his proposal. "Garrick," he said slowly, "I'd like to have you
take up the case for us, too. I've heard already that you are
working on the automobile cases. You see, I have ways of getting
information myself. We're not so helpless as your friend McBirney,
maybe, thinks."

He faced us and it was almost as if he read our minds.

"For instance," he proceeded, "it may interest you to know that we
have just planned a new method to recover stolen automobiles and
apprehend the thieves. A census of all cars in the questionable
garages of the city has been taken, and each day every policeman
is furnished with descriptions of cars stolen in the past twenty-
four hours. The policeman then is supposed to inspect the garages
in his district and if he finds a machine that shouldn't be there,
according to the census, he sees to it that it isn't removed from
the place until it is identified. The description of this
Warrington car has gone out with extra special orders, and if it's
in New York I think we'll find it."

"I think you'll find," remarked Garrick quietly, "that this
machine of Warrington's isn't in the city, at all."

"I hardly think it is, myself," agreed Dillon. "Whoever it was who
took it is probably posted about our new scheme. That's not the
point I was driving at. You see, Garrick, our trails cross in
these cases in a number of ways. Now, I have a little secret fund
at my disposal. In so far as the affair involved the murder of
that girl--and I'm convinced that it does--will you consider that
you are working for the city, too? The whole thing dovetails. You