Larry explained about his search.
“Sorry I can’t help you,” spoke the watchman. “I don’t believe that boat came here. Two men and a sick boy would be sure to be noticed. They didn’t come since I’ve been on the watch, and the day man would surely have mentioned it if he’d seen ’em. Sorry I can’t help you, after what you did for me—telling me about those thieves.”
“Oh, that’s all right,” spoke Larry pleasantly. “I’ll inquire further. I hope those thieves didn’t get anything.”
“I guess not. We were too quick for ’em. Those thieves sneaked in here when I was down at the water end of the dock, I guess, pulling my time-clock. I’ll take a look at this pile of stuff.”
Flashing his lantern on it plainly showed the watchman where a number of boxes had been disturbed, as if the thieves had gotten ready to cart them away, but none seemed to be missing.
“Well, I wish I could help you, but I can’t,” spoke the watchman, as Larry was about to leave. “I’ll give you a note to the watchman at the next public dock. He’s a friend of mine, and he may have seen the men you want come ashore.”
The note was soon written, and with that in his possession Larry set out again on his search. At the next public dock he found the man on guard, but his inquiry was fruitless.
It was not until nearly nine o’clock, after three hours of asking questions of dockmasters, longshoremen and others, that Larry got the trail he had sought so long.
“A motorboat come in out of the fog?” repeated a grizzled dock laborer. “No, I didn’t see that, but I did see a small boat, with two men and a sick boy in it, land here about half-past five.”
“A sick boy!” cried Larry, his hopes reviving suddenly.