Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1939-03-24
CHAPTER 9


turned on the illumination in the ga
rage kept for his visitors cars. He
glanced behind him at the clock. II
was we'll past the hour when the latest
of his guests might have been expect
ed to depart. He kicked off his patent
shoes and replaced them with rubbers
exchanged his dress coat for plain
black one, showing no white front
slipped cartridges into a small CUR
which he took from his drawer, helped
himself to a bunch of keys and made
his way quietly downstairs and out OF
the house. Fifty yards along the
curving drive and he was outside the
garage door. He listened for a mo-
ment. The light had been extinguish-
ed. He unlocked the door softly,
stretched out his arm and turned on
half a dozen switches at once. There
was a startled but familiar exclama-
ton.
From the center of the big garage,
Andrews, on his hands and knees, peer
ed out.
"Matresser" he exclaimed in dis
may.
Matresser extinguished the lights,
leaving the place once more in dark
ness.
"Come here" he enjoined. 81 will
show you the way with my torch"
From behind an old landaulette,
Matresser made a pathway of illumi-
nation. Andrews stumbled to his feet
and made shamefaced approach.
"What are you doing in here?"
Matresser demanded coldly.
"You can guess" was the desperate
reply. 81 wanted to get her car"
"What were you going to do with
it,"
"Drive it to the sea-get rid of it
anyhow"
Matresser withdrew into vacant
corner of the garage and turned on a
single light.
Andrews" he declared, 81 have
known you since you were boy but
I never realized before that you were
a half-witted ass. The police will be
here hunting for cars the day after to-
morrow and the person most suspect
ed will be the person whose ear is
found hidden or partly destroyed"
Andrews admitted pitifully. 81
felt I had to do something, though"
"The only thing you had any chance
of succeeding in doing" Matresser told
him sternly, twas to get Mademoiselle
Stamier into trouble. Now listen to
me. Did you examine the tires of
Mademoiselle Stamier's carr"
II glanced at them"
what make were they?"
"The new pattern =. English"
"Quite right. Now do you remem-
Der when left the surgery the other
night asked you to stop the car at a
certain placer"
"Of course do" the doctor agreed.
1T was just where we nearly had the
collision"
Evidently the driver of the car put
on the brakes as he or she passed us,
because for ten yards each way, even
in that soft mud, there was not a
recognizable mark. Afterwards it
was very different. There were dis
tinct evidences of the passing, one
wheels on the lane and the other in the
muddy path, of a car having the new
Germanic tires. One of us, since you
have taken the matter up it had bet
ter be you, should show little intel
ligence in this matter You should
suggest that the road be searched for
marks of the passing car. It won't
take them very long to discover the
Number Seven Germanic tire. They
may pay a visit down here, my friend.
What's more natural? They will ex-
anime my friends cars one by one.
When they get to Mademoiselle SIAM
ier's they will see that it is fitted
with English tires. There you are,
then. Miss Stamier is a good deal
further removed from completely in
this affair than she would have been
by your laundering efforts to drive
her car into the sea or leave it in a
wood"
"Do you mean me to understand
that the tires on mss Stamier's car
have been changed?" Andrews asked
hoarsely.
Granted that you possess the usual
amount of intelligence" Matressel
said smiling, "that fact would probab.
ly dawn upon you."
"Who changed them?'
"The man who took out his torch
and made the discovery"