Manfred saw a light creep into his eyes.
“Will you want me for the next two hours?” Leon asked quickly, and was out of the room in a flash.
Ten minutes later, Poiccart and George were talking together when they heard the street door close, and saw Leon stroll to the edge of the pavement and wave his umbrella. The taxi-driver was suddenly a thing of quivering excitement. He leaned down, cranked his engine, climbed back into his seat and brought the car up quicker than any taxicab driver had ever moved before.
“New Scotland Yard,” said Leon, and got into the machine.
The cab passed through the forbidding gates of the Yard and dropped him at the staff entrance.
“Wait here,” said Leon, and the man shifted uncomfortably.
“I’ve got to be back at my garage——” he began.
“I shall not be five minutes,” said Leon.
Meadows was in his room, fortunately.
“I want you to pull in this man and give him a dose of the third degree you keep in this country,” said Leon. “He carries a gun; I saw that when he had to get down to crank up his cab in Piccadilly Circus. The engine stopped.”