This plan he put in operation, but it was a baffling search. He found that the bricks in question were made by only one firm, which he located after calling on a number. But here the clew failed.
“We have sold thousands of those bricks,” said the manager, to whom the young reporter applied after showing a sample of the bricks taken from the valise. “Yes, I might say half a million of them. They have been delivered to dozens of builders in New York City, and the outskirts, and used in a variety of ways. One brick is as like another as are two peas, and it would be out of the question to try to trace where the few were picked up that took the place of the million dollars.”
“Yes, I’m afraid so,” agreed Larry. “This is the end of this clew all right,” and, tired and discouraged, he started back for the office of the Leader, there to write for the next day a story of his baffling search.
CHAPTER IX
LARRY GOES WALKING
The brick story made good reading, even if it was but a record of failure, and, for that matter, almost anything that was printed about the great bank mystery was eagerly pored over by the general public.
Larry’s account of how he sought to establish a clew by the bricks was another “beat,” and many city editors of other papers administered severe rebukes to their reporters, who were covering the bank story, because they had not thought to try that means of solving the mystery.
“How did you do it, Larry?” asked Peter Manton, with a rueful countenance, for Peter was one of those who had been “called down” for failing to get a good story of the developments of the robbery.
“Oh, just by thinking,” answered Larry, with a laugh.
“What are you going to do next?” Peter wanted to know. “Though of course I don’t expect you to tell me,” he added, with a sigh at his failure.
“Well, to tell you the truth, I don’t know what I am going to do next,” replied Larry. “I don’t know what there is to do. I’m at the end of my rope again. The brick clew failed, just as the others did. But I’m not going to give up.”