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"What happened then?"
"I must have been stunned for a moment or two. When I regained my senses the Hoffs' car had stopped, and Frederic was backing the car to where the accident had happened. His uncle was storming at him for stopping.
He wanted Frederic to go on and leave us there, but Frederic wouldn't do it, and they quarrelled. Frederic won out by pointing out that two bodies lying at the entrance would arouse suspicion."
"At the entrance to what?"
"I don't know. He didn't say. I think I could find the place again."
"We've got to find it," said Carter.
"Indeed we have," Jane agreed, "and quickly, too. I fear we are going to be too late. Old Mr. Hoff seemed to be in terrible haste and spoke of their plans being nearly completed."
"Go on," said Fleck quietly, "tell us the rest."
"Frederic Hoff stayed behind to pick us up, and the old man went off on the motorcycle. I heard them talking about his taking a train at the nearest station."
"What did young Hoff do when he found it was you lying there?"
"He seemed surprised and startled."
"What did he say?"
Jane colored and hesitated. There rose in her mind the picture of his tall figure bending over her, with anguish in his eyes, with expressions of endearment on his lips. She could not, she would not tell them what he had said.
"He asked if I was hurt."
"Is that all?"
Again she blushed and hesitated.
"That's all."
"Did he not seem amazed at finding you there? Did he not ask you to account for your presence there?"
"No," said the girl, firmly, "he didn't."
"Didn't he question you at all?"
"No," she insisted, "he was busy getting Dean into the car. He was unconscious, and it looked as if he was badly hurt."
"Queer, mighty queer," muttered Carter to himself.
"Didn't he ask you who Dean was?" questioned Fleck.
"I explained that he was our chauffeur. He may have known him by sight at any rate."
"Go on."
"We stopped at the house of the first doctor we came to and left Dean there, and then Mr. Hoff brought me on home in the car. At the ferry he put me into a taxi."
"What did you talk about on the trip home?" asked Fleck suspiciously.
"Didn't he try to pump you?"
"We hardly talked at all. He seemed concerned only in getting me home without its becoming known that I had been in an accident."
"Is that all?" asked the chief. She could see by his manner that he mistrusted her, that he felt that she was keeping something back.