CHAPTER XVII
SEEKING CLEWS
"Come on, let's go around this way," proposed Ned in a low voice to hischums, as a little later, he pointed to a side alley that apparentlyled to the rear of the bank.
"Go ahead," urged Bob, who had his small pocket camera ready. Therewere but few persons near the alley, and our chums were just enteringit quietly, when a voice called out:
"Hey! Where you fellers goin'?"
"Oh, just up here," replied Jerry, in non-committal tones.
"Well, you'll have to keep out. I got orders not to allow any strangersin there, and--why hello! If it isn't the motor boys from Cresville!Why, how are you?" and the man, evidently a watchman, or a policeman inplain clothes, extended his hand toward Jerry, a smile illuminating hisface. "How'd you come here?" went on the man.
"Well, if it isn't Mr. Thompson!" exclaimed Jerry in amazement. "How inthe world did you get here?"
"Sort of a mutual surprise party," murmured Ned. "Hello, Mr. Thompson."
"All three of you, eh?" went on the guard. "Jerry, Ned and Bob. Well,I'm glad to see you," and he shook hands with each of them in turn. Mr.Thompson had lived in Cresville for many years and had done some workfor Mrs. Hopkins at odd times. The boys knew him very well, but of lateyears had not seen him, for he had moved away from their town.
"How comes it that you are here?" asked Jerry. "Do you work in thebank?"
"No, I'm one of the Harmolet police force. I've been on about two yearsnow. I knocked about the country after leaving Cresville, and finallysettled down here. I'm a regular officer now, and if I catch you boyscutting up I'll run you in!" and the man laughed at his joke.
"Where's your uniform?" asked Bob.
"Didn't have time to put it on. Soon as this robbery was discovered thechief sent for all the reserve men. I was home sleeping, after my nighton duty, but I had to get up. We've got all the men we can spare onthis job."
"What for?" asked Jerry. "Especially after the money is gone--fiftythousand dollars of it?"
"Sixty thousand would be nearer the figure," declared Mr. Thompson."It does seem sort of like locking the stable door after the horse isstolen, but orders from the chief are orders. Besides, it takes quite afew of us to keep the crowd back, and the rest are looking for clews."
"Inside the bank?" Ned wanted to know.
"Inside and outside. The robbers made a neat job of it, and the funnypart of it is that we can't seem to find out how they got in andgot out again. However they got the money all right--a clean sixtythousand. But what are you boys doing here?"
"We took part in the airship meet at Colton," said Jerry; and they toldOfficer Thompson about it, of how they had seen the crowd, and stoppedoff the car to learn the cause of the excitement.
"I wanted to get a picture of the wrecked safe," put in Bob, "but I----"
"Say now, I'm glad I met you," interrupted Mr. Thompson. "It's a littleagainst orders, but I guess I can let you in, especially as no one islooking. Slip around in back of me, and go to the rear door. Wait therefor me, and as soon as I can get some one to take my place I'll bringyou in, and show you the way they did it. It's worth seeing."
They had not been waiting at the rear door of the bank more than a fewminutes, and had seen, through the windows, a number of men hurryinghere and there, when their friend came up.
"It's all right," said Mr. Thompson. "Come on, I'll take you in."
Piloted by the former Cresville resident, our friends entered the bank.A scene of confusion greeted them. The officers and clerks of theinstitution were hurrying to and fro with books and papers, and fromthe president's room came the murmur of voices.
"The directors are having a meeting to decide what to do," explainedMr. Thompson. "Likely they'll offer a big reward. I'd like to pull itdown myself, but the detectives will probably get this job. They oughtto offer at least five thousand for the recovery of the sixty thousand."
"Sixty thousand? They got more than that!" exclaimed a policeman inuniform who nodded to Mr. Thompson and the boys in a friendly fashion.
"More than that?" repeated our heroes' friend in surprise.
"Sure. The sixty was mostly in paper money--bills of big denomination,and a lot of double eagles--they left the silver scattered around.Probably it was too heavy to carry, though there was plenty of it.But they took a hundred and fifty thousand dollars more in negotiablesecurities--stocks, bonds and so on."
"A hundred and fifty thousand!" gasped Bob.
"Two hundred and ten thousand dollars in all!" half-whispered Ned."That _was_ a haul!"
"Come on over this way, and I'll show you where they took it from,"proceeded Mr. Thompson, and the boys followed. They halted in front ofa massive safe, built into the wall in the form of a vault, and a sceneof ruin met their eyes.
The big doors were shattered and twisted, and one had been completelytorn from the hinges and lay on the floor. The inner doors, of lessweight, had also been blown open. Even yet books and papers, and manysilver coins, lay scattered about, the clerks not yet having had timeto pick them up.
"It was a good job all right," explained the former Cresvilleman;--"that is, good from a burglar's standpoint, though they used morejuice than they needed to."
"Juice?" queried Bob.
"Yes, nitro-glycerine you know. They carry it in a bottle, drill ahole in the door, pour it in, tamp it with soap, and set it off with afuse. They must have blown the doors when a train was going past so asto deaden the noise, for no one heard it."
"Where was the watchman?" asked Jerry.
"The bank didn't keep one, but I guess they will after this," repliedMr. Thompson grimly. "They'd have saved money if they had had a man onguard. Here you can see where they started to drill a hole in the door,and changed their minds. Probably it wasn't in the right place."
He pointed to a small hole, neatly made in the hard steel.
"Took a pretty good drill for that," was Jerry's opinion.
"Yes, it was a power-drill," said the policeman. "Oh, these wereup-to-date crooks all right, and they made a good get-away."
"How'd they get in?" asked Ned.
"I don't believe they've found out yet. You see this is the first timewe've had a big robbery like this, and it's sort of upset the force.It's a mystery how they got in."
"The detectives have about solved it though," put in an officer inuniform.
"How?" inquired Mr. Thompson.
"Through the roof scuttle. One of 'em--Blake I think it was--justdiscovered some finger marks in the dust around the scuttle, and it wasfound unhooked, so he's pretty sure they came in from the roof."
"How'd they get on the roof?" asked Jerry.
"That's what they've got to find out," went on the policeman.
"I wonder if I could take these friends of mine up and have a look?"ventured Mr. Thompson.
"Sure," assented the other. "There's not much to see though. I guessthe best clews will be found down here."
Bob wanted to take several snap shots of the wrecked safe, and Ned andJerry waited for him. Meanwhile two or three detectives were observedpoking about in the ruins, and the litter of paper for possible clews.
"Come on, Chunky, you've got pictures enough," called Ned finally."Let's take a look at the roof, and you can make a snap shot there,and then we'll get over to the store, buy the cylinder, and fix up ourmotorship."
"All right," assented the stout lad, closing his camera; and then Mr.Thompson led the boys up to the roof of the bank.