CHAPTER XXI
WE PLAN AN AMBUSH
FORREST had just concluded his story when the lights of Thetford gleamedin our eyes. The time was 12.30. The last train was gone. Theinhabitants were all in bed, and there we were, stranded with a brokencar, and no means of putting it right. Forrest would not despair,however, and after some difficulty we managed, with the assistance ofthe local police, to knock up a man who was locally reputed to know allabout motors. He was a little surly at first, but the inducement Ioffered him to make an attempt to put the transmission right, wassufficient to dissipate his very natural disgust at being disturbed inhis beauty sleep. Fortunately his local reputation had reasonablefoundation. He was a very capable mechanician, and the way he set aboutthe job gave me great hopes that the car would run as well as ever whenhe had done with it. And my expectations were gratified. In less than anhour he had completed the repairs. I paid him and asked him to remain upfor ten minutes in case we had another breakdown, telling him that afterthat period had elapsed, he would be at liberty to return to his bed.Whether he waited the ten minutes or not I do not know, for by that timewe were halfway to Newmarket, flying through the darkness at a pacewhich two months previously I would not have dared venture upon in broaddaylight. And right onward to St. Albans, we kept it up, reaching theancient town just as the birds began to twitter in the hedges at thefirst grey light of early dawn. At St. Albans we stopped at thepolice-station. A man was waiting at the door.
"Any news?" asked Forrest.
The man shook his head.
"You know where to bring it?" asked my companion.
The man nodded.
"Let us get on home," said Forrest to me.
As I wheeled my vehicle into my yard I thought I should drop. The strainof that rush through the night, expecting every moment that somethingwould give way, had been tremendous, and the moment the tension wasrelaxed I shook like an aspen leaf. When I tried to get in at my owndoor I found I could not fit the latch-key, and was obliged to hand itto the detective. He saw what was the matter with me, and the moment wewere inside, he led the way to my study, thrust me down into a chair andmixed me a whisky-and-soda. I was never more grateful for a drink in mylife. It pulled me together, and in less time than I had conceivedpossible, I felt as if I could have managed another seventy-five mileswithout a halt.
The moment he saw my nerves were steady again, Forrest proposed that weshould get something to eat. I declared that I did not want anything.
"When you haven't time for sleep, the next best thing is to feed well ifyou want to keep fit," he remarked. "Besides, I am as hungry as a hunterhas a right to be."
"That settles it," I laughed. "We shall have to forage for ourselves.The servants are all asleep."
We found our way to the larder and made a hearty meal on a cold pie wefound there; and directly we had finished, we set out forthwith in thedirection of Mannering's home. As soon as we arrived opposite the house,Forrest paused and gave a low whistle. It was answered immediately by aman dressed as a labourer, who made his appearance from behind the hedgeopposite the house.
"Any one been here to-night, Laver?" asked Forrest.
"No one," the man answered. "The servants turned in about ten afterlocking up. No signs of any one about the place since."
"That's all right," grunted Forrest. "We shall be ready for him when hedoes come. Have you got the tools?"
The man was proceeding to scramble through the hedge when Forrestchecked him.
"Better stay where you are," he advised. "Keep out of sight, and if Iwhistle, come at once."
"All right, sir," replied the man, as he handed through a gap in thehedge a small chamois leather bag.
I had no idea as to what steps Forrest proposed to adopt in order toeffect the arrest, so I asked him, and he explained briefly his plan ofcampaign.
"One can see," he remarked, "that Mannering feels so confident of thecompleteness of his disguise that he will have no hesitation aboutreturning. I am reckoning, too, upon there being an element of truth inthe story he has told you about the construction of his motor, in whichcase his own workshop would be the only place where he would be able torefill his tank. We shall be able to decide that point in a very fewminutes. If we do find any plant for the production of liquid gases, wecan count upon catching our man within a very few hours."
