“It is really narrowed down to those two when you come to it,” suggested Arthur, “for they hate him the worst and are more active than the others.”
“I think we’d better take that for granted,” added Harry, “and work along those lines. I think it was one of them, just as I think it was one of them who pushed Jack off the bank.”
“They may have hired a third party to do the work,” remarked Percival. “They would know that they would be suspected on account of their opposition to Jack and so wish to hide their tracks.”
“That’s all right on the supposition that they are clever fellows,” laughed Harry, “but your rascals are always weak somewhere and trip themselves up. They say it takes a smart man to be a rogue and neither Herring nor Merritt has any medals for brilliancy of intellect.”
“No, and yet they have a certain shrewdness. Detection in a case of this sort would mean expulsion from the Academy and I do not believe either of them would care to face that.”
“No, but all the same I think it was one of them and I believe we will eventually discover this.”
“Aren’t they a long time in calling you up, Jack?” asked Percival with some impatience. “Try them again.”
Jack took up the receiver again, therefore, and called the News office.
After some delay the girl at the central office said:
“They don’t answer. I guess they must have gone home.”