Swamp Island Part 19

"Which way did Jerry go when he left here?" she questioned eagerly.

"He crossa de street. After dat, I did not see."

"Jerry lives in the St. Agnes Apartments not far from here," Salt recalled. "Maybe he's there now!"

Quickly finis.h.i.+ng their sandwiches, the pair gave Mark a dollar, refusing to accept change. As they started away, he followed them to the door.

"You know-a somebody who wanta good job, good pay?" he whispered.

"Frankey is eating me outta all my profits. You know-a somebody?"

"Afraid we don't," Salt replied. "We'll keep it in mind though, and if we hear of anyone wanting work, we'll send him around."

From the hamburger hut, Penny and Salt drove directly to the St. Agnes Apartment Hotel. The clerk on duty could not tell them if Jerry were in his room or not.

"Go on up if you want to," he suggested. "Room 207."

Climbing the stairs, they pounded on the door. There was no answer. Salt tried again. Not a sound came from inside the room.

"It's no use," the photographer said in disappointment. "Mark may have been mistaken. Anyway, Jerry's not here."

CHAPTER 12 _A JOB FOR PENNY_

Penny gazed at Salt in grim despair. "I was so sure Jerry would be here,"

she murmured. "What can we do now?"

"We've run down every clue," he replied gloomily. "If he isn't at the hospital, I'm afraid it's a case for the police."

"But Mark was so sure he had seen Jerry tonight. Try once more, Salt."

"Okay, but it's useless. He's not here."

Again Salt hammered on the door with his fist. He was turning away when a sleepy voice called: "Who's there?"

"Jerry is in there!" Penny cried. "Thank goodness, he's safe!"

"Open up, you lug!" ordered Salt.

A bed creaked, footsteps padded across the carpet and the door swung back. Jerry, in silk dressing gown, blinked sleepily out at them.

"What do you want?" he mumbled. "Can't you let a fellow catch forty winks without sending out the riot squad?"

"How are you feeling, Jerry, my boy?" Salt inquired solicitously.

"Never felt better in my life, except I'm sleepy."

"Then what made you walk out of the hospital?"

"I don't like hospitals."

"We ought to punch you in the nose for making us so much trouble," Salt said affectionately. "Here we spent half the night searching the swamp for you!"

Jerry's face crinkled into a broad grin. "The swamp! That's good!"

"Didn't you ask a taximan at the hospital how much it would cost to go there?" Penny reminded him.

"Sure, but I decided not to go."

"You got a nerve!" Salt muttered. "Climb into your clothes and we'll take you back to your cell."

"Oh, no, you don't!" Jerry backed away from the door. "I'm no more sick than you are, and I'm not going back to the hospital!"

"You're an advanced case for a mental inst.i.tution!" the photographer snapped. "Maybe you don't know Danny Deevers is out to get you and he means business!"

"I'm not worried about Danny."

"Maybe you don't think he cracked you on the head tonight at the theater?"

"I've been thinking it over," Jerry replied slowly. "Probably it was Danny, but I doubt he'll dare show his face again. Police are too hot on his trail."

"Says you!" snorted Salt. "By the way, why were you so interested in going to the swamp tonight? Any clues?"

"Only the information you and Penny gave me."

"We learned a little more this evening," Penny informed him eagerly. "And we have a photograph we want you to identify."

The story of their findings at Caleb Corners and beyond, was briefly told. Salt then showed Jerry the picture of the ancient car which had been involved in the traffic accident.

"This older man is Danny Deevers," Jerry positively identified him after studying the photograph a minute. "I don't recognize the driver of the car."

"We're almost sure he's one of the Hawkins' boys," Penny declared. "You know, the swamper we told you about."

Jerry nodded. "In that case, putting the finger on Deevers should be easy for the police. The Hawkins family could be arrested on suspicion. Like as not, Deevers is hiding in the swamp just as Penny suspected!"

"If he is, it won't be easy to capture him," commented Salt. "They say a man could hide there a year without being found. And if the Hawkins' boy is arrested, he'll naturally lie low."

Jerry thoughtfully studied the photograph again. "That's so," he admitted. "Anyway, our evidence is pretty weak. We couldn't pin anything on either of the Hawkins' boys on the strength of this photograph."

"It would only involve Mrs. Jones," contributed Penny. "Why turn it over to the police?"

"Well, it would relieve us of a lot of responsibility. Tell you what! I know the Chief pretty well. Suppose I give the picture to him and ask him to go easy on Mrs. Jones? I think he would play along with us."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," approved Salt. "The police can watch the Hawkins place and maybe learn Danny's hideout without tipping their hand."

The matter of the photograph settled, he and Penny turned to leave.