“Fairly short,” declared Sunny before Connie could speak.
“And did he have a pointed nose?”
“Yes, he did!” exclaimed Veve in astonishment. She wondered how the detective could know so much about the pickpocket.
“Your description fits Joe Potassick,” declared the detective. “‘Joe the Pick’ we call him. I thought I saw him in the crowd today. But he slipped away from me again.”
“Then you know of the man?” inquired Miss Gordon in surprise.
“Every circus detective knows Pickpocket Joe. He’s given us plenty of trouble.”
“Does he steal from the circus people?” inquired Jane curiously.
“No,” replied the detective, smiling down at the Brownie with the shining braids. “Joe the Pick follows the circus from town to town. He mingles with the crowd and takes pocketbooks and jewelry.”
“Just as he stole Miss Gordon’s billfold and the Brownie money,” supplied Jane.
“That’s right,” agreed the detective. “As a rule we have little trouble rounding up the average pickpocket. But Joe is a slippery fellow. So far he has managed to elude me.”