"Where have you been?" questioned Van Pelt and Mrs. Kennedy in a breath, and then he told them his story, and also told of what had happened to Gertrude.
"The dirty villain!" cried Mrs. Kennedy, referring to Bulson. "He ought to be put in prison. But the poor girl's troubles are over now."
Then she told of how Mark Horton wanted his niece to come back to him.
"Perhaps he wants her back, and perhaps this is another trick," said Nelson. "After this I am going to help guard her more than ever."
"Where is she now?"
"At home. She doesn't know what to do. She thinks of calling on her uncle—to warn him against Bulson. We've got an idea the man is poisoning his uncle in order to get the entire fortune."
"Those books on poison——" began Van Pelt.
"Exactly," said Nelson. "You can testify to them, can't you?"
"To be sure. You had better tell the police of this."