CHAPTER XV
AT THE BROKERS' OFFICE
Sam and Tom gazed at their brother in amazement.
"Josiah Crabtree!" exclaimed the youngest Rover.
"How did you find that out?" questioned Tom.
"I suspected Crabtree as soon as I saw the man jump into the taxicab,"answered Dick. "There was something about his form, and in the way heran, that looked familiar. Then the taxi driver told me he had twofront teeth filled with gold. That put me on the trail, and from whatthe man told me I am sure the fellow was old Crabtree."
"But if it was Crabtree, what has he to do with dad's visit to NewYork?" asked Sam.
"That remains to be found out. But one thing is sure. Crabtree knowsthat father is missing,--and he had that extra key made to get intothe room during father's absence."
"But where is dad? Do you imagine Crabtree had anything to do with hisdisappearance?" came from Tom.
"I certainly do. Maybe Crabtree is holding him a prisoner."
"Then Pelter, Japson & Company haven't anything to do with it?"
"I wouldn't say that, Tom. The whole crowd may be working together."
"You think Crabtree knows those other men?"
"It may be so--I am not sure. But I am sure of one thing," went onDick, decidedly. "Dad didn't meet with any accident. His disappearanceis due to Crabtree, and, likely, to some of his other enemies."
"Well, that clears up one corner of the mystery," said Sam. "But itdoesn't get us any nearer to finding dad."
"I think it does, Sam. If we can locate Crabtree, I think we canlocate father."
"But how are we going to locate Crabtree?"
"I don't know. But if we keep our eyes and ears open we may learnsomething. In the morning some of us can call on those brokers and seewhat they have to say," continued the big brother.
"Some of us? I thought we were all going?" remarked Tom.
"I've got a new plan, Tom; I'll tell you about it in the morning. Now,as there is no use of watching that room any longer, let us try to geta little sleep."
"It will be very little," murmured Sam, consulting his watch. "It isnearly five o'clock already!"
"We'll sleep until eight o'clock. Those brokers don't get to businessuntil nearly ten."
Once more the boys retired, and, after much turning, all dropped intoslumber. Dick had made up his mind to awaken at eight o'clock andpromptly at that hour he opened his eyes. His brothers were stillasleep and he allowed them half an hour longer, for he knew theyneeded it.
"Now then, Dick, what's your programme?" asked Tom, while he wasdressing.
"My programme is this," answered the big brother. "Instead of thethree of us calling on Pelter, Japson & Company I think one isenough--and that ought to be me, for I have already met Mr. Pelter,once, when I came to New York with dad."
"But what do you want to leave us out for?" grumbled Sam.
"I don't want to leave you out--I want you to be doing somethingelse, for we have no time to lose in this matter. I want you, Sam, tocome with me, and when I go into the offices, I want you to hangaround outside and watch for old Crabtree. If he is in league with thebrokers he may be looking for a chance to interview them, but he willbe on his guard, knowing that we are here."
"What am I to do?" asked Tom.
"I think you had better go up to Central Park, Tom, and see if you canfind out anything there about Crabtree. Maybe some of the nightprowlers around there saw him last night. Anyway, I don't want you tobe seen at the offices with me--for I've got another plan in myhead--if this one fails," went on Dick.
"All right, Dick, we'll do what you say," was Tom's reply.
The boys went below and obtained breakfast in the hotel restaurant.Then they went to the desk, to ask for letters, and then to thetelegraph office, to send a brief message to the farm.
"Have you discovered anything?" questioned the hotel manager, as hecame up to them.
"Not a great deal," answered Dick. "But we hope to get on the track ofsomething to-day."
"Hope you do. What about those two rooms?"
"We'll keep them for the present, Mr. Garley."
"All right."
"And I want you to watch out, so that no outsider gets into them,"went on Dick.
"Leave that to me, Mr. Rover. My men have their instructions. We can'tafford to leave our guests go unprotected."
"Good! If anybody tries to get into our rooms I want you to have himarrested and held."
"He'll be held, don't worry about that," answered the hotel manager,grimly.
A little later the three Rover boys separated, Tom walking over toFifth Avenue, to take an auto bus going uptown, as that would land himclose to the Park entrance.
"We might as well take a Broadway car down to Wall street," said Dick,to Sam. "We have plenty of time, and I don't like the air in thesubway."
"I like the street cars better anyway," responded the younger brother."A fellow can see more."
As was to be expected, the car was crowded, and the boys had to take"strap seats," as Sam called them--standing up in the aisle, holdingon to a strap to keep from falling or sitting down suddenly intosomebody's lap when the car made a turn. They swept down past UnionSquare and block after block of tall business buildings.
