I was convinced that there was something peculiar45 about it. In the nose, which was steel-jacketed, were several little round depressions, just the least fraction of an inch in depth.
"It is no wonder Warrington was put out, even by that superficial wound," remarked Garrick at last. "His assailant's aim may have been bad, as it must necessarily have been from one rapidly approaching car at a person in another rapidly moving car, also. But the motor bandit, whoever he is, provided against that. That bullet is what is known as an anesthetic46 bullet."
"An anesthetic bullet?" repeated both Dr. Mead and myself. "What is that?"
"A narcotic47 bullet," Garrick explained, "a sleep-producing bullet, if you please, a sedative48 bullet that lulls49 its victim into almost instant slumber50. It was invented quite recently by a Pittsburgh scientist. The anesthetic bullet provides the poor marksman with all the advantages of the expert gunman of unerring aim."
I marvelled51 at the ingenuity52 of the man who could figure out how to overcome the seeming impossibility of accurate shooting from a car racing53 at high speed. Surely, he must be a desperate fellow.
While we were talking, the doctor's wife who had been attending Warrington until a nurse arrived, came to inform him that the effect of the sedative, which he had administered while Warrington was restless and groaning, was wearing off. We waited a little while, and then Dr. Mead himself informed us that we might see our friend for a minute.
Even in his half-drowsy state of pain Warrington appeared to recognise
Garrick and assume that he had come in response to his own summons.
Garrick bent down, and I could just distinguish what Warrington was
trying to say to him.
"Wh—where's Violet?" he whispered huskily, "Does she know? Don't let her get—frightened—I'll be—all right."
Garrick laid his hand on Warrington's unbandaged shoulder, but said nothing.
"The—the letter," he murmured ramblingly. "I have it—in my apartment—in the little safe. I was going to Tuxedo—to see Violet—explain slander—tell her closing place—didn't know it was mine before. Good thing to close it—Forbes is a heavy loser. She doesn't know that."
Warrington lapsed54 back on his pillow and Dr. Mead beckoned55 to us to withdraw without exciting him any further.
"What difference does it make whether she knows about Forbes or not?" I queried56 as we tiptoed down the hall.
Garrick shook his head doubtfully. "Can't say," he replied succinctly57.
"It may be that Forbes, too, has aspirations58."
The idea sent me off into a maze59 of speculations60, but it did not enlighten me much. At any rate, I felt, Warrington had said enough to explain his presence in that part of the country. On one thing, as I have said, Garrick had guessed right. The blackmailing61 letter and what we had seen the night before at the crooked62 gambling63 joint64 had been too much for him. He had not been able to rest as long as he was under a cloud with Miss Winslow until he had had a chance to set himself right in her eyes.
There seemed to be nothing that we could do for him just then. He was in excellent hands, and now that the doctor knew who he was, a trained nurse had even been sent for from the city and arrived on the train following our own, thus relieving Mrs. Mead of her faithful care of him.
Garrick gave the nurse strict instructions to make exact notes of anything that Warrington might say, and then requested the doctor to take us to the scene of the tragedy. We were about to start, when Garrick excused himself and hurried back into the house, reappearing in a few minutes.
"I thought perhaps, after all, it would be best to let Miss Winslow know of the accident, as long as it isn't likely to turn out seriously in the end for Warrington," he explained, joining us again in Dr. Mead's car which was waiting in front of the house. "So I called up her aunt's at Tuxedo and when Miss Winslow answered the telephone I broke the news to her as gently as I could. Warrington need have no fear about that girl," he added.
The wrecked car, we found, had not yet been moved, nor had the broken fence been repaired. It was, in fact, an accident worth studying topographically. That part of the road itself near the fence seemed to interest Garrick greatly. Two or three cars passed while we waited and he noted65 how carefully each of them seemed to avoid that side toward the broken fence, as though it were haunted.
"I hope they've all done that," Garrick remarked, as he continued to examine the road, which was a trifle damp under the high trees that shaded it.
