"Of course Harry, as soon as he missed him, promptly got off at the next stop--Glenmore--fifteen miles east of here--an' caught the West-bound back again in the morning. Went straight to the hotel an' soon located his man. Didn't speak to him, though. Didn't register at the place, either--but that may have been because of the expense--hadn't any too much 'dough' left, an' p'r'aps figured he'd most likely have a long wait. He rented this furnished cottage instead, for a few days. It belongs to a chap named George Ricks, over at Beaver Dam. He comes into town an' lives in it himself all the winter, but leaves it in charge of some chap here to rent to anybody who comes along during the summer. I guess Harry felt pretty safe, knowing that Wilks wasn't exactly in the position to give him away. There's absolutely no doubt what his intention was--"
The Sergeant paused a moment and eyed his listener grimly. The latter, with an equally grim comprehensive gesture, nodded silently.
"Well," he went on, "here they camped, watchin' each other's every little movement. Shapiro never got much of a show to do anything, though, for Wilks took darned good care to keep inside the hotel most of the time. He admits he was scared to death, especially after reading about Harry shootin' the watchman. Just dawdled around--couldn't make up his mind _what_ to do, knowing that he couldn't shake Harry a _second_ time. He was feeling pretty sick, too.... I guess this thing's been comin' on him some time, hasn't it, Charley?"
The doctor, nodding again, replied: "Yes, about a month, most probably."
"An' that's how the case stands," concluded Ellis wearily. "If you hadn't gone into his room that time when you did, Harry'd most likely put the kibosh on him right there. Choked him, p'r'aps. I got the money off him, O. K. About a hundred short--what he'd paid for his ticket through to Hamilton, a bribe to that chauffeur, Kelly, his hotel bill here, an' odds an' ends. The New Axminster men'll get their hooks on that chauffeur quick, I'll bet, when the O.C. forwards them my crime report. Don't know whether they'll be able to make a charge stick or not--may do. I turned the money into the bank for safe keeping. Inspector Purvis'll take it down with him when we go back to the Post."