THE WHODUNIT COLLECTION: British Murder Mysteries (15 Novels in One Volume). Charles Norris Williamson

some summonses out against that car this morning for exceeding the speed limit unless we put in a word. That chauffeur was quick to take a hint and you can bet we shifted. The road was fairly clear at that hour and we came up to the cab as if it was standing still.

      "'What do you want me to do? ' asks the chauffeur.

      "'Get alongside and yell to the driver to stop,' I says. I hadn't any plan very clear in my own mind and that was the best I could rake up at the moment. It was just silly, too, because if he'd stop for a demand like that he'd have stopped when I tumbled off.

      "Anyway we tried it, and then I got an idea of what was happening. The driver's face was like dirty white paper and he was hanging on to the steering wheel like grim death. Inside Gwennie had opened one of the windows you know some taxi-cabs have got windows that open straight on to the driver's seat and was t leaning forward with a little ivory-mounted pistol in her hand. lie told me later on that when I tumbled off he started to pull up and the feel of the pistol muzzle in his ribs was the first thing that woke him up to the fact that Gwennie was going to have a say-so. He thought she was a ghost at first.

      "As we came level I yelled to the man to stop. He just took no notice. She had him too thoroughly frightened for that. All his mind was on his steering and that wicked little pistol that was behind his back.

      "Then she saw us and swung the pistol round towards us. But she never fired. She must have understood what kind of a fix I was in, for, while she kept the cab going, it seemed impossible that I could get at her. She just smiled and then kissed her hand towards me.

      "That got my goat. I passed the word to my chauffeur to drop a little behind and then I put it to him.

      "'Can you cut a wheel off that thing for me smash the blighting thing up?'

      "It didn't seem to appeal to him. He looked grave. ' I wouldn't mind so much if this was one of the guv- 'nor's old cars,' he says, ' but it isn't. It's his pet and I wouldn't risk a smash for anything.'

      "'How much petrol have you got? ' I asks, thinking we might shadow the other car till it was forced to come to a standstill.

      "'I don't know exactly,' he answers, ' but it isn't much. We may get to the bottom of the tank any minute. Whatever you're going to do you'd better do quick. I'm game for anything that won't do in the car.'

      "I looked at the road sliding past and it gave me the shivers. We were fairly hustling. However, I wasn't going to let her have the laugh at me.

      "'You put us level with that cab again,' I says, 'and hold as close and as near the same pace as you can. I'm going to board it.'

      "You'll be killed,' he says.

      "'That's my business,' I tells him. 'I've got to stop that woman and I'm going to do it.' I was pretty well strung up. Perhaps her kissing her hand to me had something to do with it.

      "Well, he eased up to let me get on the footboard and I held on with one hand. I knew I had to be mighty quick in pulling open the door of the cab and grabbing Gwennie and I didn't like the idea of her pistol a little bit.

      "That chauffeur knew how to handle a car. He swung out a bit a little behind till he had gauged the pace and then he edged till as we drew level again there wasn't three inches between the two cars. I tore at the door of the cab and wrenched it open somehow. I hate to think in cold blood of how I did it. There wasn't much time for thinking and I went for her hell for leather before she could get to work with the shooter.

      "I got her wrist as she turned and smashed it against the side window. It cut us both about a bit, but she dropped the gun, and that was the great thing. They say it wasn't two minutes before the cab stopped then. It was just about the busiest two minutes I ever spent. A tiger's cage would be a peaceful spot compared to the inside of that cab. She may be a woman, and an old woman at that, but she's got muscles like whipcord.

      "Once she got her hand at the back of my neck and I saw forty million stars as she flung me up against the side of the cab. Then I got my arms around her and tried to force her down, and she used her ten commandments on my face. I thought my cheeks had gone. And all the while that door was open and I'd got a kind of idea that at any minute we might both go through it.

      "But we didn't, although we must have been near it once or twice. I'd got my arms locked round her and I wasn't going to let go, though I was half tempted to take a chance and smash her one under the jaw to lay her out especially when she got her teeth into my shoulder and bit right through coat and all. She was all animal just then.

      "At last the cab stopped and my chauffeur comes to my help. The driver was too paralysed to do anything but sit staring, goggle-eyed. We dragged her out into the roadway and managed to get the cuffs on her a nice job that was, too just as a constable came up.

      "Things were easy after that. She saw the jig was up and didn't make too much trouble. I shipped her down to the local station and left her there without any charge, and when I found you were here came on straight away. I thought you'd like to know. Shall I make out my report in the morning, sir?"

      Menzies nodded complacently and let a hand drop gently on his subordinate's shoulder. "You run away, laddie, and get some sleep," he said. "That's all you've got to think of now. There's no urgency about getting to the office to-morrow. Let me know when you turn up, that's all. By the way, did you ever pass the Civil Service examination for inspector?"

      Royal's face glowed. "Yes, sir."

      "Then I wouldn't wonder if you got called before the C. I. Board sometime. Good-night. Which way you going, Hallett?"

      "Back to the hotel. What time will you be off duty to-morrow?"

      The glance the chief inspector shot at him had a mixture of questioning and amusement. "To-morrow looks like being my busy day. Why do you ask?"

      "Oh, nothing." Jimmie was a trifle confused. "I've been taking a little interest in gardening lately and I thought I'd like to have a look at some of your roses again if you'd let me come over to Magersfontein Road sometime."

      "H'm." Menzies surveyed him doubtingly. "I don't know. Honest Injun. Now do you know a Captain Hay ward from a Caroline Testout?"

      "I was hoping to learn something from you," said Jimmie humbly.

      "I'll bet you are," agreed Menzies. "You turn up at the Yard at six to-morrow evening if I don't send for you before and we'll see."

Chapter XXXIV

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      Truly, as he had said, this was Menzies' busy day. He sat bending over his desk, going over the piles of papers which were the evidence of the minuteness with which Scotland Yard, aided by other great police organisations, had ransacked the world for the smallest facts. Hundreds of men had spent days and money in compiling these reports and nine-tenths of them were useless.

      Before he met the Treasury Solicitor, and the counsel who would have charge of the case in court, it was his task to have his evidence at least roughly sorted into what was material and what was not material, if he did not want to have it straightened out by the legal advisers of the Treasury.

      More than once the doer opened noiselessly and Foyle peeped in, took one look at the industrious figure at the desk, and as noiselessly vanished.

      As he arranged the reports, Menzies sent for the officer responsible for each one and went through his statement with him with deliberate care. Sometimes a man would be sent out again to further verify an important point which had appeared of no great value at the time the statement was taken. Gradually things began to fall into shape. The chief inspector began to pack the documents and exhibits into a despatch case.

      For the fifth time Helden Foyle poked his head inside the door and then the rest of his body followed. Menzies looked up and nodded.

      "Just finished," he said.

      "How does it look?"