Val lifted her hands helplessly.?‘No.’
‘I understand he has consulted Dr. Gustave,’ Terrell went on after a pause. ‘Why did he do that?’
‘He has been in the hands of doctors for two years. He hasn’t any confidence in himself. He seems to feel lost without a doctor close at hand.’
‘I know Dr. Gustave well,’ Terrell said. ‘He is a good man. What did he think of your husband?’
‘Oh, he said he showed signs of improvement, but it would take a long time.’?‘He didn’t warn you that your husband could suddenly run off like this?’?‘No.’?‘Wasn’t your husband nervous about driving a car when he came out of the sanatorium?’ ‘That is one of the things that is worrying me. He hasn’t touched a car since the accident… until this morning. I have always done the driving.’
Terrell thought for a moment, then got to his feet.?‘As soon as we have found him. I’ll let you know. Perhaps it would be better for you to come to headquarters and bring him back here yourself. I guess Dr. Gustave should be alerted. I’ll handle that. You must try to relax. It won’t take long to find him. I have men patrolling all the main highways leading out to Miami.’
When he had gone, Val sat down near the window where she could watch the drive below, and began her long wait.
CHAPTER TWO
Sergeant Joe Beigler ran stubby fingers through his close cut hair, a frown of concentration on his freckled face. He sat at a battered desk in a large room that contained other desks at which uniformed policemen worked, talked into telephones or scribbled in notebooks.
Beigler was reading through a report to do with a minor jewel robbery. He was the senior Sergeant and Terrell’s right hand man. Unmarried, aged thirty-eight, an addict to coffee drinking and cigarette smoking, he was regarded by his Chief as the best Sergeant he had had in years.
The telephone bell tinkled and he dropped a large, hairy hand on the receiver, picked it up and growled, ‘Yeah? Beigler,’
‘The Chief’s just come in,’ the Desk Sergeant said. ‘In his office now.’
Beigler grunted, tossed the file he had been studying into - his Pending tray and walking with heavy strides, he made his way to Terrell’s office.
He found Terrell about to pour coffee from a can one of his men had just brought to him. Seeing Beigler in the doorway, Terrell took another cup from his desk drawer and filled that too.
‘Come on in, Joe. Anything on the Burnett business?’
Beigler came in, closed the door and sat on the straight back chair before Terrell’s desk. As he reached for the cup of coffee, he said, ‘Nothing yet. Every patrol has been alerted. What’s the excitement about?’
Terrell began to fill a blackened and well-used pipe.?‘Important people. The guy’s the son-in-law of Charles Travers, and in case you don’t know who he is, he’s the one who built the New York Palace hotel, a Ferry bridge, a dam in Havana and a number of Little items of the same weight and standing.’
Beigler drank some of the coffee, then lit a cigarette.?‘So?’?‘So we have to find the guy. There’s a complication.’
Terrell paused while he puffed at his pipe. ‘He’s a mental case. On my way back from talking to his wife, I dropped in on Dr. Gustave who knows about the case. This guy sustained bad injuries to his head in a car smash. Dr. Gustave says there are brain adhesions. They could clear up, given time, but in the meantime, he’s not responsible for his actions. He hasn’t driven a car for two years, and now he’s in a Mercedes somewhere on his own. He could cause a lot of damage to himself and to others in a car as fast as a Mercedes.’
‘What do you want me to do?’ Beigler asked, finishing his coffee. ‘Put another call out to the boys?’
‘I guess so. Tell them this is urgent. I want this guy found and found fast I It’s more than two hours since we put the first call out. Can’t be all that hard to find a white convertible Mercedes.’
‘He could have taken to the dirt roads.’ Beigler said, get tin to his feet.?‘I don’t give a damn what he’s done. I want him found pronto!’ Beigler nodded and went down to the Operations room.
He sat at a desk, picked up a microphone and began calling the patrol cars. Even as he began to talk, an officer came up and touched him on the shoulder.
‘Harry’s calling, Sarg. He’s found the Mercedes.’
Beigler handed over the mike.?‘Tell the boys.’ he said and went over to another desk. He picked up the telephone receiver lying on the desk.
‘Harry?’?‘Yes, Sarg. I found the car: White Mercedes. licence No. 33567. Registered New York on the Old Dixie highway. Bust off side tyre: on side fender smashed. Skid marks across the road. The car finished up against a tree. Must have been travelling fast.’
Beigler rubbed the end of his nose.?‘The driver?’?‘No one in the car, Sarg.’?‘Hold it,’ Beigler snapped and swivelled around in his chair. ‘Hi, Jack, how many cars we got near the Old Dixie highway?’
‘Three.’ The plotter who kept tabs on all the patrol cars informed him. ‘Two within twenty miles: the third within ten miles.’
‘Tell them to converge on Harry and fast. He’ll want help.’ Beigler went on to Harry. ‘Three cars are on their way. I want a thorough search of the district. The driver can’t be far away. You stay where you are. Bud will give you a description of the guy.’ He beckoned to another officer, handed over the telephone receiver and went quickly back to Terrell’s office.
*****
At twenty minutes to three in the afternoon, Val was still sitting by the window and still waiting. She kept telling herself that there was nothing she could do, and she just had to be patient till the police found Chris. But as the time moved on, she became more and more anxious. This lone vigil was beginning to tear her nerves to shreds. She was already asking herself if Chris had met with another accident… this time, was he dead?
Suddenly the telephone bell buzzed. For a moment she just stared at the instrument, then getting to her feet, she ran over and lifted the receiver.
‘Mrs. Burnet… this is Captain Terrell.’?‘Have—have you found him?’?‘Not yet, but we have found the car,’ Terrell told her. It was found on the Old Dixie highway… not often used these days. Had a burst tyre and hit a tree. Looks as if your husband left the car and started to walk. I have four cars our there and our men are searching the district. It’s difficult country: lots of shrub land, orchards, disused barns. He might have gone into some derelict building to rest. I thought I’d let you know what’s happening. Don’t worry. We’ll find him soon.’
‘But he might be injured and…’?‘I don’t think so. It wasn’t a bad enough smash for that. Just a bent fender. He’s probably a bit dazed and is resting somewhere.’
‘Perhaps I had better come. I could get a taxi and…’?‘Best for you to remain where you are, Mrs. Burnett.’ Terrell said firmly. ‘Then we’ll know where you are. As soon as we’ve found him. I’ll call again.’
‘All right… thank you for calling me.’?‘You’re welcome,’ Terrell said, a little embarrassed to hear how unsteady her voice sounded.
‘Shouldn’t be long now,’ and he hung up.
Val went over to the window and looked out across the sea. There were a number of people sunning themselves and swimming. It was a gay scene, but there was no gaiety in Val’s heart. When there was no call from the police headquarters at five o’clock, she began to get desperate.
She waited until twenty minutes past five, then unable to bear the suspense any longer, she put a call through to her father’s New York office.
From babyhood, Val’s relations with her father had been on good, sound terms. She had come to worship this successfull, handsome man. She had always been convinced that he could solve any of her problems once she appealed for help. She had been careful in the past to appeal to him on only the very important things, and they had been few, but each rime she had appealed to him, he had dropped everything and had put the whole of his massive energy into solving the problem. She was sure that the reason why he was so impatient with Chris was because Chris presented a problem that defeated him: the first problem to do with Val he hadn’t been able to solve.
After a ten minute wait, she got his office and was told by his secretary that he was in conference.
‘This is Mrs. Burnett. Will you please tell my father I must speak to him immediately?’ ‘Yes, of course, Mrs.
