“Do you know,” he asked, seating himself, “that your friends the freight thieves are operating again on the division?”
“No!” said Jack in surprise.
“They are. And they have evolved some scheme that is more baffling even than the ‘haunting’ trick you spoiled for them here last spring. Every week they are getting away with valuable stuff from one of the night freights between Claxton and Eastfield, while the train is actually en route, apparently. That sounds incredible, I know, but it is the only possible conclusion to come to, since the train does not stop between those places, and I made sure the goods each time were aboard when it left Claxton.”
Jack whistled. “That does look a problem, doesn’t it! But where do I come in, Mr. Boyle?”
“Last evening, while thinking the matter over, the trick the thieves used here at the Junction recurred to me—the man shipped in a box. It came to me: Why couldn’t that same dodge be played back against them in this case?”
“Oh, I see! Have yourself shipped in a box, and ‘stolen’ by them! Clever idea,” exclaimed Jack.
“Not so bad I think, myself. Well, in the country between Claxton and Eastfield, where it is my theory the gang has its headquarters, there are no telephone or telegraph lines, and it struck me it would be a good plan to take someone along with me who in case of things going wrong could make his way back to the railroad, and cut in on the wire and call for help. And naturally you were the first one I thought of. Do you want the job?” asked the detective.
“I’d jump at the chance,” Jack agreed eagerly. “It’d be more fun than enough.
“But, Mr. Boyle, how do you know that the boxes are taken to the freight thieves’ headquarters, unopened, and not broken into right at the railroad?”
“I figure that out from the number and size of the packages they have taken each time—just a good load for a light wagon. And anyway you can see that that would be their safest plan. If they broke up boxes near the track they would leave clues that would be sure to be found sooner or later, and put us on their trail.