"My, what a big place New York is!" remarked Sam. "It's a regular beehive and no mistake."
"We are coming down to the Post Office," said Dick, a little later.
"Gracious! See the building opposite!" gasped Sam. "It's higher than achurch steeple! Wonder how many stories it is?"
"Fifty stories," answered a young man standing beside him.
Soon the car was in lower Broadway, and the boys watched out for Wallstreet, that narrow but famous thoroughfare opposite Trinity church.It was soon reached, and, in company with several men and boys, theyleft the car.
Dick had the address of the brokers in his pocket and the place waseasily found. The offices were located in an old building--one of theoldest on the street, and also one of the shabbiest. But it was fivestories in height and boasted of two elevators, and was, fromappearances, filled with prosperous tenants. In Wall street rents areso high that many a person doing business there is willing to takewhatever quarters he can get.
"Now you hang around in the street here until I come back," said Dickto Sam. "Keep out of sight all you can, so that if Crabtree comesalong he won't see you. I'll go up and see what Pelter, Japson &Company have to say."
"How long will you be gone, Dick?"
"Not more than half an hour at the most--and maybe not half that,"responded the big brother.
Sam dropped behind and Dick entered the dingy office building. Fromthe directory on the wall the oldest Rover boy learned that thebrokers were located on the fourth floor, rooms 408 to 412,--thenumerals really meaning offices 8 to 12 on floor 4. He got into one ofthe narrow elevators and soon reached the fourth floor.
The offices of Pelter, Japson & Company were located in the rear,overlooking the roof of a restaurant on the street beyond. Dickentered a tiny waiting room and an office boy came to ask what hewanted.
"I wish to see Mr. Pelter," said Dick.
"Not in yet."
"When do you expect him?"
"Ought to be here now."
"Then I'll wait," and Dick dropped on a chair. He had hardly done sowhen the door opened and a burly individual hurried in. He gave Dickan inquiring look.
"Wants to see you, Mr. Pelter," said the office boy. "Just came in."
"Want to see me? What is it?" and the head of the brokerage firmstepped up to Dick.
"You are Mr. Pelter?"
"Yes."
"I am Richard Rover--Anderson Rover's son."
"Ah! indeed!" cried Jesse Pelter, and gave a slight start. "Glad tomeet you, Mr. Rover," and he held out his hand. "Will you--er--stepinto my office?"
He led the way through two offices to one in the extreme rear. Thiswas well furnished, with a desk, a table, several chairs and abookcase filled with legal-loo
king volumes. In one corner was atelephone booth, and a telephone connection also rested on the desk.
"I came to see about my father," said Dick, as he sat down in a chairto which the broker motioned.
"You mean, about your father's business, I suppose."
"No, about my father. Do you know where he is, Mr. Pelter?"
"Know where he is? What do you mean? Isn't he in New York?" The brokerpretended to arrange some papers on his desk as he spoke and did notlook at Dick.
"He has disappeared and I thought you might know something about it."
Dick looked the man full in the face. He saw the broker start and thentry to control himself.
"Well that--er--accounts for it," said Jesse Pelter, slowly, as iftrying to make up his mind what to say.
"Accounts for what?"
"Why, he didn't come back here as he said he would."
"He has been here then?"
"Yes, a number of days ago. We had quite some important business totransact. He said he would come back the next day and sign somepapers, and fix up some other matters. But he didn't come."
"Did he say he would be here sure?"
"He did. So he has disappeared? That is strange. Perhaps some accidenthappened to him."
"I hope not. I knew he came to New York to see you and your partners.I thought you could tell me something about him."
"I don't know any more than that he called here one day and said hewould come in again the next, Mr. Rover. If he is--er--missing youhad better notify the police,--unless you have some idea where hewent to," continued the broker.
"I have no idea further than that he came to New York to see you--andthat he came here from his hotel."
"See here! Do you mean to insinuate that we--er--may know where heis--why he is missing?" demanded Jesse Pelter, sharply.
"I insinuate nothing, Mr. Pelter. But if you expected him the next dayafter he was here, and he didn't come, why didn't you telephone tohim?"
"I--er--I didn't know where he was stopping. If I had known, I mighthave telephoned to him. Although he had a right to stay away from hereif he wanted to."
"He is transacting quite some business with you, isn't he?"
"We have done quite some business together in the past, yes," answeredthe broker, coldly.
"And matters were not going very well, were they?" questioned Dick,sharply.
"They were going as well as could be expected."
"You owed my father a great deal of money, didn't you?"
"We did owe him something. But we don't owe him anything now. Wesettled up with him in full," was the reply, which filled Dick withnew astonishment.