The Washington times., 1918-08-30
The Wolves of New York
A STORY OF LOVE AND MYSTERY
Detective Tells Lillian That DR.. Basil
Fleetwood Is Missing From His
Home i'm Westchester.

-ss you knows ILL.," Lillian re-
sumed her seat, struggling To over
come her emotion.
"Quite so. / think Il Is best that
she should not be with us-at any
rate for the present ! may have to
speak Of matters that might have
been very painful 10 her. Later on
We may need her help
How Is EstherT' interrupted
Guy. 'T was q brute not 70 ask
about her before"
Lillian relieved his mind ss TO
Esther and then continued: per
hzps you are right. But ! am sorry
that Basil Fleetwood Is not with us
/ wrote to him yesterday and half
expected that he would be here him
self today. Perhaps he will come
In the course Of 'he morning.
'sMr. Hooking told me last niEht
Of this Basil Fleetwood, and OF his
peculiar relationship to Mrs. Bor-
radale." The detective diVed his
hand into one Of his capacious
pockets, and selected q paper from
the large assortment of documents
which ne produced. 81 am sorry,
he continued, "to be the bearer OF
bad news to you about this gentle
man, but fear this paper refers 10
him"
aSwhat Is it?" cried Gilian-
at Is . notification to the police
that a DR.. Basil Fleetwood OF west
chester
~ft is he!" cried Lillian again
Heavens, what has happened 70
AImr'
-Dr. fleetwood is missing from
his home"
-But 1t was only the day before
yesterday that
The information Is lodged by
his partner. II It were not that
there were other suspicious circun1-
6tAnceG no alarm might be felt
But Il appears that DR.. Fleetwood
went out on his bicycle in the
morning, as you say. Of the day be-
fore yesterday. He announced his
intention OF returning in the after
noon"
aHe was at the Towers till about
{ O'clock" said Lillian, exeitedly.
Then he left TO return home.
Esther walked with him to the
park EstsA"
-And he spoke to one OF the
servants of the house at about )
o'clock on the high road going to-
ward the station-so much IL
known. ! understand that the sta
tion 10 In the opposite direction to
that which he should have taken.
I ELECTED all the information L
could, you see," explained Swan.
sfor az soon as the name OF Fleet
wood was mentioned to me Irimme-
diately thought OF what Mr.. Hook
ing had told me the night before.
The report OF DR.. Fleetwood's dis
appearance was only received this
morning. and 1t was quite By acci-
dent heard OF It"
"But It Is extraordinary and
alarming. / am deeply concerned"
Lilian's face did not belle her words.
-And /, who was hoping for good
news"
Lillian, l." began Hooking.
@You must exonerate Hooking
ever this, Mrs. willoughby." inter
rupted Swan. He knew nothing
about Il. We only met at the DIOR
a. we arranged to do last night"
"Is nothing else known" asked
Lillian anxiously. 81 cannot under
DR.. Fleetwood"
C6f anu IL 10 " AAaN u AA@N
next day that caused anxiety. DIR.
Fleetwood's bicycle was found near
70 the lake in the wood; 1t appears
that there is a spur Of the lake that
approaches very close to the road,
and a path leads to tt
"Yes, yes; there IS
well, 1t was Just where this path
curves around the lake that the BIZ
cycle vaS found. But there was no
sign Of its owner. Thn machine lay
almost in the water"
"Heayens! He has killed him
self" cried Lillian, and there were
tears in her eyes. They were not
tears for Basil Fleetwood, who
was to her merely an acquaintance,
they were for Esther, and this new
trouble that had befallen her.
The lake will be dragged, l pre-
sume," said Swan. ut is a fact
that he was either killed himself
or met with foul play"
"Oh, I am afraid that he has
drowned himself" Lillian was ter
ribly agitated and her voice shook
a. she spoke. He was so miser-
able that afternoon. Esther had
become reconciled toward her hus-
band, and Basil thought IL unwise.
She had told him that while she
was with Harold he must neither
see her or write to her, and the
moor fellow was in despair. He
must have waited for US 10 pass
on our way 10 the station, and
then-oh, how pitiful IL is! And
nv Door EEther-what terrible
suffering for her when she knows"
at Is impossible fer me to give
an opinion Of any real value yet"
aid Swan. 1.-THE information, as
YOU know. only reached me this
morning. But I am inclined TO think
that Doctor Fleetwood did not COM
rnft suicide. II he is dead. IL is far
more likely that he has been killed.
But until his body is found l shall
doubt even that Had ! not heard
from Hooking OF the peculiar events
that had just taken place at Helm
and OF your own predicament in re
card 70 the children. ] might have
thought otherwise-if I had given
th,. matter a thought. which. not
knowing Doctor Fleetwood even by
name, / should probably not have
done"
Lillian clasped her hands together.
sOh, / trust you may be right in
thinking him not dead" she muir
rnered. And somehow ! cannot be-
lieve that he was the sort OF man
70 kill himself. But what has hap
pened to him? I am so terribly in
the dark. II is so strange that you
seem TO see all these events as links
IN the same chain" She rose and
walked rcstlessly 10 the window.
ssForHive me-" she said. but ] am
terrIbIy unneryed by what 7 have
heard. ! shall be able to listen to
yo,I again in a minute"
For a few moments she stood S1z-
rrk.