The Mystery of the Fires Page 9

  CHAPTER IX _The Arrest_

  When the girls came home from the fire that night they found Mrs. Gay andFreckles both awake and dressed. The boy was pleading with his mother tobe allowed to go to the Smiths'.

  "The fire's out," announced Jane, sinking wearily into the swing on theporch. "Mary Lou passed out for a few minutes, too."

  Mrs. Gay uttered an exclamation of alarm.

  "Oh, but I'm all right now, Mother," her daughter hastened to assure her."Only I would like something hot to drink. And my own bed to sleep in, ifFreckles doesn't mind changing again."

  "A hot drink?" repeated her brother, in amazement. "Why hot?"

  Briefly Jane told the story of Mary Louise's daring act of heroism, andMrs. Gay hurried off to make her daughter comfortable for the night.

  In their own soft bed again, the girls slept soundly until nearly noonthe following day. Mary Louise was vexed with herself for wasting so muchtime when she saw the lateness of the hour. For if she was to do anythingabout solving the mystery of the fires she hadn't a single minute tolose.

  "Have you heard any news this morning?" she demanded of her brother asthe family all ate their breakfast-lunch together.

  "Not much," replied the boy. "We went over to see the place, of course,as soon as we were up this morning. It must have been some fire! What'sleft of the house isn't fit to live in.... Gee, Sis, you and Jane werelucky to be in on it!"

  "Lucky for the Smiths!" amended Mrs. Gay. "I shudder every time I thinkof what might have happened to little Ethel."

  "Where are the Smiths now?" inquired Jane.

  "Moved over to the hotel. The chauffeur telegraphed Mr. Smith, and he andMrs. Smith are coming this afternoon, with clothes and stuff."

  "Did you see the boys this morning?" questioned Mary Louise.

  "Yeah," replied the boy. "I took the canoe across the river, where theywere in swimming early, with the chauffeur."

  "And couldn't they tell you anything more about the fire?"

  "Nope. Robby said he never wakened up till he heard the chauffeur yellingat them. Then they all grabbed their clothes and ran. The nurse wassleeping in the same room with little Ethel, and she saw to it that thekid got out safely."

  "And she went back for her dolly!" whispered Mrs. Gay, with a catch inher voice.

  "Mother, please stop thinking about that!" begged Mary Louise."Everything came out all right--so do try to forget it."

  "I will, dear. But I think I've had enough of Shady Nook for one summer.I've about decided to pack up and go home tomorrow."

  "Oh, no!" protested Mary Louise, aghast. "We can't--run away!"

  "If only your father were here, he'd find out what's the cause of allthese disasters. But I feel so unsafe--so helpless without him!"

  "I'm going to find out!" announced Mary Louise, with determination in hervoice. "Just stay a little while, till we have a chance to see whatdevelops!"

  "I won't promise. By the way, I've decided that we'll all go over to theRoyal Hotel for dinner tonight. It will be a nice change--and you girlscan dance afterwards, because practically everybody from Shady Nook eatsthere now."

  "Everybody except the Ditmars," said Mary Louise, with a significant lookat Jane.

  She said nothing further about the young couple now, but an hour later,when the two girls were getting into their bathing suits, she mentionedthe Ditmars again.

  "I've come to the conclusion that the criminal, the person responsiblefor the fires, is one of two people," she said, "with the possible chanceof a third."

  "You suspect Horace Ditmar, of course?" asked Jane.

  "Yes. I think everything points to him. First, he has the _motive_. Toget work for himself--to plan new houses to take the place of those thathave been destroyed. If you've noticed, Jane, the three places that havebeen burned have all been big, expensive ones. The finest at Shady Nook!The Smiths and the Hunters are rich people, well able to afford torebuild. And Flicks' was such a flourishing business that anybody wouldnaturally expect them to want to start it up again.

  "Next, Horace Ditmar had the _opportunity_. He was absent from the twoparties which were going on when the Hunters' and Flicks' places burned,and he could easily have slipped out last night and set Smiths' on fire.

  "And last--and most important of all, Dad often says--Ditmar's the kindof man who could do it. Quiet, almost sullen, I think, and deceitful.I've never spoken two words with him, but that's my opinion."

  Jane nodded solemnly: her chum's logic appeared sound.

  "But still," she remarked, "Horace Ditmar isn't profiting any by thesefires. Nobody seems a bit inclined to rebuild."

  "No. Not yet. But wait till the Smiths come, and see whether HoraceDitmar tries to chum up with them. You know Adelaide Ditmar admitted thatthey went over to call on Mrs. Hunter after their fire and the womanalmost snubbed her."

