THE MISSING AIRCRAFT
The aviator led the way back to the Aegis hangar. Dave saw that Mr.
King was not inclined to explain any further until they were off the
public course, so he asked no more questions, for the present. Dave
had a good deal to tell himself. His mind had been full of it all
day. Something in the grave, thoughtful manner of Mr. King,
however, caused him to defer his own anxiety and impatience.
When they were inside the comfortable room where the aviator made
his office, Mr. King turned to Dave with a very sober face.
"I said I had bad news, Dashaway," he spoke, "and that's no
mistake."
"Then you failed to find Mr. Dale at Warrenton?" inquired Dave.
"He has not been there for over a week."
"Why, I thought he lived there?"
"He did. He went away, or was kidnapped, nearly ten days ago."
"Kidnapped?" exclaimed Dave in surprise.
"That's what I think. Mr. Dale lived alone, except for a very old
man servant. As near as I can figure it out, that young thief,
Gregg, appeared at Warrenton two days after I had him arrested. I
did a very foolish thing in dealing with the young scamp."
"You mean letting him go free?" inquired Dave.
"Yes, I feared at the time that I was unwise in not punishing him,
to serve as a lesson against more mischief. He acted so scared,
though, he helped me get back the property he had stolen from you,
he signed a confession telling that he was not the real Dave
Dashaway and had imposed on Mr. Dale, so I thought he would proceed
to at once make himself very scarce. I felt sure that he would not
be able to play any more tricks on Mr. Dale, for I expected that you
and I would go the very next day and see this old friend of your
father. You know we were rushed from Dayton to the next meet, and
had no chance to get to Warrenton and explain matters to Mr. Dale. I
blame myself for not sending you at, once to him at the time. As I
told you, I wrote to a friend, a lawyer at Warrenton, to learn what I
could about Mr. Dale. He reported Mr. Dale was absent on a trip.
When I got to Warrenton yesterday and met the old Dale servant, I saw
at once that something was wrong."
"How do you mean, Mr. King?" asked Dave quite anxiously.
"Well, I learned that this young scamp, Gregg, had appeared at
Warrenton two days after I let him go."
"Still pretending to be Dave Dashaway?"
"So the old servant says. Gregg and Mr. Dale went away together.
There is no doubt in my mind that Gregg put up a plot to get Mr.
Dale away from Warrenton before we could expose him."
"But he could not keep Mr. Dale away from home forever?"
"No, but he and his accomplices might get the old man to some remote
place and make him a prisoner."
"And force him to give up a lot of money before they let him go."
"Yes, that has been done before," admitted Dave.
"Anyhow, two days alter Mr. Dale left Warrenton, a check passed
through the bank signed by him for one thousand dollars."
Dave was both interested and alarmed.
"Four days ago a check for two thousand dollars arrived. The bank
refused to cash it."
"Why, Mr. King?"
"Because it was a forgery."
"Not Mr. Dale's signature?"
"That's it."
"But where did the checks come from?" inquired Dave.
"From two cities, widely apart. I know the places. It looks to me
as if the first check was given willingly by Mr. Dale. Then he must
have become suspicious, and refused to pay out any more money. The
second check was numbered correctly, and Gregg must have got
possession of the old man's regular check book."
"This is a pretty serious affair, Mr. King," commented Dave.
"It is, and I came straight back here to tell you about it, and then
cancel all my engagements at the meet. I shall start out at once to
run down this Gregg and locate Mr. Dale."
"And I must join you-I see that it is my duty," declared Dave.
"Not at all," responded the aviator definitely. "I have mapped out
the best plan of procedure, and I believe I can run down this
business alone in a very short time."
Dave was really anxious concerning Mr. Dale. He truly believed it
his first duty towards the old friend of his father to do all he
could to assist him. For all that, Dave was relieved to know that
he could go on without interruption in service of his employers.
"Yes," proceeded the aviator, "I feel that I have an interest in
finding Mr. Dale. In the first place, he is your friend. Next, I
feel responsible for letting that young scamp, Gregg, go free. At a
selfish motive, I believe that if I succeed in rescuing the old man
he will gladly finance my giant airship scheme."
"He surely will, Mr. King," said Dave confidently. "I believe he
would help you, anyway. I do hope he can be found."
"I shall not rest until he is," declared the aviator. "Now,
Dashaway, I don't want you to take this affair on your mind. If I
fail in what I have planned, I will certainly call you into the
case. I fancy, from what Hiram here has told me, that you have some
important business of your own on hand."
"Yes, that is quite true," replied Dave seriously.
"Are you having some trouble with the Interstate people?" inquired
the aviator pointedly.
"Not on my account, I, am glad to say, Mr. King," replied Dave.
"There is some trouble, though, for all hands around. It's about
the stolen aero-hydroplane, or hydro-aeroplane, they haven't just
settled on the exact name."
"The Drifter?"
"Yes, sir."
"I read about that strange case. I suppose it puts you back in your
arrangements at the meet here?"
"Not only that, Mr. King," explained Dave, "but it has placed me in
a position where I shall have to give up all my engagements for a
time."
"Why, you don't say so, Dashaway?" exclaimed the aviator, much
disturbed.
"Those are the orders," replied Dave. "I have hurried back to
Columbus purposely, to consult on your helping in a search for the
Drifter."
"Of course that is not possible, now that this Dale affair has come
up," said Mr. King. "As to a search for the stolen aircraft, that
is going to be no easy task, I'm thinking. Have the Interstate
people no theory as to the way the Drifter was stolen, and the
motive for the theft?"
"I had better tell you all I know about it, Mr. King."
"Do so, Dashaway."
Dave proceeded to relate his interview with Mr. Randolph, the
manager of the Interstate factory. He did not refer just then to
his experience with the tramp.
"It's a good deal of a puzzle," commented the aviator. "What is
your plan?"
"Why, I expected that I could induce you to take charge of the
search. As you cannot, I am thinking of Hiram going back with me to
Bolton."
"What's your idea?"
"The Interstate people have offered me their best monoplane to start
the chase for the missing Drifter."
"It will be a blind start, Dashaway, without a clew."
"But I have a clew," announced Dave.
"You didn't say so."
"I hadn't come to that yet, Mr. King. I haven't even told the
Interstate people. I am pretty certain that the Drifter left Bolton
on a due northwest course," and Dave drew from his pocket the card
he had got from the tramp.
"Capital!" cried the aviator, becoming very much interested. "If
you know that, you have half solved the problem."
"Besides that," went on Dave, producing the duplicate N. A. L.
badge, and glancing at the scratched initials on its back, "I know
who stole the Drifter."
"What's that?" almost shouted the aviator, springing to his feet, in
a great state of excitement.
"Say, Dave, are you sure?" pressed the eager Hiram Dobbs, worked up
to fever heat with curiosity and suspense.
"Who was it?" asked Mr. King.
"Jerry Dawson," was Dave Dashaway's reply.