Part 23 (1/2)
”Nothing more at present,” answered d.i.c.k.
With the hotel manager gone, the boys closed the door leading to the hallway and sat down to discuss the situation. The door between the two bedrooms had already been opened by a hallman, so that they would have ample sleeping accommodations when they wished to retire. But just now they were too excited and worried to think of sleeping.
”Maybe we had better put the police at work,” suggested Sam.
”We surely ought to do something,” added Tom.
”What can the police do--with no clews to work on?” asked their big brother.
”They might look around in the hospitals for him.”
”I don't think we'll find him in any hospital.”
”Why not, if he met with an accident?”
”I don't believe there was any accident,” continued d.i.c.k, earnestly.
”Do you think he met with foul play at the hands of those men he came to see?” demanded Sam.
”It looks that way to me, Sam.”
”Then we ought to have them locked up at once!”
”How can we--when we have no evidence against them?”
”Let us look into dad's suitcase,” suggested Tom.
”I'll see if I can unlock it.”
d.i.c.k had a bunch of keys in his pocket, as did Tom and Sam, and the boys tried the keys one after another. At last they found one which fitted, and the suitcase came open.
The bag contained the usual a.s.sortment of wearing apparel which Mr.
Rover was in the habit of carrying when on a trip that was to last but a few days or a week. In addition, there were several letters and doc.u.ments, placed in a thick manila envelope and marked with the owner's name.
The boys read the letters and doc.u.ments with interest. From them they learned that Mr. Rover had been requested to come to the city immediately, to see about some business connected with the Sunset Irrigation Company. The doc.u.ments were some transfers of stock which they did not quite understand.
”He came down here to see Pelter, j.a.pson & Company, that's certain,”
remarked d.i.c.k. ”It eras evidently the only reason why he came to New York. Now the question is, Did he go and see those men, and did they waylay him, or did they hire somebody to do it?”
”I wish we knew more about those men,” said Tom. ”You can soon size a fellow up when you talk to him.”
”Not always,” answered Sam. ”Sometimes the smoothest talkers are the greatest rascals. Don't you remember how nicely Josiah Crabtree used to talk to Mrs. Stanhope, and see what a rascal he turned out to be!”
”I wonder if they have captured him yet,” mused Tom.
”Never mind Crabtree now,” put in d.i.c.k. ”What we want to do is to find father. I don't know exactly how we are going at it, but I think I'll have some sort of plan by morning.”
”We can go down to Pelter, j.a.pson & Company and make them tell what they know,” said Sam.
”They'll tell what they feel like telling, Sam,--and that might not do us any good. Mind you, I don't say they did father any harm. But I know they didn't like the way he was getting after them, for they knew that, sooner or later, he might sue them and possibly put one or more of them in jail for fraud.”