detective with a discouraged sigh.

"Haven't found it?" repeated Garrick. "Then how did you get this
cartridge--or, at least why do you connect it with the
disappearance of the car?"

"Well," explained McBirney, getting down to the story, "you
understand Mr. Warrington's car was insured against theft in a
company which is a member of our association. When it was stolen
we immediately put in motion the usual machinery for tracing
stolen cars."

"How about the police?" I queried.

McBirney looked at me a moment--I thought pityingly. "With all
deference to the police," he answered indulgently, "it is the
insurance companies and not the police who get cars back--usually.
I suppose it's natural. The man who loses a car notifies us first,
and, as we are likely to lose money by it, we don't waste any time
getting after the thief."

"You have some clew, then?" persisted Garrick.

McBirney nodded.

"Late this afternoon word came to me that a man, all alone in a
car, which, in some respects tallied with the description of
Warrington's, although, of course, the license number and color
had been altered, had stopped early this morning at a little
garage over in the northern part of New Jersey."