“Because these boatmen gather on that pier every evening. And they know pretty well what’s going on. But I played in luck. It happened that the tip had gone out for a wool sale last evening, though I didn’t know it. But Larsen saw a chance to get a little more wool to-day, so he put the auction off until to-night. I overheard the whole scheme.”
“Gee! You sure were in luck. Did you learn anything more when you followed those fellows to the coffee-house?”
“Not a thing.”
They walked on in silence for a time. “What will you do next, now that you have solved the problem of the wool theft?”
“Oh! We aren’t done with that business yet. We’ve got to get the wool from Larsen’s boat, and then find the rest of what was stolen. Larsen’s wool is only a part of the stuff.”
“When will you go after the wool?”
“We’ll get that to-night. If we left it until morning, there wouldn’t be any wool there. We’ll have to act quick before they get wise to Larsen’s arrest. I got him out of there so quietly that I don’t think any of his pals know about his arrest yet. But he’ll get word to them quick enough. I told the warden to hold up any messages for two or three hours. That will give us time to grab the wool. Then Larsen can send out all the alarms he wants to.”
“May I go with you when you get the wool?”
“Oh! I’m not going myself,” said Sheridan. “I’ve already telephoned the office to hustle a truck down there, and McCarthy will go along with it. If I went down on that pier when the barge is raided, every bargeman on the waterfront would have me spotted. I’m supposed to keep on with this job until we get all the wool, and I don’t want those pirates to get wise to me.”
“Won’t I have any more chances to help you?” asked Willie, and his voice was so sorrowful that Sheridan laughed outright.