“Sure, chief,” put in Patsy. “Like turning over in bed.”
“The job done by the students, however, put him in bad,” Nick added. “He must have revived in this basement, in a building in which he probably could not obtain a rag of clothing, aside from the sheet with which he was covered. Immediate flight, however, was imperative. He luckily had the advantage of darkness, and he probably fled at once, wrapped only in the sheet. His first move, of course, was to find garments by some hook or crook and in some near quarter, and I think we can learn where he got them.”
“He did not break into Dabney’s house, nor the rooms of any of the students, or the fact would have been reported,” said Chick.
“He would have been less likely to do that, Chick, than to have sought some near residence occupied by fewer persons and presenting less danger of detection and arrest.”
“That’s true.”
“I will try with Patsy to follow up the trail,” said Nick, turning to the door. “You go to Doctor Nolan’s office in the meantime and get the vial still containing some of the drug, or compound, used by Margate. Take it to Professor George Arden, whose address you will find in the directory. He is one of the leading chemists in the country, and he probably will be able to tell us of what the stuff consists.”
“Most likely,” Chick agreed. “Where will I see you later?”
“At the Willard. We will return about noon for lunch.”
“Very good. I’ll be there,” Chick nodded, turning to go.
They had emerged from the basement while speaking, and Nick and Patsy now began seeking the trail of the missing man. Neither in the driveway, nor on the surrounding lawns, could they discover any sign of a bare footprint, however, and Nick paused after a few moments and said: