" The circumstance
(which might have been no more than coincidence) that three girls
had disappeared within the last eight weeks leaving no trace
behind, had stimulated the professional scribes to link the
cases, although no visible link had been found, and to enliven a
somewhat dull journalistic season with theories about "a new
Mormon menace."
The vanishing of this fourth girl had inspired them to some
startling headlines, and the case had interested me personally
for the reason that I was acquainted with Sir Howard Hepwell, one
of whose gamekeepers was the stepfather of the missing Molly
Clayton. Moreover, it was hinted that she had gone away in the
company of Captain Ronald Vane, at that time a guest of Sir
Howard's at the Manor.
In fact, Sir Howard had 'phoned to ask me if I could induce
Harley to run down, but my friend had expressed himself as
disinterested in a common case of elopement. Now, as Wessex
spoke, I glanced aside at Harley, wondering if the fact that so
celebrated a member of the C.I.D. as Detective-Inspector Wessex
had been put in charge would induce him to change his mind.
We were traversing a particularly noisy and unsavoury section of
the Commercial Road, and although I could see that Wessex was
anxious to impart particulars of the case to Harley, so loud was
the din that I recognized the impossibility of conversing, and
therefore:
"Have you time to call at my rooms, Wessex?" I asked.
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