XXII
Joe took matters into his own hands at the Waloo. He sent peremptoryorders over the telephone, and received unsatisfactory reports from thepolicemen, who were scouring the city for the Queen of the SunshineIslands. Granny fluttered helplessly about, blaming herself for everletting Tessie be a queen, and scolding Johnny, when he told her to stopworrying and leave Tessie to the Boy Scouts. They would find Tessie.
Granny pushed Johnny aside and fluttered over to Joe to ask him if itwasn't time to hear something from Mr. Bill, who was driving franticallyhere and there, following up every clue. The Kingley limousine had beenabandoned in Southeast Waloo, but it could not tell where it had been,and so did not furnish any help at all.
Norah Lee tried to soothe Granny, to tell her that Tessie was all right.Of course she was all right! Nothing could happen to Tessie in Waloo inbroad daylight! But Norah's heart did not feel half so hopeful as herlips sounded. Norah read the daily papers, and she knew that many thingscan happen to a pretty girl in a big city in broad daylight. But shekept on patting Granny's arm encouragingly, and told her again thatTessie was all right. It was the only thing Norah could do.
"It doesn't seem possible that a good little girl like Tessie coulddisappear without some one seeing her," moaned Granny. The almostcontinuous whir of the telephone made her so nervous that she jumpednow, when it rang louder than before. She ran over to stand by Joe whenhe answered the call.
"A Boy Scout master is coming up!" Joe turned to Granny, and there was aflicker of hope in his face. "He thinks he has a clue!"
"What did I tell you?" crowed Johnny, dancing up and down triumphantly."Didn't I tell you the Scouts would help? If you'd let me look I bet I'dhave found her long ago!"
"Don't bother me now, Johnny!" Granny brushed him aside as he danced upto her, and went to stand at the door beside Joe and Norah Lee.
Mr. Bill came in, tired and discouraged, for his frantic driving hadproduced no results. Close on his heels was Charlie Deakin, who showedGranny the beaded bag and told her where Neddie Blake had found it.
"I tried to tell you on the 'phone," Charlie said. "But your line was sobusy that I got an officer to watch the house and came right down. Ithought it would be quicker when your line was so busy."
Mr. Bill had jumped to his tired feet, and he grasped Charlie by theshoulder.
"Come and show me that house!" he ordered. "My car is outside!" And hepulled Charlie to the door.
"Hold on, Bill! I'm coming, too!" called Joe.
"I'm going!" exclaimed Johnny, dashing after them. "Tessie's my sister,and I'm going!"
Granny caught his arm. "No, you can't go, Johnny Gilfooly! You got tostay here with me! I've got to have something left!" And then shechanged her mind and went thudding down the corridor, Johnny's hotlittle hand clasped tight. She was in the car before Mr. Bill, Johnnyclose beside her.
"You can't go, Granny!" frowned Joe.
"I shall go!" Granny's voice was quite as determined as Joe's. Theyseemed to be made from the same piece of adamant. "I guess Tessie is myown granddaughter! I have a right to go. And Johnny's Tessie ownbrother! I guess he has a right to go, too. Tessie'll want to see us!"
Joe did not waste any time debating the question, but jumped in besideMr. Bill. Norah Lee had run to them, and was sitting beside Granny,holding Granny's hand. Charlie Deakin squeezed in between Mr. Bill andJoe and told Mr. Bill where to go. Mr. Bill forgot there were any speedlaws or any traffic laws in Waloo as he sent his car forward. Grannygasped for breath. She declared they were in Northeast Waloo beforethey left the hotel.
"Stop at the corner, Bill," suggested Joe, as they drew near the redbrick house, before which a curious policeman was sauntering, and NeddieBlack was still playing ball. "We don't want them to know we're coming."
"I was going to!" muttered Mr. Bill indignantly. Joe should credit himwith a little sense.
"You'll stay here, Granny!" hissed Joe, as he jumped from the car. "AndJohnny, you mind your grandmother and don't make any more trouble forus. Come on, Bill!"
"I'll go with you," offered Charlie Deakin, his teeth chattering in hisexcitement.
"I--" began Johnny, but Joe turned to him fiercely.
"You shut up!" he said so sharply that Johnny did not dare to sayanother word.
"There's a policeman!" Granny told them in a hoarse whisper, and hergnarled finger pointed tremblingly to the officer. "I suppose you'll lethim go with you," she added with much scorn. She was shivering withexcitement and fear.
