“Yes, it will!” exclaimed the millionaire. “It will be a change for me, and, besides, I want to help Madame Androletti if I can. I have often heard her sing, and I admire her very much. As soon as I get back from this trip, and we have the boy—or, for that matter, whether we get him or not—I’m going to use my influence to have the strongest kind of a law passed, providing for the extreme penalty for kidnapping.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” said Larry, “and I can assure you that the Leader will back up your efforts.”
“Thanks. It’s always a help to have a good newspaper back of you,” spoke the millionaire.
Madame Androletti seemed much improved in spirits as soon as she started on the cruise. While, of course, there was no immediate chance of locating her son, it was a relief to her to be doing something, even though it was but sailing about, rather than to sit still, waiting for some news.
“I could not have stood it much longer,” she said.
Larry and Mr. Potter talked over their plans. They had come away in a hurry and without much thought of what they had best do. The young reporter sent a story to his paper, telling of finding the deserted room, where Lorenzo had been, and of a new clew he was following. He received an answer back to proceed as he thought best.
“I think we can get on the trail as soon by following along shore, and putting in at various ports, as by any other way,” suggested the millionaire. “To my notion, those fellows are not going very far out on the lake. In the first place, I don’t believe they have a vessel big enough to weather a hard storm such as we’re likely to get any time now, with winter coming on. And in the second place, they can’t have any object in crossing Huron.
“They are in this kidnapping business to make money. I’m sure of that. They have been keeping silent up to now, so as to make it all the more agonizing for Madame Androletti. They want to get her in such a state that she’ll give in the moment she gets their demand for ransom money. That’s why they have not made any advances to her. They are playing a deep game.”
“Yes, I believe so,” assented Larry. “That Parloti looked to be a deep plotter.”
“And you still think him guilty?”