CHAPTER X.
THE DETECTIVE ARRIVES.
"But, father, isn't there something we can do?" asked Jack, for aboutthe tenth time that day. It was about three o'clock in the afternoonof the day following Bob's disappearance. They had waited in vain forany news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Goldenhad got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detectiveagency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best menthere on the four-forty train.
"Yes, I guess we can do something now. We'll run across in the Sprite,and catch the four o'clock trolley to town, which will get us there intime to meet that detective, Mr. Sharp."
Glad of anything which promised action, Jack grabbed his cap andstarted for the boathouse. It had been a terrible day to him, for hewas lost without Bob, and the thought that he might never see himagain nearly drove him frantic. He and his father were soon in theSprite speeding across the lake, and as they reached the wharf infront of the hotel, they saw Fred and Will Jenkins just getting intotheir boat.
"Hello, Jack, heard anything from Bob yet?" asked Will.
"No, not yet."
"Well, let us know when you do. So long."
Jack wasn't sure, but it seemed to him that there was a half sneer toWill's voice, and that both Fred and Will had an uneasy look aboutthem.
"Say, dad," he asked after he had removed the cell from the motor andput it in his pocket, "did you notice anything strange about thosefellows."
"Strange, what do you mean?" asked his father.
"I hardly know, but somehow, I feel it in my bones, that they've had ahand in this business. Look here," and reaching his hand into his backpocket, he pulled out a small knife which he handed to his father,saying, "I found that about thirty feet from the spring this forenoon.It is not rusted any to speak of, so it couldn't have been therelong."
"Do you know whose it is?" asked his father.
"I'm not sure," replied Jack, "but I've seen Will Jenkins use a knifewhich looked a good deal like this one. I'd have asked him about it,only I didn't think of it in time."
"You be sure and tell the detective about it," said Mr. Golden. "Ofcourse it doesn't prove anything, as there are probably lots of knivesjust like it in town."
By this time they were on the car and in about thirty minutes theyreached Skowhegan. As they passed down the street toward the station,they were stopped many times by friends, asking anxiously after Boband by the time they reached the depot the train was whistling. As itdrew in and came to a stop, a small man with a smooth face was thefirst to alight. There were not many passengers, and Mr. Golden knewmost of them. The man who first got off, however, was a stranger, andhe seemed to be looking for some one; Mr. Golden stepped up to him andasked if he was Mr. Sharp.
"Right first time," was the reply, "and you must be Mr. Golden."
Jack was then introduced, but he was much disappointed, for Mr. Sharpdid not at all answer his idea of a detective. In common with mostboys, he had always imagined a detective to be a very mysterious-lookingperson, while Mr. Sharp was indeed very ordinary in appearance.
The trolley car was waiting only a couple of squares away for itsreturn trip to the lake, and as soon as they obtained his suitcasefrom the baggage room, they started.
"We'll be up in time for supper," said Mr. Golden, as they boarded thecar.
On the way up, Mr. Golden gave the detective an account of Bob'sdisappearance, including the events which preceded it. As there werebut few people on the car, they could talk in low tones with no dangerof being overheard. The detective said but little, except to ask aquestion now and then, but when they were in the Sprite, on their wayacross the lake, he said:
"Mr. Golden, I want you to give me a careful description of those twomen."
"I guess Jack can do that better than I, as I only saw them once, andthen took no particular notice of them."
So Jack described them as well as he could, but the detective shookhis head.
"Can't place 'em. Your description of Reed would fit a dozen men Iknow, and while the other one puts me in mind of a fellow I oncearrested for counterfeiting, I'm not sure. You didn't notice a scar onhis upper lip, did you?"
"No, I thought I told you that he had a mustache."
"So you did, so you did," said the detective, "I must be gettingforgetful."
Supper was ready by the time they arrived at the cottage, and as soonas it was over, the detective asked to be shown the way to thespring, and once there, he made a thorough search of the immediatevicinity, but after nearly an hour had passed, he was forced toacknowledge that he had found no clue. As soon as they got back to thehouse, he called Boston on the telephone.
"Hello, Bill? Yes. I want you to find out as quickly as possible thewhereabouts of Jim Edwards. Yes, that's the fellow. Call me as soon asyou get any news." He gave the number of the phone and then hung up.
Early in the morning the phone rang, and Sharp was asked for. After ashort conversation, he hung up the receiver, saying to Mr. Golden andJack, who were in the room, "Nothing has been heard of that fellowEdwards since he got out of prison, nearly a year ago. Now, Jack, ifyou'll run me across in your boat, I'll go down to the village, anddon't be surprised if you don't see me for a day or two."
"This is a mighty fine boat you have," remarked Sharp, as they wereskimming across the lake in the Sprite. "Is this the new cell?"
"Yes," replied Jack, and then added bitterly, "I wish we'd never madethe old thing, then Bob wouldn't have been kidnapped."
"It's wonderful to think of you boys making a discovery like that.Why, do you realize what a tremendous lot of money there is in it?"
"I suppose so, but I can't bear to think of it now that Bob's gone."
They soon reached the hotel wharf, and the detective, taking Jack bythe hand, said, "Keep up your courage, my boy; I don't think they willharm your brother, and sooner or later, we will be sure to find him."So saying, he started off toward the trolley, while Jack pushed offand sadly headed the Sprite for home.