Accompanied by the officer, Joe and Mr. Bill went up the steps. Mr. Billrang the bell, and when no one answered it, Joe tried to open the door.Mr. Bill kept his finger on the bell. Granny shivered at its shrillpeal. But there was no response to it. Joe and Mr. Bill and the officertried to break in the door, but its fibers and hinges were stronger thantheir muscles. Mr. Bill tried a window, and when he could not open it heshattered the glass with one blow of his hand. Granny and Norah andJohnny heard the clatter. They caught each other's hands. And stillthere was not a sound in the house.
"She can't be here!" Joe said hopelessly. "There isn't any one here!"
"We must make sure!" exclaimed Mr. Bill between his teeth, and heclimbed through the window.
In a moment he had the door open, and Joe and the officer wereclattering in. It was not worth while now to be quiet. The officer'sflashlight showed them only empty rooms. Joe lighted matches and threwthem aside as they flared out. He led the way through the lower floor.
"Some one has been here!" He pointed to a heap of cigar ashes beside abig chair.
"And here for some time if he smoked cigars enough to make that muchash," added the officer wisely.
"Come upstairs," begged Mr. Bill. "Never mind the ashes now!"
At last they reached the room in which Tessie had been locked. They wereable to break in the door and the flashlight, the flaring matches showedthem the bed, the old wardrobe and the bureau, which had been pulledfrom the wall. Mr. Bill ran to look behind it.
"Great Scott!" he exclaimed when he saw the open window. "Great Scott!"he cried again when he saw a piece of blue crepe caught on a nail in thesill. It was from a woman's frock, and Mr. Bill stared at it. Tessie hadbeen wearing a blue crepe when she disappeared. "She's been here!" heshouted to Joe, although he had no way of proving that the bit of bluecrepe had ever been a part of Tessie's frock.
"And she got away!" Joe read the story of the open window, as he lookedout and saw the roof of the porch below it. "She got out this way!" Hedropped from the window, as Tessie had dropped, struck the porch roof,and slid down the post to look carefully over the yard. "Tess!" hecalled softly. "Tess! It's Joe Cary! She isn't here," he looked back totell Mr. Bill. "But she must have got away all right!" He went around tojoin the others at the front door.
Another man joined them also, the irate owner of the red brick house,who wanted to know what the dickens they were doing breaking into hisplace and making such a commotion?
"Who lived here?" demanded Mr. Bill before he answered one of thequestions.
"I rented it day before yesterday to a man by the name of Smith,"returned the owner, who never would have answered Mr. Bill if he hadnot been accompanied by a policeman. "A fat, white-headed fellow whowanted a quiet place for his sister. She had been at a sanitarium," andthe owner touched his head significantly. He was the most surprisedlandlord in Waloo when he was told that the Queen of the SunshineIslands must have been a prisoner in his house, and he exclaimed quicklythat he knew nothing about any Frederic Pracht. He had rented the houseto a man who had said his name was Smith--John Smith. He had taken itfor an indefinite period and paid a month's rent. The house wasfurnished, so the new tenant had only to bring his personal baggage.John Smith had seemed like a pleasant, honest man, and had talked in anice way about his sister.
"And all the time he must have meant the Queen," he said, as if he couldnot believe the story Joe and Mr. Bill told him. "Sure, I read about herin the papers! She used to work in the E
vergreen. My niece, SusieBlakeley, works there, too. She was all excited when they found a queenin the store. I wonder what she will say to this!" He took the money Mr.Bill offered him to repair the broken window, and said again it was allright, and he was glad they hadn't found anything worse than they had.He stared at his old house with dazed eyes. "Well, can you believe it,"he murmured as they drove away and left him with Charlie Deakin andNeddie Black, who were more disappointed than they could ever say.
"What's the matter? Isn't Tessie there?" called Granny impatiently. Shejumped out and ran heavily toward them. She could not wait in the caranother second. "Where's Tessie?" she demanded.
"She got away!" explained Joe. "She got away from Pracht!"
"She did? Then why don't we go right back to the hotel and ask her whereshe's been?" Granny scuttled to the car. That was the sensible thing todo, not stand here and talk indefinitely. "Why are you waiting here whenTessie's gone home?"
