“Then we’ll rush him there.” The policeman turned again to Penny. “You say you know this man and his family?”
“Not well, but they live only a few blocks from us.”
“Then ride along in the ambulance,” the policeman suggested.
Penny rode in front with the driver, who during the speedy dash to the river, questioned her regarding her knowledge of the unconscious man.
“I don’t know much about him,” she confessed. “Mrs. Weems, our housekeeper, is acquainted with his wife. I’ve heard her say that Mr. McClusky is subject to the bends. Once on an important diving job he stayed under water too long and wasn’t properly put through a decompression lock when he came out. He is supposed to have regular check-ups from a doctor, but he is careless about it.”
“Being careless this time might have cost him his life,” the driver replied. “When a fellow is in his condition, he’ll pass out quick if he isn’t rushed to a lock. A night in jail would have finished him.”
“Will he be all right now?”
“Can’t tell,” was the answer. “Even if he does come out of it, he may be paralyzed for life.”
“Do you know what causes bends?” Penny inquired curiously.
“Nitrogen forms in bubbles in the blood stream,” the driver answered, and drew up at the waterfront.