“Oh, no!” he exclaimed suddenly. “Now what’s Dad going to think of me?”
The blanket, candle, and flashlight were no longer in sight.
Chapter 6
“That man,” Ronnie told himself again and again as he trudged back to their office, “that man I saw this morning running from the boarded-up house is the person who slept in there last night.” And “that man” had looked an awful lot like Mr. Caldwell, even seen from a distance and hidden somewhat by the early morning shadows.
Ronnie groaned. He sure did hate the thought of the teasing he’d get when his father inspected the building and found nothing there.
Bill was waiting for him when he reached their office building. “’Bout time you got here,” he said.
“I’ve been here,” Ronnie retorted. “I went over to take another peek into the boarded-up building. But I wished I hadn’t.”
“How come?”
Ronnie told him. Bill groaned too. “I told my pa about it, too, and he said he was going to call your pa on the telephone. Somebody’s made a monkey out of us for sure!”
“Well, we know somebody slept there last night,” Ronnie announced stoutly. “Some mighty strange things are going on around here, let me tell you.” He decided to break down and tell Bill about the peculiar light he’d seen the evening before, and about the man who looked like Mr. Caldwell who had turned and run when the boy had shouted his name.