“Guess I’d forgotten all about that!” he said. “Here!—get yourself a drink.”
“Thought you had, sir,” remarked Grimsdale, phlegmatic as ever. “Thank you, sir.”
He went over to his trap and drove off, and Blick signed to his companion to follow him towards the Chief Constable’s office.
“I’m truly thankful you came, Mr. Lansbury,” he said, as they walked up the street. “Everything’s in more or less of a fog about this affair!”
“Well, beyond what I know myself—which is not a great deal—all I know of it has been got from a London paper that I picked up in my hotel at Falmouth yesterday evening,” said Lansbury. “I set off here almost at once—been on the train practically all night. What’s the latest development?”
“The latest development,” replied Blick, “is one of which I’ve only heard within the last few minutes. Do you know the Baron von Eckhardstein?”
“Sure! I know him well. He was with me and Markenmore at the little inn that night—I left Markenmore and him together at three o’clock or so, Tuesday morning. Von Eckhardstein, of course, was the tall man that the landlord saw us walk up the road with—as, I saw, the landlord mentioned in his evidence.”
“Well—von Eckhardstein has disappeared! During this last night. Clean gone! I suppose you don’t know anything about that?”
“Less than nothing! But what’s all this about? Seems to me——”
“Wait a bit,” interrupted Blick. “We’ll be alone with the Chief Constable in a minute. Then—tell me all you know. We want it!”