“Which means you didn’t,” Mrs. Hatfield said. “Oh, Sam, you were careless.”
“I’m afraid so,” the Cub leader admitted. “After all the preaching I’ve done to the Cubs too.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Dan said loyally. “Until lately, it’s never been necessary to lock a house up tight to keep one’s belongings safe.”
“This always has been a good neighborhood,” Mr. Hatfield agreed. “That fact gave me a false sense of security, I’m afraid.”
“If the milkman saw a woman leaving the house, that’s obviously where the money box went,” Mrs. Hatfield declared, refilling Dan’s cup with chocolate. “It explains too why the police found a jet button near where the box had been hidden.”
“But who could the woman have been?” Mr. Hatfield murmured. “So far as we know, the only person besides the Cubs who knew about the box was that man caught peeping into the church.”
“He must have told others,” Mrs. Hatfield reasoned. “We can be fairly certain of that because so many claims were put in for the money.”
“Learning about this woman convinces me of one thing,” said Mr. Hatfield. “I’m positive none of the Cubs told about the box. The leak came from another source.”
“Will you tell police?” Dan questioned.
“Yes, Dan. This clue may be the most important one yet. I’ve begun to think though, that the money never will be recovered. In that case, if the rightful claimant can prove his assertion, I’ll make good the loss.”