"Oh, well that explains your confidence. I feel sorry for the burglar who makes the attempt, once Koku wakes up. Heard anything more from those Universal people?"
"No, not directly. I understand they are working hard on some new type of plane for army use, but I haven't bothered my head about them. I'm too much occupied with my own affairs and trying to help Mary."
"Very strange about Mr. Nestor, isn't it?"
"Worse than strange," said Tom. "If this keeps on, and he isn't heard from, it will be tragic pretty soon."
"He must be held a prisoner somewhere," declared Ned.
"It begins to look that way," assented Tom. "Though who would have an object in that I can't understand. He had no enemies, as far as is known, and his business affairs were in excellent shape. Unless, as I said, the persons who ran him down are, through fear, keeping him hidden until he recovers, I can't imagine what has become of him."
"Well, it certainly is a puzzle," said Ned. And Tom agreed with his chum.
It was about a week after the disappearance of Mr. Nestor that Mr. Damon came over to see Tom.
"Bless my shoe laces, Tom!" exclaimed the eccentric man, "but you are as busy as ever." For he found the young inventor in the experiment shop, surrounded by a mass of papers and all sorts of mechanical devices.
"Yes, I'm working a little," said Tom. "But you are just in time. Come on out, I want to introduce you to Silent Sam."