  "True.... Who's your other suspect, Mary Lou? Is it--Cliff?"

  "No. Positively not Cliff! In spite of that pack of cards they found overthere last night. Imagine Cliff Hunter setting fire to a house that hadthree children asleep in it! It's unthinkable."

  Jane breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad to hear you say that," shesaid.

  "The other person I suspect strongly is Rebecca Adams," continued theyoung detective. "I hate to, for she seems harmless, but you just nevercan tell about a half-witted person like that. She wanders around at suchqueer times, and then her coming here last night, after predicting a firein the afternoon, looks bad. She's got to be watched."

  "Right again," agreed the other girl admiringly. "But go on, 'SpencerDean'! Who's your third suspect--the one you called a possible chance?"

  "The hotelkeeper, Frazier. It's meant a lot to his business. He has themotive all right, but I just can't see how he could have actuallyaccomplished setting the places on fire. He was with us all evening thenight Flicks' burned down, and Cliff says he was at the hotel when theHunters' cottage burned. Still, Frazier's sly. He might have managed it."

  "I'll have to take a good look at him tonight when we go over to dinner,"observed Jane, "and try to size up his character."

  Mary Louise reached for her beach robe and stepped into her slippers.

  "Come on, Jane," she said. "We've got to hurry, or the crowd will go homebefore we get there."

  They ran out to the canoe and jumped in, paddling down the river half amile to the spot which was generally accepted as the best swimming placenear Shady Nook. Here they found about twenty-five people gathered on theshore, all talking in the wildest excitement. And not a single person wasin the water!

  "What's happened?" demanded Jane. "Anybody drowned?"

  "Another fire?" asked Mary Louise.

  "Neither," explained Sue Reed, turning to the newcomers. "But somethingalmost as bad. A detective arrived from Albany and arrested Cliff Hunter!As an incendiary, I believe he said. A person who sets things on fire."

  "No!" gasped Jane in horror.

  "But how could he?" cried Mary Louise incredulously. "I mean, how could adetective from Albany know about the fires here at Shady Nook--let alonesuspect Cliff?"

  "Somebody wired," said Sue.

  "Who?" demanded both girls in the same breath.

  Nobody seemed to be able to answer that question. All anyone knew wasthat Cliff had gone off in the detective's car and that his mother hadinsisted upon going with him. Mrs. Hunter was positive that it was all aput-up job, a plot of some kind to kidnap her son.

  The talking died down at last, and the crowd dispersed into the water.But nobody seemed to enjoy the swim that day. Discouraged and worried,Mary Louise and Jane decided to paddle back home in their canoe.

  "All your detective work gone for nothing!" lamented Jane miserably. "I'djust like to know, who's responsible for that arrest! It was such a dirtytrick. I wonder if it was one of the Smiths' servants."

  "I don't know, but I'm going to find out tonight," returned Mary Louise."Thank goodness we're
going to the Royal to dinner, where we'll seeeverybody! Keep your eyes and ears open, Jane."

  As soon as the girls reached their cottage they told Mrs. Gay thestartling news about Cliff Hunter. She was as much distressed as theywere over the announcement, for she had known the young man so long thathe seemed almost like a son. And, like the girls, she was positive of hisinnocence.

  "Let's get dressed early and go over to the hotel. Maybe we can find outsomething there," she suggested.

  "That's just what we're hoping," replied Jane. "And believe me, if wefind that the Smith chauffeur is responsible--or that sneaky Frazier----"

  "It wasn't Mr. Frazier, I can assure you," interrupted Mary Louise."He'll be losing money without the Hunters and their friends. No--butmaybe----"

  "Maybe what?"

  "Nothing. No use of making guesses in the dark. We'll wait and see."

  The girls went into their room to dress. Mary Louise was surprised to seeJane take a simple white voile out of the closet.

  "Why, Jane, we're going to the Royal Hotel! To dine and dance. Don't youwant to wear your pink georgette?"

  Her chum shook her head.

  "No. White's more appropriate for the way I feel tonight. I'm not in aparty mood. Maybe I'd wear black, if I had it!"

  Mary Louise lowered her voice.

  "Do you care that much about Cliff, Jane?" she asked seriously.

  "I don't know about that part of it, Mary Lou--but I do feel dreadfully.Cliff was always so care-free and happy--just like a child with his cardtricks. And then for somebody to pounce down on him like that and carryhim off without any chance to defend himself----"

  "Don't worry about that, Jane," interrupted Mary Louise. "Don't forgetthat the Hunters are rich, and Mrs. Hunter will hire the best lawyer inthe whole state of New York to defend him."

