CHAPTER 11 THE LOCKED DOOR
Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan andBrad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
The Bay Shore boy, they were sure, had a careless habit of using hisjack-knife whenever he felt like it.
"These letters 'P. O' are made the same as the ones we saw in the oldchurch," Brad declared, studying the knife cuts closely. "At least Ithink so. I wish we could compare them."
"Is this enough evidence to convict Pat?"
"I'm afraid not, Dan. In the first place, being convinced of a thing is alot different than being able to prove it. We didn't see Pat carve theseinitials, nor those on the church pew."
Dan lost interest in the wall markings. "What's the use then?" he askedhopelessly. "We'll never be able to prove anything."
"Oh, I don't know. I have a hunch Pat will over-play his hand. He's sococky and sure of himself. Given time he may trip himself up."
"Maybe, but I doubt it. You know as well as I do, that he and his bunchswiped our ice cream, but will we ever be able to prove that either?"
"We may. It takes time, Dan. You're too impatient."
"I just hope things turn out the way you predict, Brad. Somehow I've gotan uneasy feeling about that game Friday night. You sure we shouldn'tcancel it?"
"With at least a hundred tickets sold?"
"I guess not," Dan admitted. He sighed and started with the wagon and theice cream freezers on down the deserted alley.
The scheduled basketball game between the two teams had attracted anunusual amount of interest in Webster City. Not only had the parents andfriends of the Cubs bought tickets at twenty-five cents each, but asurprising number had been sold to strangers and friends of Pat Oswaldand his group.
Though the Cubs had not really expected that the ticket sale would bringin very much, they now realized that it would swell their treasuryconsiderably. The money already was earmarked for the payment of attorneyfees, if needed.
After a long, tiring haul, the two Cubs eventually arrived with thefreezers at Terry Treuhaft's cottage. The yard was choked with unrakedleaves and the garage doors were locked.
"No one at home," Dan observed. "Just our luck!"
After rapping several times without an answer, the boys debated what todo. Brad was opposed to hauling the freezers back to the clubroom.
"We could leave them here," he suggested.
"Wouldn't it be better to take them back to the church? That's where theybelong."
"All right," Brad agreed. "After we get home, I'll telephone Terry or oneof the trustees so they'll know we returned them."
The old Christian churchyard looked more forlorn than ever as the boyspresently came up to it with their creaking wagon. The lawn was deep withcrackling brown leaves which filled shoes with a fine dust.
"Say, we could build a dandy fort here," Dan remarked.
"And get run off the premises again! Nothing doing."
Dan grinned goodnaturedly, for the idea had not been a serious one. Hewas as eager as Brad to be rid of the ice cream freezers and be on hisway home.
"Where'll we leave 'em?" he asked. "Not out front."
"No, they'll be safer around back."
The boys circled the church, finally halting by a rear door which leddown into the basement.
"Why, it's open!" Dan exclaimed.
Someone had left the door unlocked, for it stood an inch or two ajar.
"Maybe Terry is here, or one of the trustees, Dan!"
Cautiously, the Cubs opened the door wider. They could see no one in thedark hallway. Nor could they hear anyone moving about inside the oldchurch.
"Anyone here?" Brad finally shouted.
His voice echoed faintly, but there was no other sound.
"Queer," the Den Chief muttered. "The church is empty. But this doorshouldn't have been unlocked. No wonder so much damage was done here.Terry isn't as careful about looking after the place as he'd have thetrustees believe."
"So long's the door is unlocked, why not take the freezers down into thebasement where they belong?"
"We-ll," Brad hesitated. "Think we should?"
"It will only take a jiffy. They'll be a lot safer there than settingoutside where anyone coming along could grab 'em."
"Okay," Brad consented. "Let's be quick about it though. I'd hate to haveTerry or one of the trustees catch us here. Then they'd really have acomplaint."
With dispatch, the Cubs unloaded the first freezer and carried it betweenthem to the cellar. The main furnace room was damp and musty. A ratscurried past, nearly brushing Dan's leg.