"Why, indeed?" They tumbled into the car, and Mr. Bill drove back to theWaloo as he had driven away from it, without any regard for traffic lawsor speed laws. They hurried into the hotel and up in the elevator,chattering excitedly. They ran along the corridor and into the royalsuite.
"Tessie, you bad girl!" began Granny at the door. But she did not soundas if Tessie really had been a bad girl--she sounded loving and excited.When she ran into the room she stopped. "She isn't here!" she exclaimed,frightened because Tessie was not there. "She isn't here!"
"She must be!" declared Mr. Bill, and he ran through the other rooms.But Tessie was not in one of them. Mr. Bill's eager face fell. He hadbeen so sure that Tessie would be there that he felt bewildered andindignant as well as frightened.
"Perhaps she hasn't had time to get here," suggested Joe forlornly,although he knew that Tessie had had plenty of time. All she had to dowas to jump on a car, and she would be at the hotel in twenty minutes.They had taken more than twenty minutes to search the house and driveback. He called up the hotel office to learn if any one had seen Tessie.No one had. He turned to Mr. Bill with a questioning stare. Where wasTessie Gilfooly?
Mr. Bill shook his head. He wished he knew. And then he shook his broadshoulders and stared at Joe. "I'll find her!" he declared fiercely, witha confidence which was based on nothing sounder than desire.
"I'll find her!" contradicted Joe as fiercely.
"Deary me, where can she be?" wailed Granny. "It isn't like theGilfoolys to go away like this! It never was like one of them but Pete!I wish Tessie had never heard of this queen business!"
"So do I!" fervently agreed Joe. He looked at Mr. Bill, as if in someway he blamed him!
Mr. Bill said never a word, but he did flush quickly. Deep, in hisheart, he did not wish that Tessie had never heard of the queenbusiness. Although Tessie had been kidnaped and might be in danger hedid not wish that, for if Tessie had never been a queen, there wasevery chance that Mr. Bill would never have known her. When she wasselling aluminum, she was just one of the hundreds of girls who pouredinto the Evergreen every morning and out of the Evergreen every evening.She was lost among the hundreds. But when Fate plucked her out of theindustrial army, and showed her to Mr. Bill as a queen, he saw that shewas fair and sweet and dear--how dear Mr. Bill had not quite realizeduntil now. It made him furious to think of it now. You bet, he wouldfind her!
"You go to bed, Granny, you and Johnny," suggested Joe. "We'll call youthe minute we hear anything. You go to bed. You're dead tired!"
Granny was tired, but she could not go to sleep until she knew whereTessie was. She allowed Norah to lead her to her room and tuck her intothe bed. She was too tired to resist. She was an old woman, she toldNorah pitifully, and had lost her husband and seven children, but neverin all of her life had she had had to go through anything like this. Whycouldn't she have been kidnaped instead of Tessie?
Norah patted her wrinkled hand and crooned; "Poor Granny!" until Grannydid fall into a troubled sleep.
Johnny refused to go to bed, but consented to lie on the davenport. Hishead had scarcely touched the pillow before he was asleep, too. Joetramped up and down the room, while Mr. Bill slumped in a chair, hishead in his hands. As Norah came out of the bedroom, the telephone rangand she caught the receiver. The two men jumped beside her.
"It's your mother." She nodded to Mr. Bill. "No, no news," she saidthrough the transmitter. "Yes, we are all terribly anxious. We will letyou know when we hear anything," she promised, for Mrs. Kingley had toldher that she could not sleep unless she knew the little queen was safe.
"We were so fond of her, she was so pretty and simple and honest. Idon't know any girl now who is so unaffected. You couldn't help but befond of her. It doesn't seem possible that any one could carry her offin Waloo, does it? And in our car! It makes me frantic! I can't thinkwhat the police are doing. Mr. Kingley is frantic, too!"
"I should think he would be," Joe said dryly, when Norah had told themwhat Mrs. Kingley had said.
Mr. Bill dropped back in his big chair with a groan, but in a flash, hejumped up and went out. Norah's eyes followed him.
"He's worried," she told Joe.
"We're all worried!"
"I know. I'm so--so sorry for you!" She just touched Joe's sleeve tolet him know how sorry she was.
He looked up suddenly. How sympathetic she was! What a good friend shehad been to Tessie. There was no one quite like Norah Lee. His heartthumped a bit as he thought how unusual Norah Lee was.
