"Now," he said, "I do not wish to appear as a witness at the inquest, for reasons which any detective officer will appreciate. My presence in St. Louis is known to but few people. I do not wish to announce the fact to the whole city. Leonard will give the reason for the suicide, the bottle of poison and the autopsy report will show the cause of the death. My evidence would be simply cumulative."
"Leonard has been here," said the chief, "and has told us about the robbery. We can get along without you, Nick."
"Thank you, chief. And—did Leonard say anything about Dashwood?"
"He said he was missing, but he hoped he would show up before night. We were discussing the Dashwood matter when you came in. I don't like the looks of things. Dashwood is a sober, honest, clear-headed man of business. He would never leave town without notifying somebody, Leonard or Mrs. Dashwood."
"Mrs. Dashwood is out of town."
"Leonard, then. And, as he did not notify Leonard, I believe there has been foul play."
Nick was of the same opinion, but for hours he had hoped that something—preferably the appearance of Dashwood himself—might cause him to change it.
"Dashwood is my friend—I shall speak of him as alive, for I will not believe him dead until I see his dead body—and I shall remain here until the mystery of his disappearance has been solved."
"I am glad to hear you say that," said the chief, with pronounced satisfaction. "Take the case, and we will assist you."
A long consultation followed. When it was over Nick went to his room and proceeded without loss of time to put together the pieces of paper he had picked up in Leonard's office. The work was laborious, but it was at last completed. The paper was, as Nick had surmised, a note from Dashwood, written the evening before, and it told a story which stamped Gabriel Leonard as a liar. This is what the note said: