CHAPTER XIX
THE STORE ROBBERY
"What's the matter?" asked Jerry as Ned came down on the dock, his facequite pale, and, evidently laboring under some excitement.
"Store--robbed--last--night!" panted Ned.
"Whose store?" asked Jerry and Bob together.
"Father's," replied Ned. "They just discovered it, and I came to tellyou we'd have to delay the trip. They got in last night, and got awaywith about three thousand dollars in money and jewelry. About onethousand was in cash. It's a big loss. Now I've got to go back and helpdad."
"Who did it?" asked Bob.
"That's what they'd like to find out, Chunky," said Jerry. "I don'ts'pose the burglars left their cards, with their addresses on, behindthem."
"Great excitement! Terrible! Awful! Big robbery! 'Bout a million loss!General alarm sent out! Get the detectives to work! Send for bloodhounds! Notify the sheriff and start a hunt! This is the greatest thingthat's ever happened!"
The boys turned to see whence the torrent of words proceeded.
"I might have known it was Andy Rush," said Jerry. "Is there anythingelse, Andy? Haven't you forgotten something?"
"Oh yes! I forgot to tell you. I have a clue to the thieves!"
"What?" cried all the boys at once.
"That's what," said Andy, growing more calm as the others grew excited."I went over the place as soon as I heard of the robbery, and I got theclue. I'm going to be a detective some day. You just keep your eye onme."
"It's all we can do to keep track of what you are saying," saidNed, "let alone what you are going to do. But tell us about it. I'minterested."
"Let Ned tell us of the robbery first," suggested Bob.
This was voted a good idea, and Ned related how, when his father'sdepartment store was opened in the morning, it was discovered thatthe safe had been blown open, and the money and jewelry stolen. Inaddition the thieves had carried off some solid silver tableware, and afew rolls of valuable silk.
"How did they get in?" asked Bob.
"That's the funny part of it," replied Ned. "There's no trace ofanything being forced, not a door or window is disturbed, as far as wecan learn."
"That's where you're wrong," said Andy calmly. "That's where my cluecomes in. I know how they entered."
"Then why didn't you tell the police about it?" demanded Ned somewhatindignantly.
"Because no one asked me to," answered Andy. "I wanted to tell you, butI couldn't find you so I came here, as I thought you'd be starting onthe trip."
"Well, you can tell me now, Andy," remarked Ned.
"I can explain it better if we go up to the store," Andy answered. "Iwant to show you just how it was."
"We might as well go there," came from Jerry. "We will not undertakethe trip to-day. To-morrow or next day will do as well. Besides, maybewe can help your father, Ned."
"I don't want to spoil your fun," interposed Ned. "But I've got tostay home for a few days anyhow. You could go on without me."
"We're not going," said Bob stoutly.
"No indeed," chimed in Jerry.
The boys talked of nothing but the robbery as they started back towardsCresville, having locked the boat up. When they got to Mr. Slade'sstore they found a big crowd about the place. They elbowed their waythrough the throng and were about to enter, when a little man with asmall bunch of whiskers on his chin stopped them.
"Here, where you boys goin'?" he asked.
"Inside," answered Ned.
"I guess not, young man. I'm a deputy constable, sworn in special t'maintain order an' not to let anyone inside. I'm goin' t' do it, tew,an' you can bet your bottom dollar on it," and the little man threwback his coat and displayed a big tin star.
"Who swore you in?" asked Ned.
"Chief Dalton, that's who, an' I'll arrest ye, if ye make any morethreatenin' moves."
"Well, it's my father's store, and these are friends of mine," saidNed. "We want to go in."
"Look here!" exclaimed the little deputy excitedly. "Look me in th'eye, young man," and he pulled down the lower lid of the optic, placinghis face close to Ned's.
"Looks all right," said Ned, with a smile.
"Course it does; there nothin' th' matter with that eye. But d'ye seeanythin' green in it?"
"No," answered Ned.
"No, I guess not. I cut my eye teeth some time ago. Th' last time Ibought a gold brick was so long ago I've forgotten it. You can't comeit over me with any of your bunco games. I believe ye're part of th'robber gang!"
The little deputy seemed so impressed with his sudden idea that he wasfor at once putting the four boys under arrest. He was only deterred bythe timely arrival of Chief Dalton, who had heard the disturbance andcome to see what it was about.
A word from him satisfied the constable, who was one of a numberhastily sworn in when it was found what a crowd had gathered on hearingnews of the robbery, and he let the chums pass.