As he worked, I could not believe that it was wholly fancy that caused me to think of him as searching with dilated66 nostrils67, like a scientific human bloodhound. For, it was not long before I began to realize what he was looking for in the marks of cars left on the oiled roadway.
During perhaps half an hour he continued studying the road, above and below the exact point of the accident. At length a low exclamation68 from him brought me to his side. He had dropped down in the grease, regardless of his knees and was peering at some rather deep imprints69 in the surface dressing. There, for a few feet, were plainly the marks of the outside tires of a car, still unobliterated.
Garrick had pulled out copies of the photographs he had made of the tire marks that had been left at the scene of the finding of the unfortunate Rena Taylor's body, and was busy comparing them with the marks that were before him.
"Of course," Garrick muttered to me, "if the anti-skid marks of the tires were different, it would have proved nothing, just as in the other case where we looked for the tire prints. But here, too, a glance shows that at least it is the same make of tires."
He continued his comparison. It did not take me long to surmise31 what he was doing. He was taking the two sets of marks and, inch by inch, going over them, checking up the little round metal insertions that were placed in this style of tire to give it a firmer grip.
"Here's one missing, there's another," he cried excitedly. "By Jove, it can't be mere70 coincidence. There's one that is worn—another broken. They correspond. Yes, that MUST be the same car, in each case. And if it was the stolen car, then it was Warrington's own car that was used in pursuing him and in almost making away with him!"
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1
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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tuxedo
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| n.礼服，无尾礼服 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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wager
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| n.赌注；vt.押注，打赌 | |
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slanderous
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| adj.诽谤的，中伤的 | |
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mead
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| n.蜂蜜酒 | |
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jersey
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| n.运动衫 | |
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vernacular
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| adj.地方的，用地方语写成的；n.白话；行话；本国语；动植物的俗名 | |
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quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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lucid
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| adj.明白易懂的，清晰的，头脑清楚的 | |
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berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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goggles
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| n.护目镜 | |
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shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
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phantom
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| n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的 | |
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groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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muster
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| v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册 | |
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28
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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delirium
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| n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋 | |
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surmise
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| v./n.猜想，推测 | |
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surmised
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| v.臆测，推断( surmise的过去式和过去分词 )；揣测；猜想 | |
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33
raving
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| adj.说胡话的；疯狂的，怒吼的；非常漂亮的；令人醉心[痴心]的v.胡言乱语(rave的现在分词)n.胡话；疯话adv.胡言乱语地；疯狂地 | |
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acumen
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| n.敏锐，聪明 | |
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fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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lucidity
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| n.明朗，清晰，透明 | |
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reassured
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| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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38
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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puckered
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| v.（使某物）起褶子或皱纹( pucker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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enameled
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| 涂瓷釉于，给…上瓷漆，给…上彩饰( enamel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
contention
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| n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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44
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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45
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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46
anesthetic
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| n.麻醉剂，麻药；adj.麻醉的，失去知觉的 | |
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narcotic
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| n.麻醉药，镇静剂；adj.麻醉的，催眠的 | |
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48
sedative
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| adj.使安静的，使镇静的；n. 镇静剂，能使安静的东西 | |
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49
lulls
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| n.间歇期（lull的复数形式）vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的第三人称单数形式） | |
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50
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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51
marvelled
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| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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53
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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lapsed
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| adj.流失的，堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失 | |
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55
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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succinctly
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| adv.简洁地；简洁地，简便地 | |
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58
aspirations
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| 强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音 | |
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maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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speculations
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| n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 )；思考；投机活动；推断 | |
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blackmailing
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| 胁迫，尤指以透露他人不体面行为相威胁以勒索钱财( blackmail的现在分词 ) | |
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62
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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63
gambling
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| n.赌博；投机 | |
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64
joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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66
dilated
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| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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67
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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68
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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69
imprints
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| n.压印( imprint的名词复数 )；痕迹；持久影响 | |
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70
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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