“Then we can have a good sleep!” Carl agreed. “And sit up all night again if we want to.”
“It hasn’t been such a bad night!” Ben observed. “If we had only kept Doran, everything would be in pretty good shape now.”
“What did the chief of police say when you turned the other gink over to him?” asked Carl. “He locked him up, didn’t he?”
“Yes, he locked him up!” answered Mellen. “But, before I left the station, I saw the fellow at the ’phone and I presume he is out on bail by this time. The police have no recourse if bail is offered.”
“Then I’ll tell you what you do!” advised Ben. “If he is admitted to bail, you hire a private detective and have him watched. He is sure to meet with Doran before very long. He may go to the hills to consult with him, or Doran may come to the city, but the two fellows are certain to come together! Then Doran can be arrested.”
“That’s a good idea,” Mellen answered, “and I’ll attend to the matter as soon as I get back to my office. Now, we’ll all go down to a restaurant and have breakfast. I’m hungry myself just now.”
“What’s the matter with the hotel?” asked Ben.
Mellen did not care to explain to the boys exactly what had taken place down stairs, but he felt that they would be treated with suspicion as long as they remained there, so he decided to ask them to change their quarters as soon as they returned from breakfast.
Making the reply that the morning table d’hote at the hotel was not suitable for hungry boys who had been up all night, Mellen went with the lads to a first-class restaurant. After breakfast he suggested a change of hotels, saying only that they had already attracted too much attention at the one where they were stopping, and the boys agreed without argument. It took only a short time to locate in the new quarters, and the boys were soon sound asleep.
When Ben awoke, some one was knocking at his door, and directly he heard a low chuckle which betrayed the presence of Jimmie in the corridor.