"Unless he smells a rat, and makes for some convenient port and gets outof the country," I remarked.
"That eventuality is provided against," remarked the detective. "Hisdescription is in the hands of the police at every port in the kingdom,and even if he changes the colour of his hair, I don't think he willmanage to get away. What I propose is, that we shall remain concealed inhis coach-house and await his return."
"How are we going to get in?" I inquired.
Forrest took a bunch of skeleton keys from the bag Laver had handed tohim and dangled them before his eyes.
"There's not a burglar in the kingdom is better provided," he remarked,and set to work upon the lock forthwith.
The lock was an ordinary one, and his efforts were speedily successful.The door swung open, and we entered eagerly a bare, stone-pavedcoach-house. Opposite the door by which we had entered from the road wasa similar door, which gave upon the inner yard. On the left, a largesliding door had been fixed in place of the wall which had divided thecoach-house from the stables. Relocking the door by which we hadentered, Forrest led the way to the door on the left. It was unfastened,and as it swung back a cry of amazement sprang to my lips.
"Hush--sh--sh!" said the detective warningly.
But I could not have repressed the cry, for there before me stood areplica of the car I had seen on two occasions. There was only one pointof difference at first apparent. The pirate car had been black. This onewas built of aluminium and gleamed silvery white. But although the lineswere very similar, I soon came to the conclusion that the car we sawbefore us was not the one which the Pirate had used when engaged uponhis nefarious work. One glance at the tyres convinced me that they hadnever been upon the road, and I fancied that the wheels were smaller andthe lines of the body finer altogether. I pointed these things out toForrest, who, while agreeing that this particular car could not havebeen the one which had been responsible for holding up the "AugustPersonage" on the previous day, would not commit himself further.
We did not spend much time upon a close examination of the car, for theother contents of the building claimed our attention. We found ourselvesin a long workshop. There were no windows in the walls, but the placewas amply illuminated by a skylight which ran along nearly the wholelength of the northern slope of the roof. On the right of the large doorby which we had entered the inner shop was a small room, which hadprobably once served as a harness-room, for through this another doorgave on to the yard, though this exit was evidently never used, for thedoor was fixed by screws. The contents were a couple of broken chairs,and some coats and rugs hung upon hooks upon the walls, together with amiscellaneous assortment of odds and ends upon a shelf. I gave merely acursory glance at the contents of this apartment, for my attention hadbeen attracted by a plant of machinery, which occupied the far end ofthe large room. As it happened, I had once had an opportunity ofinspecting the laboratory of the Royal Institution, and I recognized atonce that Mannering had set up an installation for the preparation ofsome one or other of the liquid gases. Without this experience, I doubtwhether it would have been possible for me to guess even the purpose forwhich the plant had been devised. As it was, I had no hesitation indiscovering the receiver into which the liquid gas was distilled; andwhen I let a little of the liquid with which it was filled run into aglass which I found handy, and saw the air fall in a shower of tinysnow-flakes as the stuff evaporated, I knew that Mannering had told methe exact truth when he had informed me that liquid hydrogen suppliedthe power for his new car.
Once satisfied on this point, I examined the other contents of theplace. I do not think there is any need to particularize all tha
t wediscovered, even if my memory served me. Practically the workshopcontained a sufficient engineering equipment to build such a car asstood in the centre, though I judged that there was no convenience forthe forging of the parts of the motor.
Still, as I pointed out to Forrest, there was nothing in all thesediscoveries to negative the truth of the story Mannering had told meabout his being engaged in building a car which should serve to outpacethe Pirate car, but he would not listen to any theorising on thesubject.
