“Oh, we could, but it would be worse than useless. In the first place we have nothing but suspicions and vague threats. The police could not act on them. Besides you couldn’t have a bluecoat detailed to watch Jimmy all the while.”
“I wonder what we had better do,” mused Larry, who was much alarmed over the turn things had taken.
“We have several days yet,” said Mr. Newton. “They give us a week to make up our minds. In that time something may turn up. We’ve done enough work for to-night. Let’s rest until to-morrow.”
So, with his brain filled with thoughts of the possibility of Jimmy’s being kidnapped, and pondering over the strange web he was being tangled up in, Larry went home.
CHAPTER XXI
THE GAS EXPLOSION
It was with no very easy mind that Larry started for work next morning. Before he left for the office he warned his mother to keep her eye on Jimmy.
“What for?” asked Mrs. Dexter.
“Because there’s been a lot of automobile accidents in the streets lately,” replied Larry. “I don’t want Jimmy to get hurt.”
“I can beat an auto running!” cried the little fellow, who overheard his brother’s warning.
“Well, you’d better not try it,” said Larry. “You might win the first time, if the auto wasn’t going very fast, but the next time the machine would beat you, Jimmy, and knock you down, and roll you over in the mud, and, maybe, if it was a very bad auto, it would make your nose bleed.”