CHAPTER VIII
ARCADES AMBO
"What means this, my lord?" "Marry, this is miching mallecho; it means mischief."
--_Hamlet._
"We are here to do what service we may, for honor and not for hire."--ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.
With Billy went the sheriff and Alec, the latter with a sheaf oftelegrams.
"Now ... how did Buttinski's noseguard get into this bank? That's whatI'd like to know," said Billy to the doorknob, when the othercommitteemen had gone their ways. "I didn't bring it. I don't believeButtinski did.... And Policeman Lake certainly saw us quarreling. Henoticed the football player, right enough,--and he pretends he didn't.Why--why--why does Policeman Lake pretend he didn't see that footballplayer? Echo answers--why?... Denmark's all putrefied!"
The low sun cleared the housetops. The level rays fell along thewindow-sill; and Billy, staring fascinated at the single blotch of driedblood on the inner sill, saw something glitter and sparkle there besideit. He went closer. It was a dust of finely powdered glass. Billywhistled.
A light foot ran up the steps. There was a rap at the door.
"No entrance except on business. No business transacted here!" quotedBilly, startled from a deep study. A head appeared at the window. "Oh,it's you, Jimmy? That's different. Come in!"
It was Jimmy Phillips, the chief deputy. Billy knew him and liked him.He unbarred the door.
"Well, anything turned up yet?" demanded Jimmy. "I stopped in to seeLars. Him and me was old side partners."
"How's he making it, Jimmy?"
"Oh, doc said he had one chance in ten thousand; so he's all right, Iguess," responded that brisk optimist. "They got any theory about therobber?"
"They have that. A perfectly sound theory, too--only it isn't true,"said Billy in a low and guarded tone. "They'll tell you. I haven't gottime. See here--if I give you the straight tip will you work it up andkeep your head closed until you see which way the cat jumps? Can youkeep it to yourself?"
"Mum as a sack of clams!" said Jimmy.
"Look at this a minute!" Billy pointed to the tiny particles of glass onthe inner sill. "Got that? Then I'll dust it off. This is a case foryour gummiest shoes. Now look at this!" He indicated the opening wherethe patch of glass had been cut from the big pane. Jimmy rubbed hisfinger very cautiously along the raw edge of the glass.
"Cut out from the inside--then carried out there? A frame-up?"
"Exactly. But I don't want anybody else to size it up for aframe-up--not now."
"But," said Jimmy good-naturedly, "I'd 'a' seen all that myself after alittle if you hadn't 'a' showed me."
"Yes," said Billy dryly; "and then told somebody! That's why I brushedthe glass-dust off. I've got inside information--some that I'm going toshare with you and some that I am not going to tell even you!"
"Trot it out!"
"Lake had the key of this front door in the policeman's uniform that hewore to the dance. Isn't that queer? If I were you I'd very quietly findout whether he went home to get that key after he got word that the bankwas robbed. He was still in the ballroom when he got the message."
"You think it's a put-up job? Why?"
"There is something not just right about the man Lake. His mind is tooballbearing altogether. He herds those chumps in there round like somany sheep. He used 'em to make discoveries with and then showed 'em howto force 'em on him. Oh, they made a heap of progress! They've gotevidence enough up in there to hang John the Baptist, with Lake all thetime setting back in the breeching like a balky horse. It's Lake's bank,and the bank's got burglar insurance. Got that? If he gets the money andthe insurance, too--see? And I happen to know he has been bucking themarket. I dropped a roll with him myself. Then there's r-r-revenge!--asthey say on the stage--and something else beside. Has Lake any bitterenemies?"
"Oodles of 'em!"
"But one worse than the others--one he hates most?"
Jimmy thought for a while. Then he nodded.
"Jeff Bransford, I reckon."
"Is he in town?"
"Not that I know of."
"Well, I never heard of your Mr. Bransford; but he's in town all right,all right! You'll see! Lake's got a case cooked up that'll hang some onehigher than Haman; and I'll bet the first six years of my life against aDoctor Cook lecture ticket that the first letter of some one's name isJeff Bransford."
"Maybe Jeff can prove he was somewhere else?" suggested Jimmy.
Billy evaded the issue.
"What sort of a man is this Bransford? Any good? Besides being an enemyof Lake's, I mean?"
"Mr. Bransford is one whom we all delight to humor," announced thedeputy, after some reflection.
"Friend of yours?"
Jimmy reflected again.
"We-ll--yes!" he said. "He limps a little in cold weather, and I got alittle small ditch plowed in my skull--but our horses was both young andwild, and the boys rode in between us before there was any harm done. Ipulled him out of the Pecos since that, too, and poured some severalbarrels of water out o' him. Yes, we're good friends, I reckon."
"He'll shoot back on proper occasion, then? A good sport? Stand thegaff?"
"On proper occasion," rejoined Jimmy, "the other man will shoot back--ifhe's lucky. Yes, sir, Jeff's certainly one dead game sport at any turnin the road."
"Considering the source and spirit of your information, you sadden me,"said Billy. "The better man he is, the better chance to hang. Has he gotany close friends here?"
"He seldom ever comes here," said Jimmy. "All his friends is on Rainbow,specially South Rainbow; but his particular side partners is all awayjust now; leastways, all but one."
"Can't you write to that one?"
The deputy grinned hugely.
"And tell him to come break Jeff out o' jail?" said he. "That don't seemhardly right, considerin'. You write to him--Johnny Dines, Morningside.You might wire up to Cloudland and have it forwarded from there. I'llpay."
Billy made a note of it.
"They'll be out here in a jiffy now," he said. "Now, Jimmy, you listento all they tell you; follow it up; make no comments; don't see anythingand don't miss anything. Let Lake think he's having it all his own wayand he'll make some kind of a break that will give him away. We haven'tgot a thing against him yet except the right guess. And you be carefulto catch your friend without a fight. When you get him I want you togive him a message from me; but don't mention any name. Tell him to keepa stiff upper lip--that the devil takes care of his own. Say the deviltold you himself--in person. I don't want to show my hand. I'm on theother side--see? That way I can be in Lake's counsels--force myself in,if necessary, after this morning."
"You think that if you give Lake rope enough----"
"Exactly. Here they come--I hear their chairs."
"Blonde or brunette?" said Jimmy casually.
"Eh? What's that?"
"The something else that you wouldn't tell me about," Jimmy explained."Is she blonde or brunette?"
"Oh, go to hell!" said Billy.
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