CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The connection was poor and Tim was forced to call the operator and askfor a better wire. Finally they were able to hear Collins distinctly.
"I've checked up on the fingerprints," said the expert, "and they tallywith those of Shanghai Sam and Pierre Petard, two members of the old SkyHawk gang!"
Tim's hand trembled as he heard the words. Shanghai Sam and PierrePetard were considered the two most dangerous members of the gang nextto the Sky Hawk himself. The Hawk was gone but Sam and Pierre werecarrying on for him.
Collins talked steadily for several minutes.
"Remember how you chased the Sky Hawk when he had the death ray?" heasked.
Tim replied in the affirmative.
"From all the dope I can get," said Collins, "Sam and Pierre were withthe Hawk that night, one of them in the plane itself and the otherwaiting to help with the getaway on the ground. Of course they'll haveno scruples if you cross their path. In fact, they would probably go outof their way to meet you. Pleasant prospect, isn't it?"
"Not so pleasant," replied Tim, "for those chaps will stop at nothing."
The reputation of Shanghai Sam and Pierre Petard was known to everypolice official in the central west. Petard had served in the Alliedaviation forces during the war but he had later been revealed as aGerman spy and had thrown his lot with that of the Sky Hawk, formerGerman war ace. Shanghai Sam came from the opposite end of the world, awhite man who had been king of the crooks in the far east. When themiddle west had offered a richer field he had not hesitated to transferhis activities and had joined the Sky Hawk and his band.
"Have you found any trace of either of them, except the fingerprints,near the scene of the attempted robbery?" asked Tim.
"I looked over the reports a few minutes ago," replied Collins, "andthey must have vanished into thin air."
"I'm not so sure but what that's exactly what they did," said Tim as hethought of the queer marks he had found near the railroad right-of-way.
Collins warned them to be extremely careful of their movements for thenext few days and then hung up.
"Well, what do you think of that?" asked Ralph.
"Just about what I expected," said Tim, "I was convinced that mentrained under the Sky Hawk were behind the attempt. They are the onlyones with the brains and the daring to have thought of such a way tostop the mail. The only thing that averted a million dollar robbery lastnight was the quick hand of engineer Henshaw and his decision to runthrough the fire."
"The railroad ought to retire him on a double pension," said Ralph.
"Don't think he'd want to retire," said Tim. "He's the kind who willstay at the throttle until he is too old to stand the strain of the highspeed demanded today."
Their conversation turned to what might happen in the future and howbest to protect themselves against Shanghai Sam and Pierre Petard.
"Our best protection will be to keep on the alert," said Tim. "We'llkeep our eyes open and our wits about us. In the morning we'll get somepictures of Sam and Pierre from the state police and become morefamiliar with their looks. They'll try another job in a few days andwe'll want to be ready to cope with them in any emergency."
They left the office together and long after Tim had gone to bed hethought of the strange marks. They were connected in some important way,he felt, with Shanghai Sam and Pierre Petard.
The next day Tim went to the public library where he spent the morningreading all that was available about Pierre Petard, the former war hero.There was nothing in the library about Pierre Petard the criminal. Timalso read voluminously about the development of airplanes and of themany freak planes that had been invented and of a few that had been madeto fly. There was a growing conviction in his mind, but he was not yetprepared to divulge it even to Ralph. It was so simple that they mightall laugh at him.
When Tim returned to the office, Captain Ned Raymond was talking toRalph. The captain had pictures of Shanghai Sam and Pierre Petard forthe flying reporters to study.
"They'll try something else soon," asserted the state police official,"and we'll rely on you boys to help us in running them down. Therailroad has offered a five thousand dollar reward and it will be yoursif you bring about their capture."
"We'll do the best we can," promised Tim, "for the five thousand dollarswould come in handy."
"Just two thousand five hundred dollars apiece," smiled Ralph. "What alot of ice cream that would buy," he added.
Captain Raymond cautioned the flying reporters against taking any unduechances and warned them that the state police were without a single clueas to where Sam and Pierre were hiding.
"You'll never find them in Atkinson," said Tim.
"Why not?" asked the police official. "It's the largest city in thispart of the state."
"They'll never hide in any city," said Tim. "When you find them it willbe in some isolated section of the state, perhaps in the valley of theCedar."
"Have you any clues?" demanded Captain Raymond.
"Nary a clue," replied Tim, "but I've a hunch and I believe in playinghunches."
Captain Raymond was about to leave when one of the telephones on thecopy desk rang. They heard the copy-reader who answered shout, "BankRobbery!"
The words sent a chill of apprehension through Tim and Ralph. Tim hadbeen convinced that the gangsters of the sky would strike again but hehad not expected it would be within forty-eight hours after theirfailure to rob the million dollar train.
"What bank?" he cried.
"Citizens National," replied the copyreader, who was busy writing abulletin in longhand as the police reporter dictated the story.
"How much?" demanded Captain Raymond.
"One hundred and ten thousand in cold cash," said the copyreader.
"Let's go," said Tim, and they dashed for Captain Raymond's car, whichwas parked in front of the building.
In five minutes they were at the Citizens National Bank building,elbowing their way through the crowd which had gathered.
Their state police badges got them past the cordon of guards and theyrushed into the lobby.
The robbery had been well planned and executed. The two bandits hadentered the bank just before closing time and secreted themselves in awashroom. Just as the cashier was about to place the currency in thevault, they emerged and covered the employees with a sub-machine gun.One of them took the money, stuffing it in a brown leather portfolio.Then they slipped out a side entrance and into a waiting car. Twentymore seconds and they were lost in the heavy traffic.
A clerk had gathered his wits enough to obtain the license and a briefdescription of the car. It had been a black coupe, low and powerful,with license No. 52-621.
State police were scouring the highways but so far there had been noreport of the car. Then came the news that the coupe had been stolenonly a few hours before in a village fifty miles away and toward theCedar river.
When that news reached the bank, Tim determined to take up the chase inthe _Good News_ and fifteen minutes after leaving the bank the plane wassoaring into the sky.