“By Jove!” cried Hooker. “I’ve always said he was a sneak. I told Sage so myself. You’ve hit it—I’ll bet you’ve hit it, Sleuth!”
“Not so loud! Cautious! cautious!” warned Piper. “Now don’t forget your oath. Don’t breathe this suspicion to a soul. If the robbers didn’t get those securities last night, and it’s a certain fact that they didn’t, someone removed them from the vault at an earlier date. The investigation by the president and the directors led to the discovery that they were gone.”
“Timmick did it,” said Hooker. “He’s the man.”
CHAPTER XXV.
THE BOY WHO ACTED GUILTY.
The bank officials were perplexed and mystified. With the arrival of Urian Eliot the inner door of the vault had been opened by Timmick. It was evident to them all that the looters had been driven away before they could open this door, and therefore there was every reason to believe that the contents of the vault would be found undisturbed.
In order that a thorough examination might be made in the presence of the president and the others, the cash and securities contained in the various compartments of the vault had been removed and placed upon a long oak table in the adjoining directors’ room. This done, the officials gathered about the table and began the investigation, the president, pencil in hand, checking everything off on a list that had been furnished him by Timmick.
Then it was that they were shocked to discover that twenty thousand dollars’ worth of negotiable securities could not be found. The suggestion that these securities had been overlooked sent Timmick and one of the directors back to the vault, but without avail. In a few moments the cashier and his companion returned, and Timmick’s face was pale and his voice husky as he said:
“Those securities must be here on this table. They’re not in the vault. They must be here. They can’t be gone.”
“We’ll go over the list again,” said Urian Eliot. “Let’s do it slowly, carefully and systematically.”
Their great care in this second inspection simply served to confirm the fact that the securities were missing, whereupon Timmick collapsed upon a chair, seemingly on the verge of fainting.