Halsey was
probably late--he is always late. Any moment we may hear the car
coming up the road."
But it did not come. After a half-hour of suspense, Louise went
out quietly, and did not come back. I hardly knew she was gone
until I heard the station hack moving off. At eleven o'clock the
telephone rang. It was Mr. Jamieson.
"I have found the Dragon Fly, Miss Innes," he said. "It has
collided with a freight car on the siding above the station. No,
Mr. Innes was not there, but we shall probably find him. Send
Warner for the car."
But they did not find him. At four o'clock the next morning
we were still waiting for news, while Alex watched the house and
Sam the grounds. At daylight I dropped into exhausted sleep.
Halsey had not come back, and there was no word from the
detective.
CHAPTER XXVI
HALSEY'S DISAPPEARANCE
Nothing that had gone before had been as bad as this. The murder
and Thomas' sudden death we had been able to view in a detached
sort of way. But with Halsey's disappearance everything was
altered. Our little circle, intact until now, was broken. We
were no longer onlookers who saw a battle passing around them.
We were the center of action. Of course, there was no time then
to voice such an idea. My mind seemed able to hold only one
thought: that Halsey had been foully dealt with, and that every
minute lost might be fatal.
Mr. Jamieson came back about eight o'clock the next morning: he
was covered with mud, and his hat was gone.
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