“I’m out on Long Island, in the railroad station at ——. But between you and me I wish I was somewhere else—nearer town, for example. I don’t think the air of Long Island agrees with me. Can you send for me? There’s no train till morning.”
“Send for you! I’ll come and get you. Listen, if the air out there is chilly, go to the police at —— on —— Street and tell Collins, the lieutenant there, that I sent you and that you are to be locked up there till I come. I’ll ’phone him at once. And I’ll be there in an hour. Will you do that?”
“I’ll do just that and I’ll do it now. Only get a move on, Peters. There’s no time to lose!” I hesitated. “Better bring some men with you, eh?”
“That will have to wait till morning. I can do it by ’phone anyway. I’ll see you in an hour. Good-by,” and he rang off.
When I turned away from the ’phone I showed the clerk another bill. “Look here, I’m going to start out to walk to Jamaica, see? But some of my friends may turn up, I don’t know, and if they do, you tell them where I’ve gone so that they can come after and pick me up, will you?”
“I sure will, mister,” he said, and pocketed the bill.
But my precaution was too late. As I came out of the station a car was rounding the corner a block ahead. I walked quickly in the direction of the police-station, for I knew roughly where it was from Captain Peters’ directions, but after the car passed me I looked back. It had stopped and two men were getting out of it. They glanced in my direction, hesitated, and then hurried into the station, while a third got out of the car and looked after me.
It was getting light now and I kept glancing over my shoulder as I walked. I quickened my pace too, for the police-station was some little distance away. And presently the two men ran out of the railroad station and jumped into the car and the third man followed them. Their car headed in the other direction. It started almost at once, but instead of striking straight ahead it pulled out across the road as though to turn. And I broke into a frank run, covering the ground to that police-station just as fast as I could put down my feet.
I made it too; I got there just ahead of that car, but even then I had a narrow escape, for they drove up on the sidewalk behind me, and I only escaped being run over by leaping aside. It was my recent friends all right, there could be no doubt of that.
Something sped past my ear a moment later and went “spat” against the wall of the police-station. I did not stop to argue. I burst into that station-house as if the devil was at my heels.