Instantly, white with terror, Griff flung the bills toward the open safe, kicked the door shut, turned like a hunted animal and ran out through an intervening door into the next office, and, with Bob in hot pursuit, raced across the hall, into the directors’ room, to its window and down the fire escape. And Bob, at the window, felt a hand grip his collar. He was caught!
CHAPTER XXIX
A CONFESSION
Without a struggle Bob gave up. In the dark he did not know who his captor might be; but he reasoned that if it turned out to be Barney resistance would be less sensible than explanation. To struggle for escape if the hand on his collar belonged to Mr. Parsons, would be foolish and might make it harder for his chum and his brother to explain their situation.
In his mind’s eye Bob recalled how the office had looked as he left it. Griff had kicked at the safe door, believing the money had gone in; but it had not! It had dropped on the floor.
Unquestionably Mr. Parsons, or Barney, or whoever held him, had come past that office but had not stopped there, preferring to make a capture of the only person he could put his hands on.
Bob realized that non-resistance was a wise course. As he had surmised, he was led back toward the office. He was glad that he had done nothing, said nothing to explain the situation so far. The man who had hold of him, who urged him along the corridor, was Griff’s father, the man from whom they sought to save Griff.
At the office door Bob, panting and choked a trifle by the tight grip on his coat, took in the situation swiftly.
It looked, from all the appearances, as though Al were dictating from the slip while Curt manipulated the combination, to open the safe; on the other hand, from another point of view, it might appear that the pair had recently had the safe open and were closing it.
What made that more probable to an outsider’s eyes was the package of greenbacks which Al held!
“What does this mean?” Mr. Parsons, half dragging Bob along, made a quick, nervous advance, caught the package from Al with his free hand.