"You go to bed, too!" he insisted huskily. "I'll call you the minute wehear anything. But if you don't get some sleep you won't be much helpto-morrow. I'll just stay here beside the telephone. We may hearsomething. We must hear something!" he insisted, because he sodesperately wished to hear something. "But I shan't let you stay up anylonger. You're all tired out!"
She hesitated as if she were going to insist on staying with him, andthen she said good night softly and went away. Joe's eyes followed heruntil she was out of sight. What a splendid girl she was, he thought, ashe tramped up and down the room before he threw himself into a chairbeside the telephone. He had always known she was splendid. And what agood friend she was to Tessie! How different they were! Norah was thekind of a girl a man would have to reach up to. He would always have tobe right on his toes, for she would be a little ahead--always. WhileTessie--a man would have to put back his hand and pull Tessie up to him.Tessie was all sweetness and tenderness. She made a man contented andhappy while Norah--Norah--
Joe's heart gave a sudden leap which almost choked him. He jumped to hisfeet and looked about him bewildered. "Gosh!" he exclaimed, puzzled atthis emotion which had gripped him so suddenly. He tramped up and downthe room again. "Norah!" The name made him tingle. "Norah!" He droppedweakly into a chair and put his hand to his forehead. What on earth wasthe matter with him? Why should he feel smothered and limp andexhilarated when he thought of Norah Lee? He did not understand why, buthe discovered that when he thought of Norah, he forgot Tessie. But hemust not forget Tessie--Tessie was lost. It must be because he was sotired. Lord, how tired he was! He slouched down in his chair and relaxedhis tired muscles. Tessie--Norah-- The lids dropped over his weary eyes,and he began to dream--strange, sweet, new dreams.
Downstairs, Mr. Bill had settled himself in a chair beside the telephoneswitchboard and lighted a cigarette.
"Give me any message about Queen Teresa," he told the telephone girl.
"Ain't it awful about her?" she shuddered. "I used to wish I couldchange places with her, when I'd see her go in and out with that blackfellow with his ax, but now-- Say, where do you suppose she is?"
"I wish you would tell me," Mr. Bill said wearily. "Don't forget to giveme any message that comes in. Everybody upstairs is asleep, and I don'twant them disturbed."
"The old lady ought to get a good night's rest," agreed the telephonegirl. "You just shut your own eyes, and I'll call you the first thing."
Mr. Bill could close his eyes, but he could not sleep. He smokedcigarette after cigarette, and listened
unconsciously to theuninterrupted chatter of the girl who had envied Tessie until Tessie hadbeen kidnaped. When the telephone operator went off duty, and theswitchboard was turned over to the night clerk, Mr. Bill went over topolice headquarters, where there was no news at all.
"We have all our men out, Mr. Kingley," the sergeant told him. "Even thechief's working on the case. We're trying to round up thatPracht--Smith, he called himself, didn't he?--and make him confess. Butwe don't know anything about those Sons of Sunshine. They sound likeanarchists or Black Hands to me. But we oughta hear something prettysoon."
The minutes dragged into hours and there was no news. Mr. Bill droppedinto a troubled doze and woke to find himself in another day. He wentdrearily back to the hotel. Joe was furious because he had fallenasleep over his strange new dreams. Granny, with a face that was grayand worried, instead of happy and rosy, was talking to him and to NorahLee. The Boy Scout was splashing in the bathroom.
"You heard anything?" demanded Granny as Mr. Bill entered.
Before he could answer, the telephone rang sharply. Joe and Mr. Billdashed to answer it, but Joe caught the receiver. He pushed Mr. Billaway.
"Yes," he said impatiently through the transmitter. He waved his hand tothem. "It's Tess!" he cried chokingly. "Yes, Tessie! Where are you?" Helistened eagerly. "Where are you?" he demanded fiercely. "Where--" Heshook the instrument and turned to them in exasperation. "Isn't that thelimit? Central broke the connection before Tessie could tell me whereshe was."
"What did she say?" demanded Mr. Bill.
"She said she was all right, and that Granny wasn't to worry. She isn'tcoming back for a while. She's going to hide until Pitts comes andstraightens everything out. She said Granny wasn't to worry, nobody wasto worry." But Joe looked worried. "Do you suppose she did get away?" heasked Mr. Bill. "Is this message a plan to call off the police?"