"Somehow, I don't think much of that detective," he thought, as hesped along. "He may be all right, and I suppose he is, but he hasn'tgot enough snap in him to suit me."
Jack's adverse opinion of Sharp was increased tenfold, when hereturned the following night and reported that he had been unable tofind a single clue. "By the way," he said, "I tried to find thoseJenkins boys to see if I could get anything out of them, but they lefttown on the early train yesterday, and no one seems to know where theyhave gone."
It was late the next afternoon. Sharp had gone off early in themorning, saying that he would probably be back that night. Jack hadspent the forenoon on the lake with his mother and the girls, tryingto cheer them up. Mrs. Golden was rapidly giving away under thestrain, while Edna's eyes were constantly red and swollen from crying.Mr. Golden had gone to his office that morning, but had returned onthe twelve o'clock car, and they had met him at the wharf and takenhim over in the Sprite. It was about four o'clock, and they were tillon the porch, talking as usual about the missing boy.
"Say, dad, I don't think much of that detective fellow," Jack wassaying, when the phone rang sharply, and he ran into the house toanswer it. A moment later he shouted, "Dad, you're wanted on the longdistance." Mr. Golden came in quickly and took the receiver.
"Is this Mr. Golden of Skowhegan?" came over the wire.
"Yes."
"This is the police station at Brunswick. A boy has just come in herewith a note, which he says he found in the street. It's so coveredwith dirt, that it's pretty hard to read, but listen and I'll readwhat we've made out. Can you hear?"
"Yes, yes, go ahead, I can hear all right."
The voice then read the note, which Bob had dropped the night before.As Bob had thought, it didn't tell them much, but it let them knowthat he was alive and well, and that helped some and made them feel alittle better. After Mr. Golden had finished telling them what he hadheard, Jack said nothing for some moments, but sat thinking deeply.Sudd
enly, he looked up. "Dad," he said, "I want you to let me go toBoston. Bob's there, and I might be able to find him."
"Why, my dear boy, what could you do in Boston. It is a big city,"spoke up Mrs. Golden, "and you don't know where they have taken him.Besides," she added sadly, "they might get you too."
"I guess I could look out for myself. Jerusalem, but I've got to dosomething. I'm tired of this sitting round waiting for some one elseto do it all, and," he added sadly, "this all don't seem to amount toa hill of beans. What do you say, dad?"
"Well, I hardly know what to say," replied Mr. Golden. "We'll waittill Mr. Sharp returns, and see if he has any news." But, althoughthey waited till nearly one o'clock, the detective did not come.
They had all gone to bed but father and son. "Come, dad, say I maygo," pleaded Jack.
"Well, I'm not at all sure it's the wise thing, but something seems totell me that I had better let you have your way."
"Hurrah!" shouted Jack. "I'll be off on the five o'clock train."
"No," said his father, "you had better wait till a later train, andperhaps I'll go with you, but I don't want to go till Sharp returns,and now let's go to bed."
Sharp did not return the next morning, and at breakfast, Mr. Goldensaid, "Jack, I guess you had better take the noon train. If Sharpdoesn't come with some news by that time, I'll wait and come later, ifI think best."
The thought that at last he was going to do something toward findingBob filled Jack with joy, and by ten o'clock he was ready to start. Heand Mr. Golden went across in the Sprite, after assuring his motherthat he would be very careful and not get into trouble.
"Now, my dear boy, be very careful and look out for yourself," saidMr. Golden, as he bade him goodby. "Go to Uncle Ben's tonight, andtomorrow, you had better go to the agency and have them detail a manto help you in your search," and then he added sadly, "It's likelooking for a needle in a haystack, but if you don't get into trouble,it won't do any harm."
"Don't worry about me," assured Jack, "I'll look out for myself and,"he added, "I'll find Bob if I have to go through Boston with a finetooth comb."
The Boston train pulled into the North station at eight o'clock, andas he was pretty hungry, Jack thought he would go into a restaurantjust across the street, for supper, before going to his uncle's, as helived in Winthrop, a town about five miles from the city, across theharbor. As he left the station, he caught sight of a man elbowing hisway through the crowd, that made his heart thump.
"On my soul, I believe that's Reed," he said half aloud, startingtowards him. As he pushed forward he saw the man turn, and for aninstant their eyes met, but the next moment the man had turned, andbefore Jack could get to him, he was lost in the crowd. He rushedabout here and there, but to his dismay, he could not find him.
"That was he, sure as guns," he thought, "and I believe he recognizedme."
He realized that his chances of finding him were virtually nil, andwith a heavy heart, he entered the restaurant, and after a hastysupper, took a car for the ferry.
It was a very dark night, and a drizzling rain was falling as hestepped on the ferryboat. There were not many people on board, andwhat few there were, at once went into the cabin to escape the rain.Jack, however, had on a raincoat and stood by the rail, watching thelights of the passing boats, and thinking what hard luck it was tofind Reed so soon only to lose him again. The boat was about half-wayacross the harbor, which is about a mile and a half wide, when Jackfelt himself seized from behind, and before he knew what had happened,he was hurling through the air into the dark water below.