The detective quickly gathered the bits, placed them in his pocketbook, and then left the office. Before attempting to make a sequential arrangement of the bits, upon which writing had been observed, Nick went to the office of the chief of police in the Four Courts, on Clark Avenue. He had not given his name to the patrolman on the night before, when announcing his discovery of the suicide of Luke Filbon, but had simply said that he was a friend of the chief and would report to that official in the morning. The patrolman was a new hand, and the quiet, authoritative manner of the great detective had its effect. Besides, he was excited over the announcement Nick had made, and was off for the nearest signal-box as soon as Nick had finished his statement. When the detective entered the office he found the chief in earnest conversation with the chief of detectives, and he was heartily greeted by each of them. In a few words Nick stated that, while looking for John Dashwood, he had come upon Luke Filbon, just before the taking of the dose of poison. "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: