CHAPTER III.
THE WOLF ADVISES FLIGHT.
The question was settled in a moment, for a key was thrust into thelock and the door swung open. The night watchman had possessed no keywhen at the door, for which the boy was thankful. Two persons enteredand the door was closed and locked.
"Who's been here?" asked Jimmie, panting from his long climb. "Weheard a voice in this corridor, and met the watchman down below. He'sred-headed about something. That feller's of about as much use here asa chorus lady painted on the back drop. I told him that you'd probablygone to sleep over your work. Here, Black Bear," he continued, with agrin, "meet Mr. Wolf, otherwise Ned Nestor. You fellers get togetherright now."
Fremont saw a sturdy boy of little less than eighteen, a lad with aface that one would trust instinctively. His dark eyes met the blueones of the patrol leader steadily. There was no suspicion of guilt inhis manner.
Ned Nestor extended his hand frankly, his strong, clean-cut facesympathetic. Fremont grasped it eagerly, and the two stood for amoment looking into each other's eyes.
"I've brought Ned Nestor to talk it over with you," Jimmie said. "He'sa good Scout, only he thinks he's a detective. He gets all the boysout of scrapes--except me, and I never get into any. That is, he getsout all the honest ones."
"Jimmie told me about the trouble here," Nestor said, "and I came tolearn the exact truth from you. If you struck this man and rifled thesafe, tell me so at once. There may be extenuating circumstances, youknow."
"I didn't do it," Fremont broke out. "I hadn't been in the room aminute when Jimmie came in and accused me of the crime. There is somemystery about it, for no man could get into this building at nightunless he was helped in, or unless he hid during the day, in which casehe would be observed moving about."
Nestor smiled but made no reply.
"There has been no robbery," Fremont continued. "There are negotiablebonds on the floor by the safe, and Mr. Cameron's watch and chain anddiamonds are still on him."
"Do you know," Nestor said, smiling, "that the points to which yourefer are the strongest ones against you? Tell me all about it, fromthe moment you came into the room."
Fremont told the story as it is already known to the reader, Nestorsitting in silence with a frown of deep thought on his brows. When therecital was finished he went into the north room and stood over theunconscious man.
"Fremont! Fremont! He did it! He did it!"
Over and over again the accusing words came from the white lips.Nestor turned and looked keenly at the despairing boy at his side.Then he stooped over and examined the wound on the head.
"It is a hard proposition," he finally said. "It appears to me thathis mention of your name is more like an appeal for help than anaccusation, however. Jimmie," he went on, facing the boy, "you heardFremont coming up the stairs?"
"Yes; he was whistling. He couldn't make enough noise with his feet."
"You followed him up here?"
"Yes," with a little grin.
"Why did you do that?"
"Well, I wanted to see if it was all right--his coming in here."
"Very commendable," smiled Nestor. "Do you think he would haveattracted attention to himself by whistling if he had had no businesshere?"
"Anyway," observed Jimmie, "I followed him up. Wish I hadn't, and wishyou wouldn't hop onto me so."
"Do you think he was in these room before he whistled on the stairs?"was the next question. "That is, in the rooms within a couple of hoursof the time you heard him coming up the stairs?"
"No; I don't think he was. I heard him whistling down at the bottom.There was a light in this room then, and it was put out; or it mighthave been put out just before I heard him whistling."
"How long was he in here before you came in?" was asked.
"Oh, about half a minute, I reckon."
"Not long enough to make all this muss with the papers?"
"Of course not. He couldn't do all this in half a minute."
"Then you think that if he did this at all he did it before he whistledon the stairs. That he did it and went back, to indicate that he hadjust entered the building?"
"That's just it, but I'm not sayin' he did it, mind you, Ned."
"Whoever did this took plenty of time for it," said Nestor, turning toGeorge. "Will you tell me where you spent the evening, and with whom?"
Fremont told of the meeting of the Black Bear Patrol, of the planswhich had been made at the club-room, and of his parting with FrankShaw at the corner.
"Frank will know what time it was when he left me," said the boy,hopefully, "and the taxicab driver will know what time it was when heleft me at the door of the building. That ought to settle it."
"It might," was the grave reply, "if Mr. Cameron would not speak thoseaccusing words. Your danger lies there now. For my part, I believethat, as I said before, the words are more an appeal to you forassistance than an accusation, but the police will want to arrest someone for the crime, and so they will doubtless lock you up without bailuntil there is a change in the injured man's condition."
"The police are dubs!" exclaimed Jimmie.
"We have to figure on the working of their alleged minds if they are,"said Nestor.
Then he turned to Fremont and asked:
"You were on good terms with Mr. Cameron?"
"Yes; well, we had a few words at dinner to-night about office work. Wedid not quarrel, exactly, of course, but he seemed to think that Iought to pay more attention to my duties, and I told him I was studyinghard, and that I was doing my best."
"Did he appear to be satisfied with the explanation?"
"Yes, sir."
"You are friendly with the other members of the family?"
"Yes, sir; though I hardly think Mrs. Cameron likes me. She thinks herhusband favors me above his own sons."
"Then she would not be apt to believe you innocent of this crime if thepolice should arrest you? She would not come to your assistance?"
"With Mr. Cameron unconscious and likely to die--no, sir."
"There was silence for a moment, and then Fremont asked:
"Do you think they will lock me up, sir?"
"The police will want to do something at once," was the reply. "Theylike to make a flash, as the boys say on the Bowery."
"Suppose I send for a man high in authority, here now, and tell him thetruth?" suggested Fremont. "Wouldn't I stand a better show than if thematter passed through the hands of some ambitious detective?"
"They are all ambitious," was the non-committal reply.
"You keep the whole matter out of the hands of the cops until you knowjust what you want to do," advised Jimmie. "I don't like the cops.They pinched me once for shootin' craps."
After further talk, Fremont decided to leave the course to be takenentirely to his new friends, and that point was considered closed. ThenNestor turned to another phase of the matter. Mr. Cameron neededimmediate attention, but the office must be looked over before otherswere called in, so he set about it, Fremont and Jimmie looking on inwonder.
First Nestor went to the door opening into the corridor and examinedevery inch of the floor and rug until he came to the front of the safe.Then he went through the big desk, carefully, and patiently. Three orfour times the boys saw him lift something from the floor, or from thedesk, and place it in a pocket. He spent a long time over a packet ofpapers which he took from a drawer of the desk.
One of the papers he copied while the boys looked on, wondering what hewas about, and from another he cut a corner. This scrap he wrapped inclean paper and placed in his pocketbook. During part of the timespent in the investigation Fremont sat by the side of the unconsciousman in the north room.
"Now," asked Nestor, presently, "do you know what business brought Mr.Cameron to his office to-night?"
"Yes; he was closing up the Tolford estate."
"He asked you to come and go home with him?"
"That is the fact, but how
did you know it?"
"Because he was timid about being here alone?" asked Nestor, ignoringthe question.
"Yes, I think so. He was always nervous when dealing with the Tolfordheirs. I believe they threatened him. He brought his gun with himto-night. You will find it in a drawer of the desk if the assassin didnot take it."
"Where were the Tolford papers usually kept?"
"At the deposit vaults. I brought them over this afternoon."
"See if you can find them now."
Fremont went to the safe and then to the desk, from which he took thepacket of papers he had previously seen Nestor examining. It was asheet from this packet that the Wolf Patrol leader had copied. Hepassed the large envelope containing the papers over to the other.
"What occurred when these papers were last left in this office overnight?" Nestor asked, and Fremont, a sudden recollection stirred by thequestion, replied that there had been an attempt at burglary the lasttime the Tolford estate papers were left there at night.
Nestor smiled at the startled face of the boy as he related theoccurrence, but made no comment. He was examining a bundle of lettersat the time, and ended by putting them into a pocket as if to carrythem away with him.
"They concern a proposed transaction in firearms and ammunition," thepatrol leader said, in answer to Fremont's inquiring look.
"Now, it appears to me," Nestor said, after concluding his examinationof the suite, "that you ought to keep out of the hands of the policeuntil this affair can be thoroughly looked into. Nothing can preventyour arrest if you remain here. What about the proposed Black BearPatrol trip down the Rio Grande and over into Mexico?"
"I wouldn't like to run away," Fremont replied. "That would show guiltand cowardice. I'd much rather remain here and take what comes."
"If you are arrested," the patrol leader went on, "the police, insteadof doing honest work in unraveling the mystery, will bend every effortto convict you. They will not consider any theory other than yourguilt. Every scrap of evidence will be twisted and turned into proofagainst you, and in the meantime the real criminal may escape. It is away the police have."
"It seems like a confession of guilt to run away," Fremont said.
"Another thing," Nestor went on, "is this. I have made a discoveryhere--a very startling discovery--which points to Mexico as my field ofoperations. I cannot tell you now anything more about this discovery,except that it is a most important one. I might hide you away in NewYork where the police would never find you, but you would enjoy thetrip to Mexico, and I want you with me."
"Mexico!" cried Jimmie. "I'll go with you, Mr. Nestor. A houseboat onthe Rio Grande. Well!"
"Have you money enough for the trip?" asked Nestor of Fremont, notreplying to the generous offer of the boy.
"I have about $300 which Mr. Cameron gave me yesterday for my Springoutfit," was the reply. "He was very generous with me."
"That will pay the bills until I can get some money," Nestor said, "sowe may as well consider the matter settled. This business I am goingto Mexico on will pay me well, and I will share the expense of the tripwith you."
"Not if you go to protect me," Fremont replied.
"Not entirely to protect you," Nestor answered, "although I believethat the solution to this mystery will be found on the other side of,the Rio Grande."
"It seems strange that the Rio Grande should mix in every situationwhich confronts me to-night," Fremont said. "What can the affairs ofturbulent Mexico have to do with the cowardly crime which has beencommitted here to-night?"