Just as he came abreast of the lunch counter the place contained he saw Moreland enter a doorway in the rear and start up a flight of stairs.
Like a flash Van was after him, and a moment later he flung the door open and darted breathlessly up the stairs.
When he reached the top he found himself in a gloomy hallway of narrow dimensions.
It was too dark for him to discern the person he sought, but he could hear the sound of footsteps on the uncarpeted floor.
It was just at that moment that it occurred to Van for the first time that he had made a mistake.
"I ought to have brought a policeman with me," he thought. "But it is too late now. I will capture that man or die!"
Rash boy! He had not taken ten steps along the hallway when a figure suddenly confronted him; there was a dull thud, and Van Vincent sank to the floor with a thousand stars flashing before his eyes.