"Woops!" he exclaimed, shivering. "I don't like this dark old hole,Brad."
"Weren't you the one who wanted to bring the freezers down here?" Bradreminded him with a chuckle. "That old rat won't hurt you. He was morescared than you are."
"Who says I'm scared? It just startled me, that's all."
The boys carried the freezer into the fruit closet. Nearly all of thelong shelves which lined the wall were empty. A few cans of homemadefruit, evidently abandoned when the church was closed, remained. Dannoticed that a can of peaches and one of strawberries had been brokenopen.
"Come on, let's get that other freezer and be out of here," Brad urged."No time to start looking around."
In haste, they went upstairs again to fetch the second container. Bradbreathed a relieved sigh when it was safely on the shelf.
"That's done," he declared. "I'd hate--"
"You'd hate what?" Dan demanded as the other suddenly broke off.
"Nothing. Let's get out of here."
Dan knew from Brad's odd manner that something had startled him. As forhimself, he had heard no unusual sound.
"What was it?" he demanded, dropping his voice to a half-whisper.
"Don't start whispering or you'll give me the jitters," Brad scolded.
"You did hear something?"
"Just the creaking of a board." Brad forced himself to be indifferent."But what of it? This building has been closed up for a long while andthe wood is dry. It wasn't anything."
"Let's go," Dan urged, leading the way up the dark stairs.
Though he wouldn't have admitted it, he too felt suddenly uneasy. In away, it had been foolish of them to enter the empty building. If someoneshould find them there, it might be all but impossible to convince anyoneof their true purpose.
The Cubs relaxed a bit as they reached the top of the basement stairs.Their fear of not being alone in the building began to ebb.
"Say, while we're here, I might take another quick look at those initialsthat were carved on the church bench," Brad proposed. "I'll probablynever get another chance like this."
"Okay," Dan agreed reluctantly. "But make it snappy."
While Brad went into the main part of the church, the denner remained inthe vestibule. He caught himself shivering. Nervousness? Or was it thechill wind which came in occasional drafts down the circular ironstairway leading to the belfry?
"I wish Brad would hurry," Dan kept thinking.
He was annoyed by his own uneasiness. What was it about this old churchbuilding that always gave him the same uncomfortable feeling? Why did hehave that vague sensation--a sort of conviction that someone was watchinghim? Every crack and cranny of the vestibule seemed to have leering eyes.
Dan began to think of the first day he had visited the place. Chub toohad been uneasy. Even then there had been strange sounds, a tapping bell,a shadowy figure in the church graveyard. And why had the church doorbeen left unlocked?
A slight noise which he could not immediately localize, caused Dan tostiffen. Had the sound come from the belfry room? A bat, perhaps.
Dan listened intently. Distinctly, he could hear tiptoeing steps on theiron stairway! Someone was up there, stealthily descending!
Panic momentarily overcame the boy. "Brad!" he yelled. "Brad!"
It was reassuring to hear the older Cub yell: "Comin
g!"
"What's wrong?" Brad demanded, popping into the vestibule. "You look asif you'd seen a ghost."
"I didn't see anything, but I have a bad case of the jitters," Danadmitted sheepishly.
"It's time we quit this place anyhow," Brad replied. "I'm sure thosecarved initials on the pew are the same as the ones we saw in the alley.Pat Oswald must have carved them both."
Dan nodded scarcely listening. He cast an uneasy glance toward the ironstairway.
"Say, what's wrong with you anyhow?" Brad demanded.
Dan was ashamed to tell him of his fears. Now that Brad was with himagain, he didn't feel as nervous as before. Like as not he'd allowed hisimagination to play tricks on him again.
"Nothing's wrong," he muttered. "Let's go."
They left the vestibule. Dan reached for the knob of the rear, outsidedoor. When he twisted it, an empty feeling came into his stomach. Hetugged, but the door refused to budge.
"Stuck?" Brad asked, moving close.
Dan's lips had drawn into a tight, white line. "Not stuck," he managed ina faint voice, "Locked!"