GREENBAUM THREATENS
More than ever anxious, as much by what Mr. Jackson had left unsaid as
by what had come to him over the wire before the interruption, Tom Swift
hailed a taxicab and in it rode to his home, stopping, since it was on
his way, to let Ned Newton off at the latter’s home.
“Don’t talk too much—outside your own family circle—of what happened,
Ned,” was the warning Tom gave his chum as they parted.
“I won’t. But you aren’t going to let the matter drop here, are you?”
“I should say not! But I want to swoop down on those fellows before they
know it.”
Tom found his father excited by the sudden news over his son’s safety,
but it was a joyous reaction after the dismal news brought back by Mr.
Damon and Koku, following the episode of the motorboat chase.
“What happened after I left you?” Tom asked Mr. Damon, who had been
pretty constantly at the Swift home following the kidnapping of the
young inventor and his manager.
“After you _left_ us?” repeated the eccentric man somewhat dazedly. “You
mean——?”
“I mean after I fell overboard,” said Tom, with a smile.
“Oh, yes. Well, neither Koku nor I knew how to manage the _Gull_, and
your friend Bill Tagg wasn’t any better off, bless my rudder!” said Mr.
Damon. “So we just let her run, and she slued around so much and acted
so queerly after you were taken aboard the other boat that some fellows
in a sailboat came to our aid. We told them what had happened—without
going too much into your private affairs, Tom—and one of the men got
aboard the _Gull_ and brought us back to the dock where we started from.
Then I hurried here to tell your father.”
“Then I got in touch with the police,” said Mr. Swift, taking up the
story, “for I guessed that those aboard that other boat were your
enemies, Tom. But the police didn’t know where to look. So what with you
gone and nothing heard of Ned, we were in a great stew.”
“I can imagine it,” Tom said. “Of course you had no way of really
knowing Ned was aboard the other boat, though I suppose from what
happened and the sight of the bound figure in the bottom of the
_Turtle_, you might have guessed Ned was aboard.”
“I surmised it,” assented Mr. Damon. “But we had no idea where they were
taking you.”
“No, you couldn’t know that,” said Tom. “Well, we got away from the
scoundrels, and the next thing is to catch them.”
Having given his father and Mr. Damon a hasty description of what had
happened to him and Ned, Tom Swift set about the work of running down
the miscreants.
The police were notified of the return of the young inventor, and a
squad of officers was sent to Rattlesnake Island. Tom did not go, for he
felt the need of rest. Besides, there were things at home which needed
his attention.
“What was it you started to tell me when we were cut off, Mr. Jackson?”
Tom asked his superintendent after the police had departed for the
island.
“You mean about Greenbaum?”
“Yes. Is he still here?”
“Well, he is, Mr. Swift; and I hope I’m not going against your wishes
when I say I wish he wasn’t.”
“Not at all, Mr. Jackson. I have no desire to keep that man if he isn’t
doing what is right, though I must admit that he is a good workman.”
“I agree with you there. But after what happened you must use your own
judgment about keeping him on.”
“What happened?”
“Well, he and I quarreled.”
“What did Greenbaum do?” Tom asked. He knew he need not ask what his
superintendent had done, for Garret Jackson was thoroughly dependable.
“I found him sneaking around your private room, Tom—the room where you
have been doing those experiments of late. I don’t know what they are
and I don’t want to know until the right time comes. But I felt pretty
sure you didn’t want Greenbaum to be prying in there.”
“No more I do!”
“That’s what I thought. So when I saw him come out of that room the
second time, after you had gone to find Ned, I called him to account for
it.”
“What did he say?”
“That you told him to go in there to experiment.”
“That was untrue!” cried Tom.
“So I guessed. So I took the liberty of putting a new lock on the
place—a lock that fellow couldn’t pick if he wanted to, and he came at
me hot and heavy. We had a quarrel, and I’m glad you’re here to settle
it.”
“And I’ll settle it mighty quick!” exclaimed Tom. He was in his private
office now, in a part of the shop somewhat removed from his secret
experimental laboratory. Pushing a button that summoned a messenger, Tom
bade the boy send Greenbaum in. And when the man sauntered in, smiling
and seeming very confident of himself, the young inventor said:
“Get your time from the cashier and pack your things.”
“What for?” demanded Greenbaum, with a quick change of countenance.
“Because you’re through here.”
“Through, Mr. Swift! Why, you gave me a contract and you can’t fire me
off-hand this way without telling me why! It isn’t fair!”
“It’s fair enough, and you know it!” declared Tom. “The only contract
you had was that I said I’d keep you as long as your work was
satisfactory. Well, it isn’t. It’s far from satisfactory.”
“You mean on that magnetic gear shift? I can show you, Mr. Swift,
that——”
“No, it isn’t the gear shift. I’m going to drop that. It’s your own
private work of trying to sneak in and fathom my secrets. That’s all.
You are through. Get your time and clear out! Mr. Jackson was right in
his surmise.”
“Oh, so Jackson has been talking about me, has he?”
“I’m not answering any of your questions,” retorted Tom. “The sooner you
leave the premises the better. And don’t come back!”
For a moment Greenbaum stood looking squarely at Tom Swift whose eyes
never faltered under the gaze of the angry man. Then Greenbaum asked
with great deliberation:
“Is that your last word, Mr. Swift?”
“Yes.”
“Well, all I’ve got to say is that maybe you’ll be sorry for this some
day! Maybe you’ll be sorry!”
There was a distinct threat in Greenbaum’s words.
“What do you mean?” cried Tom in anger starting from his chair. “How
dare you threaten me?”
Greenbaum made no answer, but turned and went out of the office. Tom was
about to follow, for he did not want the fellow to think he could thus
defy him, when the telephone on the desk rang out sharply.