XVII
Ka-kee-ta should have made the round trip to Mr. Pracht in the PioneerHotel, which was one block from the Waloo, before Tessie was bathed,dressed and breakfasted, but he did not return by the time she hadfinished the last of the hot cakes. He did not return for lunch. Tessie,who had a thousand-and-one things to do, began to wonder.
"Where do you suppose he is?" she asked Granny. "What do you suppose hashappened to him?"
"Maybe he met a friend," suggested Granny, who was wondering herselfwhat had detained the queen's messenger. "I hope you'll give him a goodpiece of your mind when he does come back, Tessie. He shouldn't loafwhen you send him on an errand. Maybe he went to lunch with a friend."
Tessie laughed to think of frizzled Ka-kee-ta and his ax going to lunchwith a friend, but her face sobered when she remembered that, so far asshe knew Ka-kee-ta had no friends in Waloo.
"I'm worried," she told Granny, and she looked worried. "I suppose I'mresponsible for Ka-kee-ta. Do you suppose Mr. Pracht could have doneanything to him?"
"I wouldn't be surprised," confessed Granny with grim reluctance. "A manwho will threaten a little girl like you would do anything. Why don'tyou call up Joe Cary and ask him what he thinks?" Granny had called onJoe for so long that it had become a habit to consult him on everyoccasion.
"I'll call up Mr. Bill! He knows more than Joe Cary. Joe Cary never wentto college. He only went to an art school!"
"There are some things you learn without going to college," murmuredGranny, as Tessie flew to the telephone.
"Lost Ka-kee-ta!" repeated Mr. Bill over the wire, and he laughed. "Ithought that was what you wanted to do."
"I never wanted to lose him!" Tessie declared indignantly. "I justwanted him to leave me alone once in awhile. I'm afraid something hashappened to him."
"What could have happened to a big strong native with an ax in hishands?" Mr. Bill laughed again. He sounded anything but sympathetic."Have you reported it to the hotel detective? He would know how to trailyour bodyguard. Or the police? A man like Ka-kee-ta couldn't disappearwithout leaving some clue. I'll bring the store detective around if yousay so?"
"You needn't bother!" There was a bit of an edge in Tessie's voice, evenif it was tremulous. It hurt Tessie to have her call for help regardedas a joke. "I'll speak to the hotel detective. And I'll ask Joe Cary tohelp me find Ka-kee-ta. But as long as your father is so interested inmy islands, I wish you would ask him why the syndicate that wants to buythem stole my bodyguard?"
"Tessie!" exclaimed Mr. Bill. He stopped laughing as soon as he heardthe edge in Tessie's voice. Perhaps the edge was sharp enough to cuthim. "Tessie!" he said again, but she did not answer him. He hung up thereceiver and hurried to get his hat. He would go right over to the Walooand see what was the matter with Tessie. He met his father at the door.
"Where are you going?" old Mr. Kingley asked young Mr. Kingley.
"To the Waloo!" Mr. Bill answered hurriedly. "Tessie Gilfooly has lostthat native bodyguard of hers."
"Lost--" Mr. Kingley caught his son by the sleeve and held himtight--"wait a minute, Bill, and tell Gray. He might as well use thestory." He rubbed his hands together in his satisfaction. "My soul! Wemust have had a million dollars' worth of good publicity out of QueenTeresa already! Tell Gray all about it before you go, Bill. He will justhave time to catch the afternoon papers."
"Darn the papers!" cried Mr. Bill, trying to free himself from thepaternal clutch on his sleeve. But whether he wanted to or not, he hadto wait and tell Mr. Gray what Tessie had told him.
"Perhaps you shouldn't publish it yet," he said doubtfully, when at lasthe was free to go.
"Not publish it!" His father was shocked at such a thought. "Of courseit should be published. Why not? Queen Teresa wants to find herbodyguard, doesn't she? If the story is published, all Waloo will helpher. It can't hurt her to have it published. What could happen?" Helooked hungrily at his son as if, perhaps, he scented more publicity.
"She could be boiled in oil if the Sons of Sunshine got hold of her,"muttered Mr. Bill, as he remembered what Tessie told him was sometimesdone to monarchs in the Sunshine Islands.
"Bill! Don't be flippant as well as foolish," counseled his disgustedfather. "Queens aren't boiled in oil now. That makes a fine story, Gray.A fine story! I bet the other stores, the Bon Ton and the Mammoth, envyus our queen!" He laughed with good-natured triumph. "You can run alongnow, Bill, and tell Queen Teresa we want to help her in every way wecan. Be sure and put that in your story, Gray, that we are helping thequeen in every way we can to find her bodyguard."
