At this he switched on a light and began to write. When he had finished he placed on Drew Lane’s desk a concise statement of all that had come under his observation regarding the kidnaping of the Red Rover. To this he attached a single newspaper clipping. He had found this after hours of search in a humble sheet which bore the name “Mining Gazette.” This paper was published in a small city far up on the North Peninsula of Michigan. The clipping read:
MYSTERIOUS PLANE HEARD OVER ISLE ROYALE
Pierre LeBlanc, the head lighthouse keeper on Passage Island, four miles off Isle Royale, reports by radio this morning that late in the night he heard the drum of an airplane motor in the direction of Isle Royale. It is his belief that the plane landed in one of the bays or harbors of the island. Whether it took off later, he was unable to tell.
Since the only persons on the island are a fisherman or two and a care-taker at Rock Harbor Lodge, the reason for this mysterious landing will not soon be known.
“Drew,” Johnny wrote after pinning the clipping to a sheet of paper, “this newspaper was printed the day after the Red Rover’s disappearance. I have stated all the facts as I have them, and leave you to draw your own conclusions.
“Here also is an envelope containing some shavings. Have Tom examine them. They may have been made by the knife he has been seeking.
“One thing more. I found the picture of your friend of the scar and the fiery eye in the Rogues’ Gallery. Can’t be any mistake. He is Bat Morgan. His home is in St. Louis. That is probably why you did not find him when you really wanted him.”
After scribbling “Johnny” after this note, he dropped a paper weight on it, pulled his cap down over his eyes, caught an elevator and was soon out in the cool air of night.
* * * * * * * *
“I wonder!” There was a look of longing in Berley’s eyes as she stared at Ed’s half burned out fire. “Wonder if we dare venture out into the night.”
“Why?” The scout shot her a glance.
“I was thinking of our summer home. Do you have the key?”