Part 11 (2/2)
”Singular case,” said the physician, pausing a moment and regarding the two boys keenly. ”It's Roy Hooker. He came home rather late last night and seemed to be dazed and stunned. There's a bruise on his cheek and another bad one upon the back of his head. His folks got him to bed, thinking he'd be all right, although his mother was frightened and worried. This morning when they tried to question him he wouldn't talk.
Then they 'phoned for me.”
”Roy Hooker?” exclaimed Piper, making a pretense of astonishment, which, however, gave him a throb of self-scorn. ”Why, what do you suppose happened to him, doctor?”
”He may have been in a fight, or perhaps he was hurt some other way. I don't know, but I feel sure one or more persons, probably his intimate friends or companions, must know. Unless he recovers soon and settles it himself, they will be called on to come forward and speak up.”
Springer found it impossible to keep still. ”Cuc-couldn't he say anything at all, doctor?”
”Just two words were all I've been able to draw from him, and they seem to cast no light whatever upon the matter. I decided it was not best to try to press him further in his present condition.”
”Two words!” muttered Phil.
”Yes, if I understood correctly, he said, 'two spades.' Now what connection with his condition two spades can have I don't understand, unless one of those bruises upon his head may have been inflicted by such an implement. The bruise on his cheek, I'm sure, was not made in such a manner; and, considering the fact that the one on the back of his head is low down toward the base of the skull, I'm wholly disinclined to believe it was inflicted by anything resembling a spade. Are you boys particular friends of Roy?”
”Oh, not-not particular friends; at least, I'm not,” Sleuth hastened to reply. ”For some reason, he hasn't seemed to like me very well.”
”Then you can't throw any light on this odd affair? You weren't with him last evening?”
”I saw him at the pup-post-office a-bub-bout half past seven,” faltered Phil huskily.
”And you didn't see him after that?”
”I don't-remember. I don't th-think so.”
”How about you, Billy? Did you see him later in the evening?”
”I wasn't at the post-office,” said Piper, finding it impossible to meet the doctor's steady eyes. ”I didn't see Hooker there.”
”Nor anywhere else?” persisted the physician.
”Nor-anywhere-else.”
”Well, he must have been with some one nearly three hours later, and we'll find out who it was when he gets able to talk, if not sooner.” The doctor glanced at his watch. ”If you hear anything, let me know.”
When Dr. Grindle was gone Piper and Springer stood there, looking anywhere but at each other. Presently, however, their eyes met, and then, with the bitterest self-contempt, Billy muttered:
”Two miserable liars, that's what we are!”
CHAPTER XI
PIPER SURPRISES HIS FRIENDS.
Utterly miserable and ashamed, even feeling themselves abased, the two boys again remained silent for some moments following Piper's self-denunciatory words.
”We juj-just _had_ to do it,” Springer finally faltered in an effort at self-justification.
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