That, however, could not be helped, and as Gordon planned to lock the absconding treasurer in the garage, he did not anticipate any immediate trouble from that direction. Moreover, Cray had, so to speak, introduced himself and his companion to Simpson, speaking of Gordon as Nick Carter, of course. That promised to furnish the basis of a nice mystery. Green Eye found the prisoner almost fainting with terror, and finished the work already begun, by fastening him in such a way that he could not budge from his place, or make any noise to amount to anything. “This will have to be your cell for the present, Simpson,” he informed the trembling thief. “Don’t worry, though, you’ll find yourself in a real one, before long.” And he turned his back on the wretched man and stalked out, pushing the door to and locking it behind him. Cray remained to be disposed of, but Gordon had not forgotten that fact. He had had no intention of placing the two men in the garage, for he considered that unwise, on general principles. If Cray were dead, as he believed, the presence of the body might drive Simpson to extraordinary exertions, and thus bring about a premature discovery. On the other hand, if Jack were still alive, the two men might find means of communicating with or helping each other. What then? Naturally it occurred to the criminal that it might be well to bundle Cray into the car and carry him for some distance from the scene of the affair before attempting to dispose of the body. A moment’s thought caused him to veto that plan, however. The car was not overlarge, and if Cray’s bulk were added to that of the two gold-laden suit cases, the interior of the electric machine would be overcrowded. Furthermore, the upholstery was rather light in hue, and Gordon was afraid of bloodstains. On the whole, therefore, he decided to leave his victim in the yard, but to conceal him as well as he could. To that end, he dragged Jack’s inert form around the corner of the garage to a point close beside the lumber pile. Then very quietly he began removing boards from the top of the pile and placing them in another and narrower pile just on the other side of the body. When he had raised this smaller pile to the required height, he began placing more boards in such a way that each one projected an inch or so beyond the one below it, thus forming a sort of arch over Cray’s outstretched form—a one-sided arch that soon touched the original pile of lumber and leaned against it more or less securely. “There!” Green Eye muttered. “Now he can’t be seen from the house or the road here at the back. The ends are open, to be sure, but I can’t help that. I haven’t anything here to cover the openings. All I ask, though, is a start of a few hours, and that I shall certainly have.”