  "Well, that's comforting! But, just the same, it was a mean trick. AndI'm going to miss Cliff dreadfully.... By the way, where was David McCalltoday? I didn't see him in swimming."

  Mary Louise frowned. "Neither did I," she muttered.

  Jane swung about sharply.

  "Mary Lou, you think David sent that wire, don't you?" she demanded.

  "I'm trying not to think so!" responded her chum. "But we'll find outtonight."

  The girls were ready in a few minutes, but they waited for Mrs. Gay andFreckles. They had expected to go across the river in the canoes, butStuart Robinson stopped in to invite them to join their family in themotorboat, so that there was further delay. Instead of getting off early,the party did not leave until after six.

  Naturally, everybody talked of the arrest on the way over, but none ofthe Robinsons knew who was responsible for it. Stuart blamed it upon theSmiths' servants.

  When they reached the porch of the hotel, they found it deserted.Everybody ate early at the resort.

  The large dining room, with its pale yellow walls, its long screenedwindows, and its snow-white tables, was certainly a pleasant-lookingplace. The floors were of polished hardwood, so that when these sametables were removed the room was fine for dancing. The space was ample,too, for it was intended to accommodate a couple of hundred people at ameal. Tonight it looked fairly well filled, with all the guests fromShady Nook in addition to the regular diners.

  Mr. Frazier himself came up and found two tables for the Gays and theRobinsons. The little man looked happy and confident tonight, pleased, nodoubt, that business was more flourishing.

  "Is David McCall here, Mr. Frazier?" asked Jane abruptly.

  "Yes," was the reply. "He's sitting with the Smiths this evening. Mr. andMrs. Smith arrived this afternoon."

  "Thank you," answered Jane, without going into any explanation.

  Mary Louise smiled. "Nothing like going right to the point, Jane," sheremarked when the hotelkeeper had turned away.

  "I mean to ask David point-blank! I hope I can make him ashamed ofhimself, if he did cause Cliff's arrest!"

  "I'm afraid you can't do that," put in Mrs. Gay wisely. "Theseself-righteous people who feel that it is their duty to tell onothers----" She stopped, wondering whether she was hurting Mary Louise'sfeelings by speaking thus about David McCall, but her daughter wasscarcely listening. "I think he'll come over to see us," Mrs. Gayconcluded as she gave her order to the waitress, "with the Smiths."

  Mrs. Gay was correct in her surmise: when the Smiths had finished theirdinner, they came straight to the Gays' table.

  Mrs. Smith, a well-dressed woman of perhaps thirty-five--though shelooked much younger--put her hand on Mary Louise's arm.

  "I can never thank you enough for saving my baby, Mary Louise," she said."All my life I'll be grateful to you!"

  Mary Louise smiled.

  "I'm thankful I was there in time, Mrs. Smith," she said. "Ethel is sucha darling."

  "I wish we could do something for you, Mary Lou," put in her husband."Can't you think of something you want?" He was too well bred to offerher a reward in money, the way old Miss Mattie Grant at Dark Cedars haddone.

  "All I want is to find out who really did start that fire at your house,"replied the girl. "Because I'm sure Cliff Hunter didn't!"

  She was staring past Mrs. Smith right at David McCall as she said this,with scorn in her eyes.

  Jane couldn't keep quiet any longer. She turned angrily to the young man.

  "Are you responsible for Cliff's arrest, David McCall?" she demanded.

  "I am," he stated calmly. "I did it to protect our insurance company. Itjust happens that our company holds most of the insurance up here atShady Nook. And they've paid enough already--or will pay. So I don't wantany more fires. It's my duty to protect their interests."

  "Oh, yeah?" retorted Jane, hot with fury. "Well, you're not doing it!Cliff Hunter never started those fires, and you'll find out soon he'sinnocent!"

  "How?" demanded David.

  "There will be another fire, just the same. We haven't got the guiltyperson yet. I know it!"

  Mrs. Gay shuddered. "Oh, I hope not!" she exclaimed. "But I believe we'llgo home tomorrow."

  "We're planning to stay on here at the Royal while we see about repairingthe damage," said Mrs. Smith. "But if it isn't safe----"

  "I guess the hotel's safe enough," put in her husband. "It's practicallyfireproof."

  David turned nonchalantly to Mary Louise. "Will you dance with me aftersupper, Mary Lou?" he asked. "It's my last night here. I'm going toAlbany tomorrow."

  "I don't believe I care to dance," replied the girl icily--to Jane'sinfinite delight. "Jane and I are going to stay with Mother thisevening."

  The party moved on, and Jane reached for her chum's hand under the table.

  "That's telling him!" she murmured in deep satisfaction.