But Mr. Bill had delayed too long. By the time he told the story to Mr.Gray, Joe Cary had taken his hat and gone to the Waloo. Joe found onlyGranny in the big sunny room, for Tessie had gone over to Marvin, Phelps& Stokes, to ask Mr. Marvin if there wasn't a law which would make Mr.Pracht stop threatening her, and stop stealing Ka-kee-ta. Tessie knewthat Mr. Pracht had stolen Ka-kee-ta.
"I wanted her to wait until you came," Granny said. "But she wouldn't doit. She feels responsible for Ka-kee-ta. She said if it hadn't been forher, he would be in the Sunshine Islands this minute, safe and sound."
"He would probably have been killed by the Sons of Sunshine," correctedJoe. "You know I think I'm getting a line on this, Granny. And it'sbigger than I thought. I made it my business to talk to that Pracht lastnight, and something he said roused my suspicions. If I'm right, Tessiehas a big power against her. She wants to be careful."
"What is it, Joe?" begged Granny. "What was Pete up to before he died?"She was sure that Pete had been up to something, and her voice shook asshe begged Joe to tell her what it was.
"I'll tell you just as soon as I'm sure," promised Joe. "I'm going afterTessie now. She shouldn't have gone out alone, not after defying Prachtas she did."
"She wasn't alone. Johnny came back from camp this morning, and he wentwith her."
"Johnny!" Joe laughed as if a Boy Scout would be little protectionagainst the power he feared. When he saw Granny's worried face, hepatted her arm comfortingly. "Don't you worry, Granny. Everything's allright!" he declared. "I'll bring Tessie right back!"
But when he reached the sumptuous offices of Marvin, Phelps & Stokes,Tessie had left.
"About five minutes ago," Bert Douglas told him. "Rum story she had totell, wasn't it? Of course Mr. Marvin is going to make that Pracht stopfrightening her. We don't stand for that sort of thing in this country.She was as pretty as a picture when she told her story. But, Cary, theremust be something queer about those islands. Mr. Marvin thinks so, too,but Mr. Phelps is nuts for them. He says it takes him back to the dayswhen he wanted to be a pirate."
"Were they able to help Tessie at all?" asked Joe. What did he careabout Mr. Marvin--or even Mr. Phelps?
"Not much. We've had a wire from Pitts, the special representative, fromSan Francisco. I suppose when he comes the mystery will be cleared." Andhe chuckled. The mystery intrigued Bert as much as the islands did Mr.Phelps.
"San Francisco!" exclaimed Joe. "I thought he was a prisoner on theislands?"
"I rather think Pracht sent us that word to scare the queen. Anyway, Mr.Marvin had a wire this morning that seems all right. I was just going totell Miss Gilfooly when she came in, the Boy Scout at her heels. Shemustn't do anything until Pitts arrives. But I expect, and I know Mr.Marvin thinks so, too, that Ka-kee-ta lost his way. Miss Gilfoolyprobably found him at the hotel when she went back."
Joe looked at him. "You don't think there is anything in Pracht's threatto make trouble for Tessie if she doesn't sell the islands to hissyndicate, do you?" he asked bluntly.
Bert regarded him with amused surprise. "My dear fellow, what could hedo? Use your gray matter! Those islands are in the Pacific Ocean, twohundred and eighty-seven miles south of Honolulu. They are verybeautiful and may be very valuable, but Pracht wouldn't resort to crimeto get them. No syndicate would. It's ridiculous!"
"Two hundred and eighty-seven miles south of Honolulu," repeated Joe."And much nea
rer to the United States than Honolulu. Don't forget that!There are people, Douglas, who would be glad to get control of a groupof islands near the United States."
Bert jumped to his feet and stared at Joe. "What do you mean, Cary? Whatdo you mean?" he demanded.
But Joe would not tell him what he meant. "Think it over," he advised,instead. "Think several things over, and perhaps you'll understand thatPracht means all, and more, than he threatens, that he is determined toget possession of those islands. We've got to find Ka-kee-ta. I'll trotback to the Waloo. Perhaps Tessie will be there by the time I am."
"Sure to be," agreed puzzled Bert. "She left a good ten minutes ago. ButI wish you'd make your meaning a little clearer, Joe. I'd like to haveit a little clearer before I speak to Mr. Marvin."
Joe was halfway to the elevator before Bert finished, and he did notturn back to explain his meaning. He hurried to the hotel, but Tessiewas not there. Johnny was on the davenport with a big box of chocolates.
"I don't know where Tessie went," he told Joe languidly. "She asked meto go in the Bon Bon Box, and buy her five pounds of chocolates, and Idid. I saw her get into a car and----"
"What car?" snapped Joe. "It wasn't her own car! Her own car wasstanding in front of the hotel. I saw it when I came in."
"Not her own car!" cried Granny, and her face turned a pasty gray as shestared at Joe. "Not her own car, Joe! Then somebody's kidnaped her! Iknow they have! Poor little Tessie!"
The Amazing Inheritance Page 17