"Come ahead boys," said the chief. "This is a bad piece of work."
"Do you think it has any connection with the Northville robbery?" askedJerry.
"I wouldn't be surprised. But I haven't time to talk. I'm trying toget a clue to start with, and I can't seem to find any. I will beforenight though."
"Have you found where they got in?" asked Jerry.
"Not yet," answered the chief. "Have you heard anything, Ned?"
"Andy here seems to think he has a clue," replied the son of the storeproprietor. "Tell him about it, Andy."
Andy blushed at the notice he was attracting from the head of theCresville police force.
"It was this way," began Andy, when they had all entered the store,which was deserted as far as customers went, since Mr. Slade hadordered it kept closed. "I was one of the first to arrive. In fact Iwas an early customer. I wanted to buy a new knife. So I was on handwhen the head clerk discovered the safe had been robbed. As I'm goingto be a detective, I decided I would look for clues. I couldn't findany around the safe, so, when the clerk ran to the telephone to callfor the police, I wandered through the store. No one noticed me, and Isoon found myself on the top floor. If you'll come with me there I'llshow you what I found," and Andy started toward the elevator.
"Oh can't you tell us without waiting all that while?" asked Ned whowas growing impatient as it really seemed Andy had discovered something.
"I can, but I can do it better if I point out to you what I saw,"replied the boy. "Come on."
They followed him. The elevator carried them to the top floor. No tradewas done there, as it was only a loft used for storing stock or goodsthat were out of season. Andy led the way through the half darkness tothe rear. He stopped in front of a window the sill of which was thickwith dust.
"Look there!" he exclaimed, pointing to something in the soft andfluffy covering of the sill. It was the print of a man's foot.
"The mark of the arrow!" exclaimed Ned as he bent over it. "The sameman who stole our boat robbed the store!"
The party gathered around the window, the chief plainly excited at theunexpected clue. The window had a large iron shutter on it, and thiswas partly closed. The chief swung it open.
"There's how the thieves got in," said Andy, pointing to a window ina building which was close to Mr. Slade's store in the rear. In thishalf-opened casement a plank could be seen sticking, as if some onehad pulled it part way in and then left it.
"There's the bridge they came across on," said the chief. "Sure enough,Andy, you've discovered what I could not. Come on, we'll make positiveof it."
Down stairs the party hurried, and around the block to the buildingwhich abutted Mr. Slade's place in the rear. The structure containedstores on the ground floor and apartments for several families above.The top story was used as a lodge room. There was a hallway at one sideof the store entrance, which gave access to the flats above, and thedoor to it, as the chief learned was never locked.
"They just waited their opportunity, went up to the lodge room, stuckthe plank across, and came in
the window," said Mr. Dalton.
"But the window did not appear to have been forced," said Jerry.
"They didn't have to force it," replied the chief. "It has no lock onit."
Up to the lodge room went the chief and the boys, their entranceattracting no attention, as the crowd, and most of Cresville's idlers,were in front of the robbed store.
"I thought so," the chief said as he came to the door of the lodgeroom where it opened from the hall. The portal had been forced. Throughthe big apartment they tramped, and to the rear where there weredressing and store rooms, seldom used.
"Look!" cried Andy, pointing to the dust covered floor. "The mark ofthe arrow!"
There, plainly to be seen in the particles of dirt were the footstepsof the mysterious man who had escaped the police in the motor boatchase. The marks were all over, showing that the one who made them hadtramped about the room making his arrangements to rob the departmentstore.
"There was some one with him," the chief said.
"How can you tell?" asked Ned.
For answer the police official pointed to another series of footprintsin the dust. They were smaller than those with the arrow mark, and boreno distinguishing imprint.
The board, a plank about ten feet long, had been dragged from a storeroom as the marks in the dust showed. It had been drawn back only partway, probably because the thieves had been in too much of a hurry toleave after securing their booty.
Following the chief the boys descended the stairs from the lodge room.The recent developments put a new light on the matter, though the boysdid not see how they could lead to the detection of the thieves.
"I must have a talk with some of the tenants of this place," the chiefremarked.
They had reached the street by this time, and the boys were about toleave. At that instant, Mr. Nixon, Noddy's father came running up tothe head of the police force.
"I want your help!" Mr. Nixon exclaimed.
"What's the matter?" asked the chief.
"Noddy has been kidnapped!"