He did not finish the sentence, but the way in which he said the words boded no good to Doctor Stephen Follansbee. Crawford had only to look at the detective at that moment to realize why Nick Carter was called “the man who never lets go.”
CHAPTER XXXIII.
WILL HE SCORE?
Winthrop Crawford was not satisfied, however. His anxiety was centered about the welfare of his old friend, and he could not lose sight of Stone’s continued absence from the Windermere.
“But what are you going to do about Jimmy?” he asked eagerly. “Don’t delay, man. Hunt him up as soon as possible, even if you have to defy Follansbee, and mess things up generally in order to do so.”
“Don’t worry about that, Crawford. I’ll look out for your friend. He may have spent the night at Follansbee’s house. At any rate, the doctor is a marked man, and if Stone has gone anywhere with his companion, it ought to be a comparatively easy matter to trace them. You can’t stay here, though, while I’m doing it.”
“Why not?”
“For various reasons. If you did so, and Stone came back, it would be hard to act as if nothing had happened, and he would be watching you with lynx eyes, waiting to see the effect of the injection. I haven’t had time yet to analyze the original contents of the syringe, so that I can’t say just how the stuff is supposed to act. In order to be on the safe side, though, you’ll have to leave the Windermere for the time being. If you’re out of their sight, they will not be able to keep tabs on your condition, and we can easily enough make them believe that the disease which they suppose has been introduced into your system is following its normal course.”
“But won’t Jimmy think it strange if I disappear after I’ve stuck to him so long—stuck to him against his will?”