"And is that all?" asked the chief politely. "All the facts I can gather. There must be other cases which are beyond the power of the investigator to unearth." "And what do you expect me to do?" Jack smiled. "I don't expect you to do anything," he said frankly. "You are not exactly supporting my views with enthusiasm." The chief rose, a signal that the interview was at an end. "I'd like to help you if you had any real need for help," he said. "But when you come to me and tell me that Miss Briggerland, a girl whose innocence shows in her face, is a heartless criminal and murderess, and a conspirator--why, Mr. Glover, what do you expect me to say?" "I expect you to give adequate protection to Mrs. Meredith," said Jack sharply. "I expect you, sir, to remember that I've warned you that Mrs. Meredith may die one of those accidental deaths in which Mr. and Miss Briggerland specialise. I'm going to put my warning in black and white, and if anything happens to Lydia Meredith, there is going to be serious trouble on the Thames Embankment." The chief touched a bell, and a constable came in. "Show Mr. Glover the way out," he said stiffly. Jack had calmed down considerably by the time he reached the Thames Embankment, and was inclined to be annoyed with himself for losing his temper. He stopped a newsboy, took a paper from his hand, and, hailing a cab, drove to his office. There was little in the early edition save the sporting news, but on the front page a paragraph arrested his eye. "DANGEROUS LUNATIC AT LARGE." "The Medical Superintendent at Norwood Asylum reports that Dr. Algernon John Thun, an inmate of the asylum, escaped last night, and is believed to be at large in the neighbourhood. Search parties have been organised, but no trace of the man has been found. He is known to have homicidal tendencies, a fact which renders his immediate recapture a very urgent necessity." There followed a description of the wanted man. Jack turned to another part of the paper, and dismissed the paragraph from his mind. His partner, however, was to bring the matter up at lunch. Norwood Asylum was near Dulwich, and Mr. Rennett was pardonably concerned. "The womenfolk at my house are scared to death," he said at lunch. "They won't go out at night, and they keep all the doors locked. How did your interview with the commissioner go on?" "We parted the worst of friends," said Jack, "and, Rennett, the next man who talks to me about Jean Briggerland's beautiful face is going to be killed dead through it, even though I have to take a leaf from her book and employ the grisly Jaggs to do it." Chapter XIV