CHAPTER XXV
A RANDOM CLUE
Mr. Beckworth Fleming would, no doubt, have been interested in knowingthat while he was speaking of Joe in Boston the latter was discussinghim in New York.
It was Reggie who had first brought in his name, as he stood with Joeand Jim in the lobby of the Marlborough, waiting for the others of theparty to come down on the way to the train.
"Funny thing happened to-day, don't you know," he remarked. "Fellowsitting in the box next to me at the grounds got to talking about anauto accident that happened on Long Island a little while ago."
Joe and Jim pricked up their ears.
"What did he say about it?" Joe asked eagerly.
"Why, I heard him say that it was the wildest ride he had ever had, andthat he'd been wondering ever since how they got through it withoutgetting pinched. Said that half the time the car was going on twowheels. Once they knocked down a man on the Merrick road, and they hadcome near to smashing up a car they passed just before that."
"That describes the accident to Anderson," broke in Jim.
"Yes, and don't you remember how near they came to running into us justbefore that?" added Joe. "But did you get any clue as to who the fellowswere?"
"I didn't hear any full names," replied Reggie, "but several times theman who was telling the story referred to the reckless driving of 'oldBeck,' whoever that might have been."
"Beck, Beck," mused Jim. "That isn't much of a hint. The directory isfull of Becks."
A thought suddenly came to Joe.
"Fleming's first name is Beckworth, isn't it?" he asked Reggie.
"Yes," replied Reggie.
"And wouldn't it be natural for his cronies to speak of him as Beck?"Joe went on.
"Sure," said Reggie. "As a matter of fact, I've often heard them referto him in that way."
"And he's known as a reckless driver, isn't he?" asked Joe, going backin memory to the way in which Fleming had handled the car on thatmemorable afternoon when he had rescued Mabel from his clutches.
"Yes," Reggie responded. "In fact, he seems to take a sort of pridein it. I've often heard him tell how often he had been arrested forspeeding."
"It begins to look as though he might have been mixed up in thatAnderson affair," mused Jim.
"Yes, but that's a mighty slender basis to go on," answered Joe. "Ofcourse he'd deny it, and we couldn't prove it if we had nothing to backit up with."
"By Jove!" exclaimed Reggie. "Now that you come to speak of it, Iremember catching sight of Fleming at the Long Beach Hotel when we weredining there. He was sitting at a table in the further corner of theroom. I thought of going over to speak to him, but I noticed that he waswith a pretty noisy party, and as the girls were with us I passed it up."
"Well, now, that's something more like proof!" exclaimed Joe, withanimation. "That brings him near the scene of the accident on the day ithappened. He's a reckless driver and his pals often spoke of him as 'oldBeck.' I believe he was the fellow that knocked the old man down."
"It looks like it," agreed Jim, "and from what we've learned of thefellow since, I think he's just the kind that would go on without tryingto help or stopping to see what he had done. But even now we haven'tanything that would convince a jury."
"No," agreed Reggie. "Moral proof isn't legal proof by a long shot. Theone thing we need to clinch the matter is the number of the car thatheld the party."
"What a pity we didn't get it," fumed Joe.
"We weren't to blame for that," replied Reggie. "They were going sofast and raising such a cloud of dust that we couldn't see it. That is,we didn't get it in full. Seems to me, though, that I heard you saysomething, Joe, about some numbers that you caught sight of."
"That's so," confirmed Jim. "What were they, Joe? Do you remember?"
"There was a seven and a four," answered Joe. "But I couldn't be surethat they were next to each other. There may have been another figure inbetween. And anyway, as there were probably five or six figures in thewhole number, that isn't very much to go on."
"I tell you what," cried Jim, eagerly. "Every car is registered in theState Registry Bureau, isn't it?"
"Yes," answered Reggie. "Mine is, I know. They put down the name of theman when they give him his number."
"Exactly!" returned Jim. "What's the matter then with our makinginquiries at the proper department and finding the number of the carthat is registered as owned by Beckworth Fleming?"
"The very thing," assented Reggie. "But when we find it, what then?"
"Nothing, perhaps," Jim admitted. "And then, on the other hand, it maymean a great deal. Suppose, for instance, the number has a seven and afour in it?"
"That would certainly bring it much closer to Fleming," observed Joe,thoughtfully, "and it would make us that much surer in our own mindsthat he's the man in question. But it would still fall far short oflegal proof."
"Bother legal proof!" snapped Jim. "The one point is that all thesethings taken together would make us feel so sure that we were on theright track that we'd feel justified in accusing Fleming to his face ofhaving done it."
"I see!" exclaimed Joe, his eyes kindling. "You mean to put up a greatbig bluff and try to catch him off his guard."
"That's what," agreed Jim. "Trust to his guilty conscience. He knowswhether he did it or not, and he won't be sure how much we know. If weact as if we were sure we have him dead to rights, he may give himselfaway. Try to explain or excuse it and in that way admit it. At any rate,it seems to me it might be worth trying. We can't lose and we may win."
"By Jove!" exclaimed Reggie. "I believe it might work."
"It's a dandy idea," approved Joe, warmly.
"It would do me a whole lot of good to make him come across handsomelyto Anderson," said Jim. "The old man needs money badly, and Fleminghas a good deal more than is good for him. And he can consider himselfmighty lucky if he gets off with only a money payment."
"Well, whatever we do in that line, we'll have to do right away,"remarked Joe. "To-morrow's the last day we'll be in Boston, and I'd liketo fix up the matter at once. Anderson we know is there and Flemingprobably will be, too."
"I wish we'd known of this earlier," remarked Jim. "Of course all theofficial departments are closed by this time."
"Yes," said Joe, "but I'll tell you what we'll do. We'll ask Beldenhere at the desk to look up the matter for us the first thing to-morrowmorning. He can find out the number and call me up on the long distance'phone to Boston. We ought to know all about it as early as ten o'clock."
"The very thing," said Jim.
Joe went over to the hotel desk, where Belden, the night clerk, had justcome on duty. He was a warm admirer of Baseball Joe, and, like everybodyin New York just then, was happy to do anything he could for the famouspitcher of the Giants.
"Mr. Belden," Joe began, "I want to ask a favor of you."
"Only too glad, Mr. Matson," replied the clerk, his face wreathed insmiles. "What is it?"
"I'd like you to call up the city office of the State Registry Bureau,Broadway and Seventy-fourth Street, early in the morning," said Joe,"and find out the number of the car owned by a Mr. Beckworth Fleming.Then I'd like to have you call me up on the long distance 'phone, ofcourse at my expense, and let me know what it is. If you'll do this forme I'll be greatly obliged."
The clerk made a note of the name and also of the hotel where Joe wouldstay in Boston.
"I'll do it without fail, Mr. Matson. You can depend upon me."
Joe thanked him and returned to his party, which had now been joined byMr. and Mrs. Matson and the girls. A couple of taxicabs were pressedinto service, and they were carried to the Grand Central Terminal wherethey embarked on the last trip that was to be made to Boston during theSeries.
"What with the game to-morrow and perhaps this Fleming matter on ourprogram, I imagine we're going to have our hands full," Jim remarked inan aside to his friend.
"Yes," laughed Joe, "it looks like a busy day."
But j
ust how busy a day it was destined to be it would have startled himto learn.