Mr. Bill had taken the receiver from Joe and was calling Central andordering her for heaven's sake to get a move on and trace the call shehad just given them. Several days later, it seemed to all of them,Central reported that the call had come from a pay station. Hadn't theyheard the nickel drop? Central couldn't say which pay station. She wouldtry and find out if they wanted her to, she added obligingly.
"You'd better!" advised Mr. Bill. "And immediately!" He swung around andfaced the others. "We know she's alive and well. That's something! Didshe talk as if she were frightened?"
"No," remembered Joe. "She said she would have called before but shefell asleep. She said she was awfully tired."
"She wouldn't have fallen asleep if she had been frightened," Norah saidwith a wise nod of her head.
Granny contradicted her flatly. "I went to sleep and I was frightened,"she said with a deep, deep sigh. "I never was more frightened in mylife. I don't think I can wait until this Pitts comes. I've got to findTessie right away and see for myself if she's all right."
"We'll find her," promised Joe, as he had promised a hundred times sinceTessie had disappeared. "And we know she's all right. She'll call usagain soon. Sure she will! She's still a little afraid. She'll call usagain," he repeated.
Granny whimpered softly. It was such a relief to hear from Tessie. "I'mnot going to wait here!" she said with a sudden determination. "I don'tlike it here without Tessie. I don't feel I have any right here withouther. I'm not the queen. I'm going home with Johnny and wait for Tessiethere!" She had a quick dislike to the luxury of the hotel. She wantedher little cottage where there was work for her to do while she waited,and where she had always had Tessie.
"Tessie won't like that," objected Joe.
"I don't care! I shan't stay here without her!"
"Let her go," whispered Norah. "It will be better for her to be whereshe can be busy. She has nothing to do here but think."
Norah helped Granny pack a bag, and Mr. Bill drove them to the cottage.They were very quiet, and Mr. Bill remembered the traffic laws and didnot dash up the street as he had the night before. They were very quietwhen they stopped in front of the shabby little house. Granny murmured awish that they had never left it as she hurried up the walk and up thesteps, but at the door she paused.
"Tessie always had the key," she faltered.
Joe had a key and unlocked the door. When they went in, Granny raisedher head. It was as if she sensed a presence. Her nostrils twitched, andher ears strained. She sent a swift glance around the shabby living-roomand went on to the kitchen. There was a coffee pot on the stove and anopened package of cereal on the table while in the sink was a cup andsaucer and a bowl.
"Tessie's been here!" cried Granny, and she sat down suddenly on achair. "She's been here! Thank heaven I didn't give away that coffee andbreakfast food when we left. Even if we were queens I kept it. Tessiecame here when she ran away from that wicked man." She waved her hand toshow them her proof.
"Well I'll be darned!" muttered Mr. Bill, and he sat down suddenly onthe kitchen table.
"Why the dickens didn't I come home last night?" demanded Joe indisgust. "If I had come home I would have found her."
"Perhaps she's upstairs asleep?" suggested Norah. "She said she wastired."
They trooped up the narrow stairs--Granny first. It was Granny who wentinto the bedroom alone, and at her disappointed exclamation the othersran in, although Granny's disappointed exclamation had told them thatTessie was not there.
"She's gone!" wailed Granny. "She's gone! And look!" She pointed toTessie's royal raiment on a chair. "She took off her queen clothes!" Shepulled the closet door open, and searched among the shabby dresses whichhad belonged to Tessie Gilfooly. There was something pathetic andghostlike about the little frocks. Mr. Bill tenderly stroked a sleeve."She's taken her old black sateen," announced Granny from the closet."The dress she used to wear to the store. She's left her queen clothesand gone off in her old working clothes! Can you believe it? Deary me!"She sat down on the bed and looked from one to the other. "I'd like toknow what it all means?" she said helplessly.
"I bet I know!" Mr. Bill's downcast face had been growing brighter andbrighter. If Mr. Bill had been a barometer you would have seen at aglance that he promised fair weather. "I bet I know the hunch that madeher change her clothes! You just wait, Granny! I'll find her now!"
"Just a minute!" Joe put a forceful hand on Mr. Bill's arm as he wouldhave dashed away. "Tessie's safe now. We know that if we don't knowwhere she is. But before you follow your hunch you'll take me to yourfather!"
"Father!" Mr. Bill stared at Joe. Had Joe lost his mind? "Sure," he saidsoothingly. "That's on my way. Come on!"