The Green Box

CHAPTER XIX GRIFF DECIDES

POLICE CHIEF ALEXIS KERR had returned to his office at city hall. His square-set face showed determination as he spoke orders through the telephone. A dozen police and nearly two hundred deputies were scouring the town in search of the bank robbers.

Footsteps clattered and Townsend Rowling strode into Kerr’s office. Behind him were Hiram Marker and Rutherford Blogg. Then came Eric Griffel. The leader of the deputies was followed by Norton Granger.

“What are you doing here, Kerr?” demanded Rowling. “Why aren’t you out on the job? Why haven’t you trapped those robbers?”

The square-jawed police chief stared coldly at the gray-haired millionaire. Kerr seemed to resent Rowling’s intrusion at this hour.

“I am directing affairs from here,” informed Kerr. “I am receiving reports from deputies as well as from police. I am in charge of the search.”

“More must be done,” stormed Rowling. “This is terrible. The robbers have cleaned everything from the lower vault.”

“At least they failed to break into the large vault. I understand that it contains practically all of the bank’s funds.”

“It does.” Rowling was reluctant with his admission. “The downstairs vault held all my private wealth. Cash, negotiable securities — and those are not all. In that vault” — Rowling’s tone was serious — “were deeds and titles. Also confidential papers that cannot be replaced. Something must be done, Kerr — at once!”

The police chief settled back in his chair. The situation seemed to challenge him. He became speculative; and in his chain of thought, he formed a theory.

“Odd,” asserted Kerr, “that the crooks should have blown the smaller vault. They must have known that the large one was upstairs.”

“They didn’t have time to blow both,” suggested Norton Granger.

“Then why the smaller one?” questioned Kerr.

“I’ll tell you why!” blurted Rowling. “It was a thrust at me — just like the robberies that occurred at Blogg’s and Marker’s. The crooks wanted to get my private property.”

“Ah!” Kerr sprang to his feet. “This gives me an idea. Those crooks, gentlemen, must be here in town. They have struck three times. They know enough about Southfield. Their very method of entrance proves that.”

“They came up through the ground.”

“Yes. We have not opened their path because they filled it with debris through another explosion. They must, however, have spent some time in preparing a tunnel—”

“I have it!” Hiram Marker interrupted with his exclamation. “I know how they entered! You don’t have to trace their tunnel!”

ALL eyes turned in the direction of the bald-headed speaker. Hiram Marker was wildly excited.

“The water conduits!” he exclaimed. “My company installed one before the new bank was built. It runs from beside the bank out to the main street.”

“That’s right!” nodded the police chief. “I had forgotten all about that conduit! We all know it’s there. The crooks could easily have learned about it. Where does it come out?”

“It’s blocked,” asserted Marker. “No longer in use. There’s only one entrance to it — the man-hole in front of the bank—”

Griff turned. Two of his lieutenants had entered. The chief deputy barked an order.

“You heard what the chief said,” he told his men. “Get into that conduit. We can trap those crooks with the goods.”

The lieutenants hurried from the office. Griff decided to follow. Police Chief Kerr arose. He waved the other men to chairs.

“Stay here,” he ordered. “I’m going up to see about this. We’ll get them if they’re there.”

Word had passed up the street by the time Kerr arrived in his car. The man-hole was open. Deputies were already in the conduit. Griff was standing as director. Minutes passed. A head came from the man-hole.

“They’ve cleared out,” stated a deputy. “We found the blocked end of the pipe, under the bank. The other end is closed, too.”

Police Chief Kerr stepped into his car. Angrily, he ordered the driver to take him back to city hall. Griff saw the chief depart. The leader of the deputies entered another car and ordered the driver to follow Kerr.

The police chief was announcing the disappointing news to Rowling and the others when Griff arrived. The leader of the deputies joined the conference. Long minutes of discussion passed.

“I can’t understand how they escaped,” summarized Chief Kerr. “There were fifty deputies on that front street. Those crooks had their swag to lug away. That man-hole is the only outlet.”

A man came hurrying into the office. It was one of Griff’s lieutenants. The arrival approached his leader.

“What is it, Caderly?” questioned Kerr.

“Listen, Griff,” announced the lieutenant, “you’ve started something. While the boys were busy around that man-hole, a couple of them got an idea. They remembered seeing that delivery truck that belongs to Farrow.”

“Yes? Where was it?”

“Stalled right over the man-hole on—”

“Wait a minute!” For the first time, Griff remembered his visit to Farrow’s store. “I saw that truck going out. A lot of big boxes in it.”

“Yeah,” agreed Caderly, “and banners that covered the wheels. The boys did a sneak over to the garage after they got their hunch. I’ll tell you what they found — a trapdoor in the bottom of the truck!”

“After I was in the store,” recalled Griff, excitedly, “that truck stopped in the middle of the street, on its way to Gwynnesborough. A box fell off it. Say — that’s when the crooks got into the conduit. They had plenty of time to carve their way up into the bank!”

“The truck pulled up in back of Farrow’s,” added Caderly. “Some of the boys on the back street saw the driver and that clerk of Farrow’s unloading boxes that they had brought back with them.”

“Where are the two men now?”

“Out on the street, looking on. I saw them up near the bank.”

“We’ll get them!” exclaimed Griff. “Farrow’s in that store. We’ll use them as decoys. We’ve spotted the man, all right.” Griff turned to Rowling and gave a significant nod. “It’s Slade Farrow. I’ve been watching that fellow, but he was too smooth for me.”

“Hold up there!” Police Chief Kerr spoke as Griff was turning toward the door. “I’m in charge of this, Griff. Bring your deputies along — tell them what to do — but take orders from me.”

Griff scowled. He stared toward Rowling as if in protest. The millionaire hesitated; then nodded.

“That’s right, Griff,” he declared. “If you’re going to enter Farrow’s place, you’ll need Chief Kerr. Isn’t that best, Norton?”

“Yes,” agreed young Granger. His face was solemn. “I’m going along, too, Rowling. I can’t understand this about Farrow. I was sure that he was an honest man.”

FIVE minutes later, Dave and Louie were surprised by a pair of deputies who suddenly approached and covered them with rifles. Police Chief Kerr stood by while Griff barked orders to his lieutenants.

Watching from their window, Harry Vincent and Cliff Marsland saw the captives marched along the street. The prisoners turned the corner toward the rear of Farrow’s store. Kerr, Griff and Granger were in charge; a group of deputies behind. Other deputies and police were watching the front of the clothing shop.

“It’s coming,” whispered Harry.

“Right,” agreed Cliff. “Be ready.”

This was the emergency which The Shadow had foreseen. His agents were prepared to deliver aid.