"He can tell that story to the jury," he said, as he significantly drewa pair of handcuffs from his pocket and clinked them together. Then heproceeded to investigate the contents of the harness-room, while I wentback to the new car and began a careful examination of the engines. Thewhole mechanism was, however, so novel to me, that I could only surmiseas to the method of its working. I did notice, however, that the drivingand steering gear varied very little from that of my own car, so far asit was controlled by the levers and wheel, while the breaks seemed to beparticularly powerful. There was only seating accommodation for two, andjudging from the size of the tank which was fitted behind the seat, Ijudged that Mannering contemplated runs over distances which would makelarge demands upon his supply of liquid gas.
At the moment I made this discovery, I heard Forrest call to me in anexcited whisper, and going across to him, I found him contemplating withkeen interest a dirty piece of rope.
"Look here, Sutgrove," he said; "this is the piece of cord with which hetrussed me up on the occasion when he dropped me into the pond. Compareit with this"--he kicked a coil which lay at his feet--"and tell me ifthey are not identical."
I examined them both, and came to the conclusion that Forrest wascorrect in his supposition. Next, mounting one of the chairs, heproceeded to rummage amongst the rubbish piled on the shelf. A momentlater he observed triumphantly, albeit in subdued tones, "Another pieceof evidence," and descending from his perch, he handed me a box ofcartridges. A glance at the label had apparently been enough,nevertheless, to make sure, he searched again in his pocket, andproduced the bullet which had proved fatal to the poor victim atTowcester. He compared it with one of the cartridges, and gave a gruntof content. "I fancy we shall soon obtain sufficient evidence to hanghim," he murmured. Then a shadow crossed his face. "What an infernaldunderhead I have been not to suspect him before," he said, and turningimpatiently away, he replaced the box of cartridges on the shelf, beforerenewing his systematic examination of the rest of the contents of theroom. The search revealed nothing further, and at length he desisted.
All the while we were keenly on the alert to detect any sound whichshould tell us of the approach of Mannering's car. But the minutespassed and grew into hours without a sign. It must have been about fivein the morning when we had entered the coach-house, and when I saw by mywatch that it was nearly ten, I began to think that in some way oranother Mannering had got warning of the danger that threatened him. Isuggested to Forrest that we might as well leave our hiding-place, buthe would not hear of it.
"I don't leave this building except in his company, unless I hear thathe has been captured elsewhere," he declared obstinately. "At the sametime, don't let me detain you."
I wanted badly to see Evie, whom I thought might be getting anxiousconcerning me; but I hardly liked the idea of leaving Forrest to tackleMannering alone if he should return. However, my first desire triumphed,so I persuaded Forrest to let me out of the door, promising to returnwithin as short a time as I could manage.
I hurried first to the Colonel's house, and had a brief interview withthe dear girl, telling her what had happened and what was likely tohappen in the near future. Next, I went to my own place, and had abasket packed with a plentiful luncheon, not forgetting to provide acouple of bottles of champagne, and thus provided I returned to thecoach-house after an absence of less than an hour.
When in response to my signal Forrest admitted me, his eyes twinkledwith satisfaction as he saw my burden.
"It is truly thoughtful of you," he remarked, as I lifted the lid ofthe basket and revealed the contents. "I only hope our friend will notspoil our picnic by arriving in the middle of it."
The better to avoid any such _contretemps_, we set about our mealimmediately with very good appetites. When we had finished, I do notknow how Forrest felt, but I was confoundedly drowsy. I tried all sortsof tricks to keep my eyes open, but the quiet of the place, thecoolness, and the subdued light of the saddle-room, where Forrestthought it best for us to remain, were too much for my powers ofresistance and I dropped off to sleep.
I must have slumbered for a couple of hours, if not three, when I wassuddenly awakened by a hand placed on my mouth, while a voice whisperedin my ear--
"Wake up, man--wake up! There's no time to lose."
I came to myself with a start. Forrest had hold of me, and was shakingme violently. At the same moment I became aware of the throb of anapproaching motor.
Recognizing the sound, I turned to the detective.
"That's Mannering," I whispered.
"Yes," replied my companion. "I could swear to the sound anywhere."
The Motor Pirate Page 21